Usagi Yojimbo, Book 1: The Ronin

How do I begin a review for Stan Sakai's epic tale of Usagi Yojimbo? For those who do not know, Miyamoto Usagi is a wandering masterless samurai who just happens to be a giant anthropomorphic rabbit. The story itself takes place in Japan during the turn of the 17th century, thus making this book historical fiction rather than anthropomorphic fantasy. Usagi Yojimbo is also a widely recognizable and popular character in the comic book genre.The best thing about this volume was my impression of the book's quality. It reads more like a light novel than an actual comic book. It is smaller than most of the standard comic books trades. It is also not set up in issue numbers, but chapters like a novel. You would think looking at the artwork that it is going to be all comedy and kid appropriate, but it is not at all. I was pleasantly surprised this was smart, clever, and very heartwarming at times. There is comedy within the stories, but there is also tragedy.When I first got this, I knew very little about Usagi. I have always liked his character since his appearances in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons, but never really got to read any of his stories. For the longest time I thought his name was Usagi Yojimbo and not Miyamoto Usagi. I thought these comics were comedy more than actual drama. I also always wanted to read his comics, but never did when I saw them without color. Now that I am older, I can finally appreciate black and white cartoons. It means they are hand drawn and done before computers took over the art world.I have to say that Usagi's origin story is probably one of the best I have read in a while. This comic actually taught me what the term "ronin" means. I knew "ronin" was a rank in the Japanese's army, but that is all I knew. I know now that it is more than a samurai, but a samurai who has lost his master in battle. I also know that "kampai" means a toast thank to this comic and keep a third eye open when traveling with others. As I have said previously, this comic book is smart and you will not only have fun reading this, but also learn things about Japanese culture.Some side thing I want to add. I really love the brief cameo of Groo in this volume. I know I need to read that comic book someday, but I just thought it was a funny moment in the book. Usagi reference him again later on and it is clear they have issues with each other's fighting styles. It is a playful tease since Stan Sakai and Sergio Aragonés are friends in real life. What is the deal with the lizards that appear in every issue? Am I missing a story there? If it involves spoilers later on do not tell me, but just curious. They are a cute add to the read though.Anyways, I recommend this to any diehard comic book fan. This is especially for ones who fancy anthropomorphic stories (not furry stories) and Japanese manga/anime. This is the type of comic book I should have started reading back when I started Fables. At least I am starting it now and I have no regrets. Miyamoto Usagi just might be my favorite male comic book hero now.

Let's start with the caveats: I'm not 12, not even close. Stupid? Possibly, but I do have a Masters in Math. I have been reading comics for years (and years and years). I love reading comics, stopped when I was 14, started again when I was 20, and haven't stopped since. When I first came across Usagi Yojimbo, while I was browsing in the comic book shop, I was thinking: hmmm Disney! Talking animals, with swords? Really? And just Black and White? Ok, It looks cute, but who cares? But I bought a couple (they were cheap, and the drawing really was good) and the next weekend rushed back to the shop, and purchased the rest that were available. And I haven't stopped buying them since. The art is beautiful (yes I studied art as well, though I don't do comics). Simple, in line, but not execution. Elegant comes to mind. Beautifully rendered, with more detail than at first seems apparent. And oh so effective. The writing is too (oh, and I write). No fluff, no hyperbole, just very well written. As I said: effective. The stories envoke the magic of Feudal Japan, and those great movies from the 50's and 60's. Stan obviously loves them, and me? I just fell in love with it, and discovered something else: they really do get better. The Short stories are fun, but as Stan started to grapple with the characters and his ideas, and he start pushing his story lies, those extended arcs? They're even better, worth every cent, every second. After 30 years, I still wait, with that little flutter of anticipation, the next episodes of Stan's continuing masterpiece.So now I'm re-purchasing on Kindle/comiXology, to read on my iPad. No disappointment here. The lines stand out, and they look just fantastic.Ok, some people don't see it. Tough! I still laugh when I see that age range! I'm not stopping reading it yet. Keep going Stan, I know a lot of people love what you're doing, and have for years (and years and years) :0)

Great story can't wait to continue it!

I read some Usagi Yojimbo in the late 80's and always liked the stories. Now that the books have all been collected, I have decided to make sure thay all get added to my collection. This first volume was great. Sakai brings a whimsical touch to Edo period Japan. Its great to start from the very beginning and learn the origins of Usagi and some of the other characters that appear in these volumes. Although there is some whimsy, there is also plenty of sword swinging action and a good amount of bloody deaths. The quality of this book was better than some but not excellent. The binding is sewn but the paper quality is mid range. This is ok since the book is black and white, and I will continue to purchase all of the many volumes in the Usagi Yojimbo saga.

Many years ago, I discovered Stan Sakai's creation of the anthropomorphic rabbit ronin and his novel concept of retelling traditional Japanese legends and folk tales using Usagi as the protagonist. At that time, there were only a half dozen collected volumes, and I greedily devoured them all.The art is excellent, and the many of the stories are different from standard western fare.I recently repurchased the book to read to my son, figuring that since he loves animals, Usagi and his friends would be a good fit for bed time reading. It worked - kind of... The stories are bit more violent than I remembered, and while they are not too graphic (no teen or adult would have any problem here), they're not ideal for reading to my son.In short: great eastern stories in graphic format, but not necessarily for children.

as advertised, an easy transaction - thank you

Es un clásico. Son historias de la década de los 80's, lo cual es interesante pues se puede apreciar la evolución del trabajo del autor. Una compra recomendada.

This was on my husbands "to read list" he is heavily into his graphic novels and really enjoyed it,

J'offre cet BD à tous les ados/amateurs de BD que je connais car j'estime que cette BD, excellente (tant au niveau du dessin que du scénario), est méconnue. Il ne s'agit pas du tout d'un Manga, comme elle est souvent classée à tort. Le personnage évolue dans un japon médiéval imaginé par un ... américain, très bien documenté !

per chiunque abbia voglia di un pò del caro vecchio giappone feudale e dei samurai che lo popolavano è certamente una lettura che soddisfa questo desiderio. non fatevi frenare dal fatto che i protagonisti siano animali: l'autore, Sakai; gestisce la cosa ottimamente e il risultato è più che piacevole riuscendo a coinvolgere il lettore con storie anche molto brevi. super-consigliato!!!