It’s the movie that inspired Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, but 1973’s Lady Snowblood started life as a cult-favorite manga series — the first two volumes of which are now available to read as part of ComiXology’s subscription service.
Originally serialized in the magazine Weekly Playboy between 1972 and 1973, Lady Snowblood was written by Lone Wolf and Cub and Crying Freeman co-creator Kazuo Koike, with art by Kazuo Kamimura. The strip, which followed the eponymous assassin as she sought revenge on the men responsible for the death of her father and rape of her mother, was a smash hit, and adapted into two features directed by Toshiya Fujita and starring Meiko Kaji: 1973’s Lady Snowblood and the following year’s Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance. (A 2001 sci-fi movie, The Princess Blade, would draw from the same source material.)
The series was released as four English-language volumes by Dark Horse Comics in 2005. Appearing at the following year’s San Diego Comic-Con to promote the series, Koike said that the series “has more in American culture consciousness than most realize, in the form of Kill Bill Volume One. Lucy Liu’s character, O-ren Ishii, is based on the character Yuki (Lady Snowblood herself), as is the final battle scene in the snow. Additionally, the song “Flower of Carnage,” used in the soundtrack following the death of O-ren Ishii, was sung by none other than Meiko Kaji, the actress who played Yuki in the live-action [movie version of] Lady Snowblood. While there are themes of revenge in Lady Snowblood, [the lead character] is more of an anti-hero than an antagonist — a trope now, but at the time, very uncommon.”
The first two volumes of Dark Horse’s Lady Snowblood collections debut on ComiXology Unlimited — the digital comics platform’s subscription service — this month, alongside a host of other material, including IDW’s Orphan Black and comics based in the Mass Effect universe. Below, enjoy an eight-page preview of Lady Snowblood (Don’t forget that manga reads right to left!), as well as a full list of material debuting on — and departing from — ComiXology Unlimited today.
Additions this month to ComiXology Unlimited
40 Coffins collection by Rodolfo Santullo and Jok (Space Goat Productions)
Big Game Hunters #1-3 by Shon C. Bury, Jok and Estudio Haus (Space Goat Productions)
The Boys Vol. 4 by Garth Ennis, Tony Avina, John Higgins and Darick Robertson (Dynamite)
Control #1-2 by Angela Cruickshank, Andy Diggle and Andrea Mutti (Dynamite)
Copperhead Vol. 1 and #4-5 by Jay Faerber and Scott Godlewski (Image Comics)
Danger Girl Deluxe collection and #1-7 by J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell (IDW Publishing)
Dark Lily #1 by Georgia Ball and George Kambadais (Space Goat Productions)
Doorkickers #1 by Shon C. Bury, Scott McCullough and Douglas Franchin (Space Goat Productions)
Drive GN by Michael Benedetto and Antonio Fuso (IDW Publishing)
Eerie Archives Vol. 1-3 by various (Dark Horse Comics)
Evil Dead 2 #0-2 by Frank Hannah and Edgar Salazar (Space Goat Productions)
Evil Dead 2: Tales of the Ex-Mortis #1-3 by Justin Peniston and Enza Fontana (Space Goat Productions)
Faith (2016) #1-3 by Jody Houser, Pere Perez and Marguerite Sauvage (Valiant Entertainment)
The Family Secret #0 by Justin Peniston and Eder Messias (Space Goat Productions)
Farscape: Gone and Back #1-4 by Keith R.A. DeCandido, Rockne O’Bannon and Tommy Patterson (BOOM! Studios)
Grand Passion #1 by James Robinson and Tom Feister (Dynamite)
Grimm Fairy Tales: Steampunk #1-2 by Pat Shand and Annapaola Martello (Zenescope)
Halo: Initiation collection and #1-3 by Brian Reed and Marco Castiello (Dark Horse Comics)
Harbinger Wars collection and #1-4 by Joshua Dysart, Duane Swierczynski, Clayton Henry and Mico Suayan (Valiant Entertainment)
