USAGI YOJIMBO Volume 1, Number 28

Dear Stan, Kim, and co.,

No numbered questions this time; perhaps in the future.

I was a bit late getting my copy of Usagi #26, but after reading it, I believe it is one of the better Usagi stories around.

Firstly, the characters introduced are very real and believable. Best of the lot is Shubo, who will risk his life for money, but ultimately he loves his family and does so to provide for them. This is especially noticeable in the last panel of page 10 when he softens his expression and embraces his wife.

However, it was the duel itself that got my adrenaline flowing. Usually I have no sympathies for the wicked brigand that Usagi fights, but now, with Usagi, a single roaming ronin, pitted against Shubo, who has a family to care for, I found myself siding with the latter. But after the first clash, I couldn't help feeling ambivalent. Does either deserve to die? Of course I knew Usagi (hero of the series) wouldn't die, but I was hoping both could live as in previous duels.

But it was Kuniyo's grief that topped all. In the process of making money, Shubo had inadvertently robbed them of a father and a way of life. The burning question is, how will his family survive? Perhaps material for another issue? Still, it was first-class work all around.

Lastly, why won't you answer my questions?

Toh Hsien Min
Republic of Singapore

[Sorry, but after playing along for a little while, we're now trying to discourage the laundrylist-of-questions letter-writing that's become so popular. If you've got a few brief, sensible questions (or goofy ones that we can answer funny) we'll be happy to pitch a few answers back at you. As in the case of the following letter, for instance. - ED.]

Dear Lord Sakai,

Hi, how are you doing? My name is Kyle Lockhaven. I've just recently seen you at the comics, cards, etc. convention in Seattle. While I was there I noticed something about Usagi's popularity. Your line was huge! I also noticed something else. You're the nicest comic book writer I've ever met, and Sharon is the nicest comic book writer's wife I've ever met. I think if I was sitting there all day signing autographs I'd get pretty crabby. But you kept your cool.

Well, on with the letter. Usagi Yojimbo is my favorite comic book. It is because I love samurai, ninja, action, humor, and Japanese culture. Other than Usagi, Ino and Gen are my favorite characters, and the reason for questions one and two.

(1) I know Gen is reappearing soon, but what about Ino?

(2) I've heard from some books that Miyamoto Musashi's childhood name was Ben No Suke. If this is true, does it have anything to do with the name Gennosuké?

(3) Does your hand get tired at conventions?

(4) Is a Tengu ever going to appear in UY?

Kyle Lockhaven
Tri-Cities, WA

[One of the best things about having a comic book series is meeting the readership. Usagi readers tend to be very nice and there has never been a booksigning or convention that I have not enjoyed.

[(1) Ino's story is over for now. I would like to leave him in the peaceful life that he had searched so long for, at least for a little while.

[(2) Gen was modeled after Toshiro Mifune's "Yojimbo/Sanjuro" character but I don't remember why I decided to use that name. It was probably just because it sounded good.

[(3) My hand has never gotten tired but I've run out of ink quite a few times.

[(4) A tengu is a mountain goblin from Japanese folklore. There are two types of tengu: the birdlike crow (karasu) tengu and the longnose tengu. They are generally mischievous creatures but excellent swordsmen. Usagi will be meeting one in the upcoming Color Special.

[- STAN SAKAI]

Stan and Kim,

I'd really like to tank you for printing my drawing and letter, and thanks for printing everyone else's; I'm sure they're as thankful as I.

About the "going pro" question: I'm going to the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning next year. The only answer I can give is hopefully soon...hopefully.

Fan Art by Chuck Dillon

I was looking through my old Usagi comics and the ancient Albedo and Critters books and I noticed something. I noticed that the art in the old Usagi/Albedo comics was much more detailed than the newer Usagi comics (Usagis #5-27).

For instance, the water jug that Usagi used to carry around with the strings holding it, with every string detailed, or the detailed sheath of Usagi's swords, the little prongs that clamp the sword to the sheath, and the list goes on and on. I'd really like to see the detail come back to the comic, it adds more authenticity. If it's one thing I like about Usagi, it's that it's genuine and it seems that a lot of this is being lost through just the art. Let's just say that the writing will survive. Please consider this; all of us will appreciate it.

I thought that "The Duel" was a very well-written story. It showed how honorable Usagi was and of course how dishonorable some people can be.

Fan Art by Chuck Dillon

I admit it was kind of funny, though, when the villagers are all sad about what they did and start smiling when they see that Usagi is gone. Touching end, though sad.

Thank you very much for everything you've done.

Chuck Dillon
Philadelphia, PA

[You're most welcome, Chuck, and good luck on your coming career.

