Kazuo Koike at Comic-Com recap

San Diego's Union Tribune has a great article on Kazou Koike's trip to Comic-Con, sponsored by Dark Horse comics.

“One of the major themes [of Lone Wolf and Cub],” Koike said through an interpreter, “is the parent-and-child relationship in Japan. The parent-and-child relationship today is not so good.”

Ogami and Daigoro – the fiercely protective father and the loyal, obedient son – “are something of a model,” Koike said.

Like his characters, the 71-year-old Koike believes in old-fashioned values. This weekend's stop at Comic-Con is his first appearance at an American comics convention, but he is revered in the world of manga, or Japanese comic books. He owns his own manga publishing house and teaches his techniques as a professor at Osaka University of Arts.

His talents extend beyond comics. He founded a golf magazine, served as the host of a TV show and writes novels and poetry.

But Koike is best known as manga's storyteller supreme, spinning tales of assassins and generals, monks and prostitutes, farmers and detectives. His yarns are rich in historical detail – “Lone Wolf” and “Samurai Executioner” are set in medieval Japan, while “Lady Snowblood” takes place in the mid-19th century – and in character.

“Comics are carried by characters,” he has preached over and over. “If a character is well-created, the comic becomes a hit.”

You can read the entire article here.