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Vagabond, Vol. 1 (2008)

by Takehiko Inoue(Favorite Author)

4.48 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1421520540 (ISBN13: 9781421520544)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

VIZ Media LLC

review 1: I'm a fan of manga who remains very selective about the titles I read - particularly when that title is 'Lone Wolf & Cub', and means drowning yourself in 9000 pages of bloody vengeance, bushido and the path to Meifumado; or 'Berserk', with 37 volumes of weird pseudo-European fantasy that cranks the gore to 11 and sucks you in with Kentaro Miura's incredibly detailed draftsmanship and idiosyncratic story-telling. The pacing and structure of manga is very different from American comics or Bande Dessinee, with the action unfolding in a cinematic manner that might spread a single action sequence over dozens of pages when an American comic would compress the same material to two or three. This 'uncompressed' approach means that getting hooked on 'Lone Wolf & Cub' or 'Blade of t... morehe Immortal' will require purchasing close to 30 volumes per series, not to mention a heavy investiture of time and emotion. These books, and others like 'Akira', 'Uzumaki', and 'Tekkon Kinkreet' are masterpieces of the artform that will always be worth the cost. 'Vagabond' is another modern classic of manga. Writer/Artist Takehiko Inoue is finally approaching the end of his account of the life of Miyamoto Musashi, the most famous samurai of all time and the author of 'The Book of Five Rings'. After over 16 years some 40 volumes, each around 200+ pages in length, the scale of Inoue's achievement is massive. A quick survey of the artwork in any volume will make clear just how talented an artist he is; the level of detail and texturing is so meticulous, it seems miraculous it didn't take him twice as long. He deserves to be included with names like Katsuhiro Otomo and Hiroaki Samura, who started his own samurai series 'Blade of the Immortal' around the same time Inoue started 'Vagabond', and will likely finish around the same time, with similarly epic pagecounts. But while 'BOTI' has explicitly supernatural themes and reimagines early Edo-period Japan in a rather unorthodox manner, 'Vagabond' hews close to historical fact. As Miyamoto Musashi travels 17th century Japan seeking worthy opponents in his quest to become 'invincible under the sun', maturing from a frightening young thug with impressive physical gifts to the swordsman who cuts down seventy well-armed members of the Yoshioka clan, we are introduced to dozens of memorable characters and experience moments when you almost fear to turn the page. The action is at times gut-wrenching in its intensity, and the violence can be horrifying. Inoue uses his artistry to depict in merciless detail the results of a heavy dotanuki blade as it cuts men into pieces. It is not a story for those with no stomach for gore. At over 8000 pages, Viz has made collecting this series in its entirety much easier with the Vizbig Editions. Each Vizbig volume collects 3 of the regular volumes, gathering 600-700 pages in a book that is taller and wider, has better paper, and costs quite a bit less than buying all three separately. So by the time you have Vizbig Edition Volume 11, you will have read Volumes 1 - 33 of the regular editions. Another nice feature is the artwork that continues across the spines of all 11 volumes to form a panoramic 9" x 20" group portrait of the many characters from the story. Definitely worth investing the time and money to experience this incredible manga.
review 2: Incomparable. Amazing each time I read it (which is about 6 or 7 times now). I'm afraid to even recommend it to anyone for fear of some nerd-rage outburst on my part if they don't love it the second they set eyes upon it. Fanboy(fangirl?)-ism aside, this collection, encompassing the first three volumes is definitely a bargain: low price and great quality. On the downside the volume is really heavy and a little hard to keep open on account of it's thickness. Bearing that in mind there are some beautiful spreads you'll be missing if you don't want to destroy the binding. I prefer the single volumes but this is a better option for tight pockets. less

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