Lone Wolf and Cub #1 First Comics 1988

Wrongfully accused of plotting to overthrow the Shogun, Itto Ogami becomes an outlaw, wandering through the provinces of feudal Japan with his infant son Daigoro by his side, seeking vengeance for the murder of his wife and family.

Once Ogami had been the Shogun’s official executioner, using his deft swordsmanship to end the lives of rebellious lords who defied the Shogun. His skills with the blade were legendary.

But the Yagu clan, the deadly assassins empowered to enforce the Shogun’s will, coveted Ogami’s office of executioner as well. They framed him, killed his wife, and now they come to his home bearing an official order from the Shogun, demanding Ogami’s death by ritual suicide…

Collects The Assassin's Road and The Coming of the Cold