Scans_Daily

Hi, everyone! It's been a while! What has happened with Usagi since then?

Well, Usagi Yojimbo Saga vol. 8 came out, the Dark Horse numeration went up until #165, then it was only released in a stand-alone format (the beautifully written "The Hidden"). Then, this year, our lagomorph samurai changed companies for the third time in his publication history, and is now being published in full colour at IDW. It is not a reboot, though (and the inner cover still counts the issues since the first one, in 1987).

This issue, #6 at IDW (#244 overall) marks the 35th birthday of our sword-yielding bunny, first published in Albedo Comics #2, in November 1984. To mark the anniversary, Stan redid the very first story, The Goblin of Adachigahara - now renamed to just "Adachi", expanded, with deeper characterization and in full colour.

( I'll leave you with a preview! :) )

Well, what else? ;)

With the recent releases of several Usagi omnibus editions (the Sagas, vols. 1 to 7 and Legends), plus a crossover with the TMNT both in print and in the 2012 TV iteration, and a line of toys from Playmate, this is the best time to become a ronin rabbit geek.

Don't take my (insistent) word for it, though. This article, from ComicBook.com, makes a strong case for the series as an all-ages, easy to get, well-written work.

Excerpt: "The phrase “all ages” gets thrown around a lot in entertainment, and it’s typically used as a synonym for “you can give this to kids." A real all-ages comic shouldn’t just be enjoyable for kids though; it should be enjoyable for readers of all ages. That’s a bar Usagi Yojimbo doesn’t just reach, it leaps it like Superman over a tall building. When researching who reads Usagi Yojimbo, you’ll find studied cartoonists, adult comics fans, and entire classrooms of grade school students. These stories are the real deal when it comes to the concept of four-quadrant storytelling.

A large part of Usagi Yojimbo’s success as an all-ages comic comes from its willingness to engage with difficult material. In these stories, characters die and bad things occur. Sakai is engaged with the reality of feudal Japan, and that means often brutal conditions for those living in these tales. Sakai doesn’t revel in the violence or misdeeds of the age though. Instead, he acknowledges them in a manner that isn’t too disturbing for younger readers just learning about the unfairness of life. The stories also make the feelings evoked more understandable, confronting sadness and anger head on. There are plenty of farces and comedic tales in Usagi Yojimbo, but even when things get dark parents shouldn’t avert their children’s eyes. These comics walk the delicate line that allows for adults and children alike to be moved by their stories. That’s a large part of the magic that is Usagi Yojimbo."

If you want to jump in and start with the present arc, it's fine; you won't lose too much. Inspector Ishida and Usagi are trying to catch Nezumi the thief, who's in turn been framed by a conspiracy much bigger than his petty crimes. Part 2 came out last week, in issue #164 (mandatory scan below):

( Ah, Snitch, never change... )

Interested in knowing more about the series? Well, you've got the tags below!

Picking up from where we left off, Usagi finds that brigands have set a house on fire.



( Stop calling me baka! )

And now his troubles begin.

This story is collected in Usagi Yojimbo Volume 23: Bridge Of Tears and The Usagi Yojimbo Saga Book 6.

We'll skip issue #98, in which Gen and Stray Dog fight Inazuma (it has nothing to do with this arc) and begin "Bridge of Tears" itself.

It's been some time since I've posted an Usagi multi-part story here. I've decided to focus on a six-part arc that fans usually call "Bridge of Tears", after the main issue, because it does not have an official name. It has a romance/life-on-the-run feel, and introduces two characters: Shizukiri the assassin and Mayumi the love interest.

Before that, however, there is Shizukiri's story, which serves as a sort of prelude to the arc proper.



( We cannot escape our karma )

This story is collected in Usagi Yojimbo Volume 23: Bridge Of Tears and The Usagi Yojimbo Saga Book 6.

Next, the beginning of the "Bridge of Tears" story line.

...and it features the return of Nezumi the Rat Thief in a 3-parter.



(And, once again, the cover is a beautiful drawing that has nothing to do with the story. Ah well...)

( Preview after the cut )

More preview pages at Dark Horse's website.

There are several ghost and supernatural stories in Usagi Yojimbo, and not only dealing with Sasuké battling demons. Some of them, like this one, start off unassuming and take different paths along the way.



( Do or do not. There is no try )

Thoughts, comments, suggestions, etc., all below!

Sakura is another one of those characters so deftly created by Sakai in his "Usagi Yojimbo" series. She wields a whip and travels the land looking for her brother. To that end, she works in several gambling parlours as a dice-handler, reasoning that gamblers are usually the best source of information in their respective cities. To make it even more interesting, Sakai lets on that this whip-wielding gambler is not too right in the head.

This two-parter is her origin story, and her only appearance so far.



( Whip it! )

Part II next.

Whenever you see artists re-imagining Usagi Yojimbo, one of their favourite choices to include in their drawings are the tokagé lizards. In a world in which pretty much everyone is an anthropomorphic animal, those lizards fill up most of the possible niches (pets, food, predators).

Usagi did have, for a brief time, a tokagé pet, Spot. This is the story of how they met.



( Meep! )

Zato-Ino, the blind swordspig (I should really profile him someday), eventually became Spot's owner not too long after this story.

Part 2 of "The Thief and the Kunoichi", in which Kitsuné tries to make as many enemies as possible in the smallest amount of time.



( Count your seconds, woman, because you will not have many more )

The conclusion tomorrow.