Usagi Yojimbo: 40th Anniversary Reader

by Stan Sakai, Tom Luth (Colorist), Emi Fujii (Colorist)

Celebrating Usagi Yojimbos 40th anniversary, this value-priced collection includes eight fan-favorite and Stan Sakai-picked short stories in color starring the beloved rabbit ronin! Perfect for longtime fans and newcomers to the series, the Usagi Yojimbo: 40th Anniversary Reader collection includes the popular short story Chanoyu in color for the first time!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

144 pages, Paperback

Published June 25, 2024

About the author

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.

Born in Kyoto, Sakai grew up in Hawaii and studied fine arts at the University of Hawaii. He later attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He and his wife, Sharon, presently reside and work in Pasadena.

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. 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 also made a futuristic spin-off series Space Usagi. His favorite movie is Satomi Hakkenden (1959).

Reviews

[Eric Dollinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool little compilation from a series I never heard of!

[David Deluna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The color is a nice addition

I Really enjoyed the usagi 40th anniversary. I've always been a fan of the comic but I prefer color comics so this release was just what I was looking for!

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

good selection of stories! very fun to read

[Rob Marney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slim collection of greatest hits is just what I wanted as an intro to this series and Sakai's famous lettering. They're all self contained, no recap pages, and all very traditional Musashi stories with a little fantasy flair. There's some real emotion here even though the art style puts some distance between us and Animal Japan. Don't expect a big saga.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're an Usagi reader, you aren't going to find anything new here. If you're not, this is a pretty good introduction to Usagi Yojimbo's world. The one really interesting thing is the whole volume is in color which is pretty rare.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Usagi is like visiting an old friend. The stories in this volume, while not new to long-time readers, are beautifully colored and remind us of why the rabbit samurai has endured for so long. Recommended for fans yet accessible for new readers alike.

[zackxdig · Rating 4 out of 5]

One shots of stories about Usagi Yojimbo. It makes me want to have a longer arching story to follow Usagi.

[Frank McGirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very solid choices. The first tale about the mother and the wayward son will let you know this series is not as cuddly as it appears.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. Fairly depressing throughout, with interesting illustrations. I'm not certain if I like it or not, but I am glad to have experienced Stan Sakai's work.