Usagi Yojimbo: The Ronin

Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo ("Rabbit Bodyguard") is the story of Miyamoto Usagi, a masterless rabbit-samurai in 1600s Japan who wanders through life, getting by on his good heart and incredible sword skills. For Usagi's twentieth anniversary, Fantagraphics--the series' first publisher--has done rabbit fans a service with The Ronin, the first in a series of reissues of the early Usagi collections. This is more than a simple reprinting. Think of it as a "remastered edition." If for a movie that means a brighter picture and better sound, for Usagi it means thick, sturdy pages, terrific printing, and an overall quality clearly aimed at being a keepsake. Beyond being impressive as an object, the story of "Usagi" always was and still is immensely entertaining. At first, the idea of a samurai rabbit in a feudal Japan populated by anthropomorphic animals may seem odd, but it doesn't take long to realize that Sakai is telling a meaningful story about a compelling character. If the Usagi of these early days is a bit stockier than the lithe hero he would eventually become, his gentle but resolute spirit is evident from the first story. Though "Usagi Yojimbo" may have particular cachet for readers interested in Japanese history (especially given Sakai's attentive depictions of scenery and costumes), it will no doubt appeal to anyone who likes a good adventure, or who wants to see graphic storytelling at its best. ~

In this collection we are introduced to our hero Miyamoto Usagi as well as other notable figures in the Usagi Yojimbo universe. Here is a summary of the chapters with as little spoilers as possible. Chapter One: The Goblin of Adachigahara Our first story pits Miyamoto Usagi against a man eating troll. We are also told a little of Usagi's back story which will be told in greater detail in the next novel. Chapter Two: Lone Rabbit and Child In this chapter we are introduced to Tomoe Ame and Lord Noriyuki. They are traveling on their way to Edo so that the young Noriyuki can take his place as the leader but a rival lord placed a bounty on their head and they had to endure several ambushes. They meet Usagi and he accompanies them to their castle fighting threw bounty hunters all the way. Chapter Three: The Confession Usagi runs into a dieing Samurai who was carrying a letter that proved Lord Hikiji to be responsible for the attacks on Lord Noriyuki. Usagi delivers the letter to Tomoe Ame Chapter Four: Bounty Hunter In this chapter we are introduced to one of my favorite characters Gennosuke (simply called Gen by most). He is a bounty hunter who hires Usagi to be his body guard for a dangerous mission. This is also the beginning of a long running love/hate relationship between Gen and Usagi. Chapter Five: Horse Thief Miyamoto Usagi runs into some bandits. After slaying one he takes the bandits horse into town hoping to sell it. He is accused by the villagers as being a horse thief and chased out of town. Chapter Six: Village of Fear Usagi meets a monstrous beast that has been haunting a town. He discovers that the beast is actually a shape shifter and he confronts the villain in hopes of freeing the village from fear. Chapter Seven: A Quiet Meal One of my favorite stories in the Usagi Yojimbo series. Miyamoto Usagi is enjoying a quiet meal when a group of loud mouth hooligans enters the inn. They raise hell by throwing customers (and the owner) out one at a time, however when they came to Usagi they had a tad bit of difficulties. Chapter Eight: Blind Swordspig In this chapter we meet Ino a blind outlaw pig who just wants to find a safe place to live. After fighting off a village who tried to kill him for a reward he meets up with Usagi. They pair share a few laughs but after it is revealed that Ino was the one who destroyed half of the village the pair face off in a showdown that ends in catastrophe. This is the start of a rivalry between Ino and Usagi that will last for many novels to come. Chapter Nine: Homecoming Usagi's wanderings leads him back to his home village which just happens to be under attack by mole ninjas. We are introduced to Usagi's love interest Mariko and his old rival Kenichi. We are given another sample of Usagi's past. Chapter Ten: Bounty Hunter 2 Usagi runs into Gen the Bounty Hunter who once again drags the bunny on a wild adventure. This time however Usagi walks away with the last laugh. Overall this is an awesome

In a world filled to the brim with rehashed and revisited super-hero stories, occasionally a comic comes along that is fresh, innovative and entertaining all at once. This is one of those comics. Stan Sakai transports us into an anthropomorphic world were the ronin rabbit Usagi wanders the land looking for whatever comes. His lord is dead and he ekes out a living by working for whatever noble cause he can find. On his journeys he becomes embroiled in political struggles, wars and romances. He also meets a great cast of characters (Jei is my favorite, but he comes later). The story and art are tight and well crafted without being overly complex. Sakai also treats us to a few history lessons interspersed with the story. He tells us briefly about Japanese culture, language and history without deviating from the story too much. If you are looking for an intelligent comic, or just a great adventure, these comics are for you. Incidentally, Sakai is also a nice guy. I met him at a convention a few years ago and he was nice enough to do a great full page sketch for me. He deserves his rep as one of the best comic writers and artists out there today.

The boom (and inevitable bust) in the black and white comics market led to an explosion of creative talent, and opportunities for less able souls to foist their doodles on the public. At a time when sifting the good from the bad became an increasingly lengthy task comics had to work hard to be noticed; and Usagi Yojimbo won through on sheer quality.Quite what made this tale of a wandering rabbit such a success (with well over a dozen collected volumes available) is not easy to say. On the face of it, the premise is bizarre: In a version of late feudal Japan populated by anthropomorphic animals the stories centre around a masterless Samurai, who happens to be a rabbit. For some people that very strangeness is attractive, while others will cite the excellent artwork (which improves in confidence and style throughout the early books) or sensitivity of the writing. There is ample silliness here, but it is deliberate and deftly handled, and the stories frequently have far more depth and feeling than readers are used to in popular literature, let alone comics.Many of the characters are based on historical and mythical figures, and those with a love of such things will find additional amusement in spotting the prototypes for the likes of the rough and shabby Gen, based on characters played by Toshiro Mifune. Stan Sakai is justly praised for his attention to detail, and that shines through the books both in terms of the art and the writing. There are in-jokes and visual gags, but at its heart this is not a "funny animals" tale. Rather it is an interpretation, a reinvention, of the classic myth cycle. Sublime touches, such as having our hero tie his ears up as a top-knot, fill every page, and these are comics you will want to return to repeatedly.This first volume introduces the rabbit ronin, although much of his background has to wait for volume two, and places a number of important recurring characters in the scene. It is possible to read Usagi Yojimbo from almost any point, but if you can track down a copy of this shamefully out-of-print book then you will find that later tales reveal more than if you approach them cold. Despite initial appearances ... Mr Sakai has managed to keep his creation above the level of a Saturday morning throwaway cartoon, and he has done so for almost twenty years. A truly remarkable achievement, and a remarkable series.

Stan Sakai is a great story teller who sucks the reader in to ancient Japan. Some of the stories are funny, and some make you think.