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USAGI YOJIMBO LETTERS COLUMN
Send comments to: Usagi Yojimbo ~ Letters Column c/o Dark Horse Comics
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Dear Stan,
I like your character, Priest Sanshobo, and his no-nonsense view of life. Can you answer two questions about him?
1. What does his name mean?
2. What branch of Buddhism does he belong to?
May you always be inspired.
Victor L. Smith
VeryVictor@aol.com
Sanshobo was actually named after a Zen Buddhist priest, though I can't remember where I found the reference. He was, after all, first created as a one-shot character, and I did not at the time imagine the impact he would have on Usagi's life.
Dear Mr. Stan Sakai,
Yesterday I bought the latest issue of Usagi Yojimbo, "Kumo." It was great! Finally, a good old-fashioned adventure involving the supernatural, like "Kappa" or "The Obakéneko of the Geishu Clan." (Now, "The Inn on Moon Shadow Hill" was a good story, but it was so disappointing to find out that all of those wonderful obakémono were fakes.) I've always felt that Usagi is depicted at his best in situations where he's not entirely in control of what's going on or doesn't completely understand the events he's caught up in.
Pages 2 and 3 wonderfully illustrate the creepy, stealthy nature of the spiders. The spider goblins and Kumo-Onna were excellently drawn, truly monstrous while also looking anatomically accurate. Have you formally studied insects and flowering plants? The dragonflies, poppies, bamboo, etc., that are seen in your backgrounds always look so realistic. The panel of that poor guy trapped in the spider web could have come right out of Aliens. Brrrr! Usagi's swordsmanship against the spiders was finely portrayed ("I hate spiders!").
Sasuké the Demon-Queller is a superb new character, mysterious and supremely self-assured at the same time. His sorcerous abilities are intriguing; I loved the giant monster-eating frog! Ribbit, ribbit! Hopefully, we'll be seeing more of Sasuké again in the future (as the reference to that "demon swordswoman" – i.e., Jei/Inazuma – hinted that we will).
I was wondering if you had based Sasuké on the folklore character Shoki (one of my favorites). Incidentally, Shoki was often depicted on red-colored paper scrolls, which were hung outside of homes during the ancient May Boys' Festival. They were considered protective charms for the boys of the family, and also protection from smallpox as well as oni. Consequently, many artists' portrayals of the Demon-Queller have survived to this day. Hokusai and Kawanabe Kyosai both did magnificent renderings of him in paint and ink.
Well, thanks again for a fun, satisfying issue. I'm always left impatient for the next one to come out!
Larry Hilf
85 Willowcrest Drive
Rochester, NY 14618
Sasuké seems to be very popular with the readers and will definitely be back. Thank you for the compliment regarding my backgrounds. Though I try to do as much research as I can, many of the visuals are just determined by what looks neat. Incidentally, Usagi Yojimbo #37 was the first story in which the villain gets eaten at the end.
Dear Mr. Sakai,
Hi! Ever since I read Space Usagi last summer, Usagi Yojimbo has been the only thing I have been really collecting. I have a ton of your books, and I have a couple of questions.
1. Will we ever see Eizo and the Koroshi (from "The Chrysanthemum Pass") again?
2. What the heck happened to Inazuma?
3. Will Chizu face off against Kagemaru any time soon?
4. When will Katsuichi and Nakamura Koji have their rematch?
5. Is the Kuroda who served General Ikeda Nitta's father? And finally:
6. Is there a reliable web site that sells all of your books?
These are just a few of my everlasting supply of questions. I hope you write a Jei origin story soon. he's my favorite character.
Daniel
T. Citron
Exploranet@aol.com
1. Koroshi, the assassin's guild, will be back. Usagi ran into another of their members in the four-part "Tsuru," a story that ran in Dark Horse Extra and that will be reprinted in an upcoming collection.
2. We'll have a hint of Inazuma's current whereabouts very soon.
3. They both have major roles in the current Grasscutter II.
4. Their duel at Kitanoji will be the next major story arc.
5. No.
6. There are a few recommended online bookstores at usagiyojimbo.com. You can order earlier collections directly from Fantagraphics (at 1-800-657-1100 or fantagraphics.com) and more recent books from Dark Horse at darkhorse.com.
