The perfect hit

With money, women and a wide array of high-tech gadgetry, characters like James Bond are the popular standard for what an assassin should be.

But manga author Takao Saito isn’t really concerned about the popular perception of assassins. He’s too busy writing stories for the ass-kicking Golgo 13.

Golgo 13, otherwise known as Duke Togo, is the titular character in an ongoing manga series of the same name. He is a sparse, methodical killer who will take jobs from anyone, and makes a lot of cash for his work.

Since his introduction in 1969, Golgo has starred in over 400 episodic manga stories, two anime films and three video games. Thus in Japan, Golgo is both prolific and important: Saito was one of the rising “gekiga” style artists, focused on introducing mature comics into the fold.

This month marks the release of the last of a 13 volume series of graphic novels from Viz media. Despite Saito’s 40-plus year dedication to Golgo 13, the character has been criminally underused in the U.S., making only a handful of localized appearances in comic book form. The Viz series, which started in 2006, collects Golgo’s best stories, both past and the present, including stories based in Soviet Russia and the Middle East.

To be fair, Golgo isn’t a spy–he’s an unbelievably skilled hired gun. On the surface, the worlds of espionage and contract killing are the same.

But instead of focusing on the glamour and intrigue associated with a spy’s lifestyle, Saito paints a landscape that strips away the glossy sheen of espionage stereotypes. Instead, he focuses on the seedy underworld of sex, corruption and brutality that a contract killer thrives in.

It’s true that Duke has the same elegant taste and lifestyle associated with espionage lore. But he still isn’t the stereotypical “playboy” spy-type. Rather, Golgo is a modern day samurai of sorts, living by a strict personal code. He will only meet with a client once, refuses to shake hands because it could expose his shooting hand to potential harm and won’t take out double contracts. And if you’re in his sights–whether you’re his target, a witness or a double-crosser–you’re as good as dead.

Duke is undeniably a badass, something like a cross between Dirty Harry and Metal Gear Solid‘s Solid Snake. He always carries an old-school .38 smith and Wesson revolver, has undergone torture numerous times, is a mathematical and arms genius and fucks women like there’s no tomorrow-all without breaking a sweat.

In one story, Volume 4’s “The Orbital Hit,” Duke even uses a modified m-16 to shoot an American satellite-defense system out of orbit in order to prevent war with the Soviets. How badass is that?

In the manga, Saito often throws Golgo into real-life historical events, ranging from the cold war nuclear scare tactics to the death of Princess Diana. Sometimes these stories are little talky, but they are nonetheless interesting. And the detailed, stylized art is a treat.

Golgo 13 doesn’t show Japanese post-war cynicism the same way, say, Hiroshi Tatsumi did with his short-form comics highlighting the desperate and depraved underbelly of Tokyo in the late ’60s and early ’70s. But after reading several of Golgo’s adventures, you almost wonder if Saito is trying to make some socio-political commentary about corruption, or just trying to tell an entertaining yarn about a stoic assassin.

Either way, the comics succeed–largely because of their mature, graphic nature.

The series may soon be getting another boost, this time from TV. The Anime News Network recently reported that a new Golgo 13 television anime series is in production, and will air on Japanese television starting this April. With any luck, a U.S. distributor will pick it up in a year or so. Let’s hope so. Duke is far too interesting and underrated to just stay down–he’s never been defeated in his storied 40-year career.