[I think I may have discussed this at some point a few years ago, but I might as well take another whack at it. Almost every cartoonist starts off very detailed, and then begins to pare back detail as he realizes that clarity and legibility are of paramount importance in cartooning. On the other hand, a lot of readers grow enamored of the more "fussy" rendering and often pine for the good old days of elaborate details and curlicues, even though the cartoonist's work is actually becoming better.

[But then, my favorite Wally Wood stuff is all from 1954, so who am I to talk?

[- ED.]

Dear Mr. Sakai, Ed., Kim, whoever,

I am writing to tell other writers to Usagi that normal humans are sick of your letters. I am a diehard Usagi fan, but I've got to tell you people to get a life, man. You people say the exact same things in your letters. You say things like: "Oh, your comic is the best, oh-oh." Or something like: "Well, I would never buy anything besides Usagi, no me, nosirree, Bob." Or, the worst, "Other comics are too gory, they scare me, I get nightmares, aaahhh, help me, Stan, your comic is the best." People, please, you've been given a brain - use it. You all say the same thing. Now Usagi ranks pretty high on my favorite comics list, but I also give other artists a chance.

I am very much intrigued by feudal Japan. In fact, I have decorated my room with Japan in mind. Usagi is set in a very neto-weto time slot. I also like modern comics such as The Tick by Ben Edlund; you guys should read it. I at one time liked Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but I don't like them now that Eastman and Laird do not draw them any more (you'd think they were only in it for the money, hmmm?).

And for you people who say that Usagi is too gory, well, you have some sort of problem. I mean, Stan hardly shows any blood. Oh, O.K., from their mouths, I forgot, but otherwise Stan makes the enemies look like they had a fatal heart attack before they even attacked Usagi.

Now I suppose I have offended several readers. Well, I'm sort of sorry. Oh, year, one more thing: everyone sends pictures of Usagi, another man's creation. Think up your own characters. You people should draw different things; haven't you heard of copyrighting? Well, again I am sorry if I offended you, but this had to be said.

Chris Ferguson
Newbury Park, CA

P.S. You guys, don't write anything stupid as a reply.

[Du-u-uh, like, uh, what? (Actually, I must be stupid, since I have no idea what "neto-weto" means.)

[Why so cranky, Chris? This letters page is a place to have fun, to ramble on about whatever you feel like - to express yourself. Stan and I are always happy to see other people's interpretations of Usagi (although the ones that are completely traced turn us off a little), and if it makes them happy and us happy, we'll have to live with the fact that it casts a pall on certain segments of Newbury Park.

[- ED.]

Dear Kim and Co.:

Usagi has been a refreshing break from the usual stale and blank her comics that have been flooded into the market for the past several years. It reminds me of a time when good writing was an everyday event, and the stories that were produced were ones you would cherish for the longest time. The excellent art is also an additional bonus that augments the already excellent story.

Enough praise and on to the thoughtful and insightful criticisms. The biggest complaint is that Usagi should be produced on a monthly basis. Stan really doesn't need to sleep or eat on a regular basis. Nor does he need to see an occasional movie or such nonsense. Also, producing on a monthly basis would generate twice the normal income yearly! Now, on to this month's Grooism...just kidding. Keep up the good work and Ciao!

Dan Choi
Wilder, KY

P.S. Kim, my brother read your quote in issue #25: "One of the best non-Stan Sakai Usagi renditions I've ever seen," so he added a little something for your viewing pleasure.

Fan Art by Kevin Choi

[Are you kidding, Dan? We've been trying to get Stan to draw Usagi weekly for years!

[Anyway, if you remember when good writing was an everyday event, you must be pretty old, guy - older than me, at least.

[Thanks to Kevin for his Usagi, which I pronounce the best gray-toned rendition of the bunny I've ever seen. Okay? - ED.]

Dear Stan Sakai,

I'm glad to see the Usagi figures over here now. Although it's a shame he isn't wearing Lord Mifune's clan logo or isn't "colored" better.

It's not that I dislike the TMNT figures, it's just that I don't want to see Usagi go "down the sewer" in the way the Turtles have.

Also, Stan, it was a major disappointment for me and many others to see you get a non-speaking part in Groo #70 and 71. How did that happen? You do letter it, after all.

Ewart Solomon
Cornwall, England

[Weaver and Scribe will return in Groo #78 and this time I'll have twice as many lines as I had previously. Also, be on the lookout for my wife, Sharon, and daughter, Hannah, who make a cameo appearance. - STAN SAKAI]

Konnichiwa, Usagi folks,

I'm afraid I've missed some issues (I do get bored with my regular comic book dealer because the normal mail delivery between the towns - it usually takes a day or two - once it took 30 days!), but I intend to get them later.

