2), Dark Horse Comics (Usagi Yojimbo Vol. The publication history of Usagi Yojimbo is not clear and simple, as the series has been published by multiple publishers: Fantagraphics Books (Usagi Yojimbo Vol. Of course, if you like what you read, you can also start from the beginning. The concept of the series, with Usagi meeting new people which each new adventure during his travels, makes reading Usagi Yojimbo easy as you don’t have to track down every book in order of publication. The story tells the adventures of the Miyamoto Usagi, a rōnin samurai rabbit, in Japan at the beginning of the Edo period (early 17th century) – it is an anthropomorphic comic where humans are replaced by animals – as he travels the country on shogyusha, sometimes monetizing his services as a bodyguard. Openly inspired by Japanese cinema and real-life samurai Miyamoto Musashi, Usagi Yojimbo explores Japanese history, folklore, arts, and more. In fact, this creator-owned comic book series was created by Stan Sakai in 1984 – Usagi Yojimbo first appeared in Albedo Anthropomorphics #2, published by Thoughts and Images in November 1984. His favorite movie is Satomi Hakkenden (1959).Now adapted on Netflix under the title “ Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles,” Usagi Yojimbo is certainly not a new series.

He also made a futuristic spin-off series Space Usagi. First published in 1984, the comic continues to this day, with Sakai as the lone author and nearly-sole artist (Tom Luth serves as the main colorist on the series, and Sergio Aragonés has made two small contributions to the series: the story 'Broken Ritual' is based on an idea by Aragonés, and he served as a guest inker for the black and white version of the story 'Return to Adachi Plain' that is featured in the Volume 11 trade paper-back edition of Usagi Yojimbo). He began his career by lettering comic books (notably Groo the Wanderer by Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier) and became famous with the production of Usagi Yojimbo, the epic saga of Miyamoto Usagi, a samurai rabbit living in late-sixteenth and early-seventeenth-century Japan. He and his wife, Sharon, presently reside and work in Pasadena. He later attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Stan Sakai (Japanese: 坂井スタンSakai Sutan born May 25, 1953) is an artist who became known as an Eisner Award-winning comic book originator.īorn in Kyoto, Sakai grew up in Hawaii and studied fine arts at the University of Hawaii.

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