Ogami Itto was once the official
executioner of the
Shogun, before he was betrayed by the rival Yagyu clan and ordered to commit
seppuku. Instead of following the order, he defied the Shogun and became a ronin, wandering a hellish feudal Japan with his young son, killing his way slowly towards ultimate revenge upon the Yagyu.
A manga series that should be noted for its slow, brooding pace and attention to historical detail as much as for its graphic violence In some stories, the climactic fight scenes are secondary to the plot, and not even directly depicted. Written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima.
Imagine a comic book adaption of a movie written by Raymond Chandler and directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring a young Clint Eastwood. My favorite piece of graphic art currently out there.