Subject: UY #20. Magnificent. There are other people in Japan, in addition to samurai and ninja. Craftsmen - kitemakers and others - were and still are the very important part of that society. Three connected stories and tellers - good! The depiction of kitemaking - very good!

Comic book penciller is a modern crafter, right!

Subject: UY Color Special. It seems that I currently read more black-and-white comics than before. Maybe it's a disappointment to you, but I didn't see anything special in colors.

I do see something special in the story of Tomoe's past. Being a player of role-playing games and a hobby writer, I know that the integral part of creating a character is to create a past for it. This makes the character a living one. A character without a past is a puppet (you didn't make the pasts of all the samurai who got killed in the "Dragon Bellow Conspiracy" saga).

Subject: UY #21-22. Question: Why use intelligent (or sentient, whatever) animals characters if you want to tell about the human beings? That is like using characters based on flying animals if those animals cannot fly! The ninja are a great idea, Mr. Sakai.

About the names Mr. Holt mentioned in #21; my name does mean something - in the Finnish language, that is. "Vesa" is "a Sprout" and "Lehtinen" is "a small leaf"; very woody guy, don't you think?

Subject: "Usagi's Ark." Not bad, not bad at all. And unlike most of the "additions" to UY, it's very suitable to its place. Mr. Sakai, your style is not of manga and it doesn't need to be. It's your style and you do it best. Sayonara, folks.

Vesa Lehtinen
Tampere, Finland

[Vesa Lehtinen, meet Bud Plant. Did I ever mention that one of the most surreal experiences in my life was watching Bob Dylan sing "Hurricane" on Swedish TV, with Finnish subtitles? Gave the song a whole new charm. - ED.]

Dear Stan and Kim,

Usagi #25 was, as usual, excellent. It's the best story I've read in quite a while, even better than "Blood Wings." I enjoyed Usagi's grumbling about the rain; I suppose being soaked is even more unpleasant for someone with fur than it is for us humans.

I've finally resigned myself to the fact that, between the stories and the letters column, this book is going to make me smarter. I wish school made learning so painless. I even caught myself doing research voluntarily! Keep this up and someday I'm going to wind up bilingual or something. But I guess Usagi's worth it.

Lynn Tucker
Las Vegas, NV

Dear Stan and Kim,

WOW!!! With Usagi Yojimbo Book 4, I am very impressed by Fantagraphics Books' quality craftsmanship and diligent effort in putting out the best book possible. It was well worth the wait and proved that perfection cannot be rushed. And what a symbol of perfection Book 4 is! Excellent covers, superb endpapers, a sweet Usagi sketch, and a color story that left me in a state of suspended animation for one hour. Stan, you must be damn proud.

Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me a little information on the Usagi Yojimbo computer game. Like: Is it compatible with MS-DOS? How do I get one? Who do I get it from? Is it an RPG? Is there a super VGA version? Did whoever made it include any digitized Usagi artwork? How many megabytes of memory does it contain? Does it come in both 3.5 and 5.25 inch disks? Or how about a CD-ROM version? All I know is that it's available in Australia and I can't find it here anywhere. Can you help?

Todd Shogun
Cypress, CA

PS: I hope you enjoy the drawing I've enclosed.

Fan Art by Todd Shogun

"The Official UY Diagram"

[Thank you, Todd, I am proud of the hardback edition of Usagi Book 4. It took me three weeks to get those sketches drawn and you'd be hard-pressed to find another original drawing similar to yours.

[I can't answer your question about the Usagi computer game except to say that it's available in England as well as Australia. I don't have a copy of it myself, except for a videotape. I've read some of the reviews, though, and they're very good.

[Thanks for the drawing. It's great. Incidentally, Todd had an uncredited drawing published way back in UY#18.

[- STAN SAKAI]

Fan Art by Kristen Sundelin

The story of the enclosed drawing began about a year ago.

It was the day after Christmas Eve and me and some friends were about to play the roleplaying game Cyberpunk. My first character in that game is still alive, a street samurai with a monofilament katana, a Minami 10mm smartsight SMG, boosted reflexes, and enhanced vision. I named him Usagi Yojimbo (guess where I got that from?).

I made a quick sketch, including the ears and black sunglasses. The others could understand the shades but not the ears.

Yesterday they found out, both about the ears and the name.

And they've told me that they will start collecting Usagi as soon as they get the chance.

Ain't Cyberpunk fun?

Kristen Sundelin
Skovde, Sweden

[Absolutely. Incidentally, your friends will have a much easier time collecting Usagi when the spanking new Swedish Usagi comic debuts there during the Spring. Ask for it by name! - ED.]

