Wednesday Cover: Golgo 13

Antihero hitman Duke Togo, alias Golgo 13, star of a long-running (it began in 1969) manga series by Takao Saito, has had a spotty publishing record in the United States, despite a popularity in his native Japan that has seen the character showcased in live-action motion pictures (where he was once portrayed by legendary badass Sonny Chiba), anime features and television series, and videogames.

Golgo 13 is the ultimate assassin, an expert marksman who never fails to complete his mission, no matter how well-protected the target. He is a freelancer of apparent Eurasian heritage, who can speak 13 languages and is a master of "several of the more lethal Oriental martial arts." The main interest and enjoyment in this manga series is in seeing how he sets up and – uh, executes – his executions. Well, that and Saito's (or his studios') expressive manga cartooning.