USAGI YOJIMBO Book Seven

Sergio Aragonés is the artist best known for his Groo the Wanderer
comics, and his samurai feline character, Catnippon.

The world of comic books is a strange one. Most people over the age of 30 know of their existence, but talk about them in the past tense, with phrases such as, "Oh yes, I used to read comics," or "I had lots of them but my mother threw them away." Younger people who are familiar with the subject never say, "Sure, I read comics"; they say, "Oh yes, I collect comics," and only refer to two or three titles - the ones that have already been converted into Saturday morning television shows, usually super-heroes. There are many other genres, but because they are mostly published by a handful of smaller companies, they are hard to find - usually in specialty shops, of which there are just a couple thousand in the country - and even that number is dwindling. What a pity! There are so many superb original works readers could enjoy if they only knew about them...

Another strange thing about comic books is the field's enormous resemblance to the movie industry. The "big" movie production companies go for the quick money made by overbudgeted, implausibly plotted action movies - and so do the "big" comic book companies, with their gimmick-laden, implausibly plotted super-hero comics. Small, quality movies are hard to find and so are small quality comics. The big movies are made by dozens of people - writers, editors, cinematographers, costumers, gaffers, directors, etc. - none of whom has any final authority over the work, and all of whom are completely interchangeable in the eyes of the executives at the "big" companies. And the same thing applies to the "big" comic book companies, whose writers, pencillers, plotters, inkers, colorists, etc., are all perfectly replaceable and have no say in the way their work is presented.

"Author" movies, the work of an individual, are hard to find - usually only in film festivals or specialty movie houses. And comic books made by one author, a creator who writes and draws his own comic book and answers to no one creatively, are equally hard to find. Readers around the country, if they knew of their existence, could discover the works of such comics "authors" as Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, Daniel Clowes, R. Crumb, Jack Jackson, Frank Miller, Howard Cruse, Stan Sakai, and many more.

Stan Sakai has that rare quality shared by very few authors: the ability to make you forget that you are reading a book, watching a movie, or reading a comic. they immerse you in their world, make you a part of the story; and when you are finished, you want more - you were not distracted by abrupt changes of pace, overwhelming and distracting scenes, or unnecessary "side plots."

As with a good book or a good movie, it is only after you finish reading Usagi Yojimbo that you start reflecting about how well-crafted the story is, how exquisitely researched the weaponry, costuming, and architecture of the period are, and how tenderly Stan has developed his characters, including his villains - and it is not until much later that you realize you have been thrilling to the adventures of a rabbit!

A rabbit in the world of feudal Japan. Not an obvious concept. Generally, when you think of rabbits you think of cute, funny animals or children's stories, and when you think of the samurai of the sixteenth century you think of overdramatic warriors battling to the accompaniment of subtitled grunts and shouts. With Usagi you don't get either. You get animals that behave with the dignity of samurai, displaying a humanity that we are rarely given the opportunity to observe.

Stan has created a unique world, a feudal Japan that allows dragons, ghosts, demons, and prehistoric lizards to live hand in hand (or paw in paw) with rabbits, rhinoceri, and bats - a mixture of fairy tale, adventure novel, horror, romance, sword and sorcery, and humor, and all without breaking the rules of good storytelling. His samurai understand bushido; the romance doesn't leave you with a "sappy" feeling; the horror doesn't need to resort to gruesome or gory scenes to convey the point; and his humor doesn't rely on modern references or lines from television situation comedies. The stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end and the drawings capture all this with a simplicity of line that is very difficult to accomplish.

I have been cartooning now for more than forty years and have followed the work of comic book creators from all over the world. There is a handful that I always read with enjoyment and Usagi Yojimbo is one of them. I am a fan of Stan's work and I have no doubts that you will be too after you finish this book.

- Sergio Aragonés

Fan Art by Sergio Aragonés

Last change: 19. May 2003

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Usagi Yojimbo, including all prominent characters featured in the stories and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Stan Sakai and Usagi Studios. Usagi Yojimbo is a registered trademark of Stan Sakai. Names, characters, places, and incidents featured in this publication either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, institutions, or locales, without satiric content, is coincidental.