Dear Stan,

I really enjoyed "Lone Goat and Kid" in #24. I've been a fanatical reader of Lone Wolf and Cub since its first issue over here, and I think you captured, in a somewhat lighter way, the essential essence of what makes that series tick. In fact, my main worry was trying to figure out who to root for - but, of course, like the old and abysmal Marvel Team-Ups, it was really a case of two heroes mistakenly fighting before beating the real bad guy. Incidentally, my habits in reading Lone Wolf usually see me enjoying it on the weekend, early in the morning, when insomnia prevents me from sleeping late. In a half-conscious state, the eerie, alien world of feudal Japan really comes alive on the pages!

This was my first issue of Usagi Yojimbo, and while I've known the character for some time through ads and articles, my first semi-real encounter was in the pages of Boris the Bear #1, where the furry hero accuses your rabbit of not being very funny. After reading #24, I say, who says it should be? I think it's fine like it is! The truth is, after all the furor over the 10th generation talentless rip-offs of a few years ago (I still cannot believe that Eclipse actually published those Hamsters...), it's nice to see a genuinely decent violent-animal comic again (I also just read Dave Sim's collection of the first 25 issues of Cerebus for the first time - not bad stuff, either!).

The funny coincidence is that mere weeks ago I got around to renting Yojimbo (The Bodyguard) with Toshiro Mifune. Great film! I was especially overcome by the way the more famous A Fistful of Dollars actually did redo the film, almost scene for scene, camera angle for camera angle in spots! (Think about that now - an Italian Western ripping off a Japanese samurai film that was intended as a parody of an American Western in the first place! Sheesh.) I then proceed to rent the sequel, Sanjuro (an equally compelling film, but unfortunately only available as a very bad print), as well as Zato Ichi Meets Yojimbo. I was going to ask if there was any chance of your doing Usagi Yojimbo Meets Zato Ichi Walrus, but I guess you've already touched on that, judging by the letters page in #24. 27 films and a TV series?? Wow! Any chance of your listing these films in a future column? While I'm at it, are you aware there were any other films in the Yojimbo series? Watching these films is a fascinating experience. With the subtitles, it's almost like watching a silent film - and yet it isn't. You know what I mean?

While I'm at it, I also know of some films in the "Lone Wolf" series. The first, which seems to have disappeared of late, was Lightning Swords of Death. I never did see that, but around 10 years ago my cable company ran Shogun Assassin. You can imagine, while reading the Lone Wolf comic, how I eagerly looked forward to his going into battle with the multi-shotgun built into the baby carriage. My local video store also has available Fugitive Samurai and Lupine Wolf, though sometimes it's hard to tell exactly how many films there really are as the names often change from country to country (a Christopher Lee film described as a "kung fu" adventure is titled Kiss and Kill, but it was, in fact, his fifth and final Fu Manchu film, shown on TV a few years back as Against All Odds - I can see why they changed the title...)

Sorry I haven't said much about your comic itself, but at times I find it hard to say much when it looks like the creator(s) knows what he's doing! Keep it up!

Henry R. Kujawa
Camden, NJ

(That's Polish, not Japanese, by the way...)

[While I can't list all of the Zato Ichi movies, some of them are: The Story of Zato Ichi, The Return of Zato Ichi, Zato Ichi Enters Again, Zato Ichi The Fugitive, The Sword of Zato Ichi, Zato Ichi's Challenge, and Zato Ichi's Trip Into Hell.

[In Zato Ichi Meets His Equal, the blind swordsman confronted a popular martial artist, Wang Kong, who had his own movie series in China. Two endings were filmed, one with Ichi winning the final duel and the other Wang Kong the victor.

[While we're on the subject of blind samurai, you might also want to note the Crimson Bat movie series which featured Oichi, the blind swordswoman. In the Tange Sazen series, the star was blind in only one eye but he was further handicapped by having only one arm.

[There were only two movies which featured the Yojimbo/Sanjuro character but Toshiro Mifune starred in at least two TV series, one of which, I believe, was inspired by Yojimbo. Incidentally, the character he portrayed in Zato Ichi Meets Yojimbo was different than the one in the two Kurosawa films.

[The Lone Wolf series is also known as The Baby Cart series. It originally appeared as a trilogy: Sword of Vengeance, Baby Cart at the River Styx, and Baby Cart to Hades. Coincidentally, the executive producer was Shintaro Katsu, who portrayed Zato Ichi in movies and TV. Lone Wolf went on to become a popular TV series.

[- STAN SAKAI]

Fan Art by Manuel Carrasco

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.