Invincible Vol. 4 by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley (Image Comics)
James Bond #1-3 by Warren Ellis and Jason Masters (Dynamite)
Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files: War Cry collection and #1-5 by Jim Butcher, Mark Powers, Carlos Gomez and Stjepan Sejic (Dynamite)
Judge Dredd Vol. 3 and #9-12 by Duane Swierczynski, Nelson Daniel, Antonio Fuso and Brendan McCarthy (IDW Publishing)
King: Prince Valiant #1-4 by Nate Cosby and Ron Salas (Dynamite)
Lady Snowblood Vol. 1-2 by Kazuo Koike
Maddy Kettle Vol. 1 by Eric Orchard (IDW Publishing)
Mage Inc. #1-#3 by Shon C. Bury and Ian Waryanto and Arison Aguiar (Space Goat Productions)
Mass Effect: Foundation Vol. 1 and #1-4 by Mac Walters, Omar Francia and Tony Parker (Dark Horse Comics)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #3 by Kyle Higgins and Hendry Prasetya (BOOM! Studios)
The Misadventures of Grumpy Cat and Pokey collection and #1-3 by Ben Fisher, Ben McCool, Agnes Garbowska, Steve Uy and various (Dynamite)
Mixtape #1 by Brad Abraham, Jok and Gervasio (Space Goat Productions)
Monster Elementary #1-#2 by Nicholas Doan, Caanan Grall, Christopher Tupa (Space Goat Productions)
Nox #1 by Shon C. Bury and Allan Goldman (Space Goat Productions)
Orphan Black Vol. 1 and #1-5 by John Fawcett, Jody Houser, Graeme Manson, Szymon Kudranski, Alan Quah and Cat Staggs (IDW Publishing)
Red Sonja Vol. 3 #1-#3 by Marguerite Bennett and Aneke (Dynamite)
Rocket Queen and the Wrench #1 by Justin Peniston and Ramanda Kamarga (Space Goat Productions)
Sons of the Devil #1-#3 by Brian Buccellato and Toni Infante (Image Comics)
Space Goat Presents: Halloween Treat Bag by Jacob Bascle, Shon C. Bury, Justin Peniston, Darren Vincenzo, Jok and Alan Quah (Space Goat Productions)
Spawn of Mars and Other Stories by Al Feldstein and Wally Wood (Fantagraphics)
Spread Vol. 1 and #1-#6 Justin Jordan, Felipe Sobreiro and Kyle Strahm (Image Comics)
Sucker Bait and Other Stories by Al Feldstein and Graham Ingels (Fantagraphics)
The Werewolf O’Reilly #1 by Darren Vincenzo and Yvel Guichet (Space Goat Productions)
Wonder Woman ’77 Meets the Bionic Woman #2 by Andy Mangels and Judit Tondora (Dynamite)
Leaving ComiXology Unlimited:
Ant Vol. 1 and #1-8 by Mario Gully, Marc Hammond and Mario Gully (Image Comics)
B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth Vol. 1 and #1-5 by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Guy Davis (Dark Horse Comics)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike collection and #1-5 by Victor Gischler and Paul Lee (Dark Horse Comics)
Conan and the Demons of Khitai #1-4 by Akira Yoshida and Paul Lee (Dark Horse Comics)
Danger Girl: Revolver collection and #1-4 by J. Scott Campbell, Andy Hartnell and Chris Madden (IDW Publishing)
Farscape: Ongoing #1-4 by by Keith R.A. DeCandido, Rockne O’Bannon and Will Sliney (BOOM! Studios)
Farscape Vol. 7 by Keith R.A. DeCandido, Rockne O’Bannon and Will Sliney (BOOM! Studios)
Halo: Escalation Vol. 1 and #1-6 by Christopher Schlerf, Sergio Arino and Ricardo Sanchez (Dark Horse Comics)
Jim Butcher’s the Dresden Files: Down Town collection and #1-6 by Jim Butcher, Mark Powers and Carlos Gomez (Dynamite)
Mass Effect: Invasion #1-4 by John Jackson Miller, Mac Walters and Omar Francia (Dark Horse Comics)
Mass Effect: Redemption Vol. 1 and #1-4 by John Jackson Miller, Mac Walters and Omar Francia (Dark Horse Comics)
Spacehawk by Basil Wolverton (Fantagraphics)
The High Cost of Dying and Other Stories by Reed Crandall, Al Feldstein and Reed Crandall (Fantagraphics)
‘Taint the Meat…It’s the Humanity! and Other Stories by Al Feldstein and Jack Davis (Fantagraphics)
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