USAGI YOJIMBO Volume 3, Number 20

Send comments to: Usagi Yojimbo ~ Letters Column c/o Dark Horse Comics
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[There'll be some big doings this summer.

[To start with, I've been invited to be part of the Trilogy Tour, joining Linda Medley, Jeff Smith, Charles Vess, and other newcomers, Jill Thompson and Mark Crilley. We'll be hitting the major summer conventions, meeting fans and signing autographs. Scheduled stops are: Heroes Con, Chicago, San Diego, and Mid-Ohio. There will also be a bunch of tour-related merchandise, such as a T-shirt, magnets, and a comic to which I've contributed a fully painted, 8-page Usagi story.

[Out this June will be the new Usagi Yojimbo action figure from Antarctic Press. I designed this one myself and it looks great - wait 'til you see Spot!

[The tenth trade paperback collection, The Brink of Life and Death , is scheduled for August, and there are rumors of a new Usagi T-shirt in the works.

[The second Art of Usagi collection came out in February from Radio Comix, as did the Usagi Yojimbo Role Playing Game book from Gold Rush Games. The game has some nice extras, such as a timeline that puts Usagi's adventures in a historical perspective and a short story that was only seen in the Book 7 hardcover. You can order the game from any book store or comic shop or directly from the publisher: Gold Rush Games, P.O. Box 2531, Elk Grove, CA 95759. It's $16.00 + $3.00 p/h for the first game, $1 p/h for each additional.

[On to the letters!]

Dear Jamie S. and Stan S.,

Usagi Yojimbo #17 this week...

"Inazuma" showed that getting there is half the fun, unless, I suppose, you're a Ryoko-controlled captain who dies fighting a rabbit ronin. Consider:

1) Inazuma's nightmare, with its Gen ghost leading the lady to Jei and his niece (the niece spoke and looked less blank than usual. Whatever Jei has in mind for her, he may have to revise);

2) Ryoko's direction of the crabs and the captain, and the odd give-and-take between her and Lord Kotetsu;

3) Usagi in action, but also Usagi appreciating a beautiful day and looking forward to giving "a nice gift" to Lord Noriyuki;

4) Ichiro's query about a reward (so what if Usagi saved his son!);

5) Lord Noriyuki governing ("he is young but wise," I believe Usagi said of him - he's still young, but his wisdom is coming along splendidly);

6) Gen getting involved (his gruffness doesn't fool me! He would die for his long-eared samurai friend, and Usagi would do the same for the hornless bounty hunter rhino); and

7) The ending, with a series of chances mistaken for a counter-conspiracy, and a grim Usagi heading to see the lord of the Geishu Province.

Stan is still building, but that's okay - the various vignettes were complete in and of themselves (everyone's so alive in them: the fishermen finding only crabs, Ichiro being greedy, and the captain's good-humoredness before Ryoko moved in), and still conveyed the message that this particular whole would be greater than the sum of its individual parts. The, too, we had some stunning examples of Stan's artwork:

1) The decapitation of Gen, whose head then spoke like an unholy hybrid of Evelyn Cream from Miracleman and Poo-Bah's respectful victim from The Mikado;

2) The horrifically evil Jei of the nightmare and the more complicated (he yawned!) Jei of the bedside;

3) Ryoko at work, commanding crabs and captains (if she were Owen Glendower, the spirits she called from the vast deep would come);

4) Usagi in response and in action;

5) The death's head (when I tire of those, it will be time to pack it in: I love 'em!);

6) Tomoe Ame at her prettiest;

7) The police officer's disgust with the mercenary Gen; and

8) The senseless murder of the wrong long-eared fellow.

And even beyond that, there was the pleasure in Stan's lettering, be it gently italicized (Ryoko), solid and unpretentious (Usagi and most of the cast), and simply downright malevolent (Jei, naturally).

A great series just had another great issue. Keep up the fine work, and thank you for your time.

Charles J. Sperling
Flushing, NY

[I should explain the niece/uncle relationship between Keiko and Jei, as they're not really related. In Japanese, she would be calling him "Onii-san," literally "big brother," but it is also used as a term of affection toward an older male. I substituted the more western "uncle" for "big brother" as it conveys the same sort of meaning.]

Dear Stan and Jamie,

I've been enjoying the tales of Usagi for over 10 years now and I'm looking forward to the next ten. My copy of the first issue of Usagi's own comic ever is one of the most prized in my collection. This comic is easily one of the best on the market, in terms of art and definitely of writing. The intricate story lines, the sense of humor, the powerful battle scenes, and the ways Stan absolutely takes us back in time to feudal Japan are amazing. This comic has always reminded me of all those great samurai films from Japan, and I know Stan has drawn inspiration from them before...so that leads me to a question...

I recently purchased the excellent film Sword of Doom, and I wondered, after watching it, if the creepy character of Jei is somewhat inspired by the creepy samurai Rynnosuke in the film? Another question I've always wondered is if Stan has ever had characters in Usagi's history from elsewhere in Asia, such as China or the Philippines or Indonesia? I always thought it would be neat to see Usagi's swordsmanship challenged by a Filipino escrimador.

Thank you again for all the great work, and all the great work to come. I'm really enjoying the "Grasscutter" story line. Excellent stuff!

Nik Havert
Nappanee, IN

[Sword of Doom has some excellent action sequences and great atmosphere, but the story - especially the ending - leaves a lot to be desired. Jei was not inspired by the anti-hero played by Tatsuya Nakadai, who also starred in Kurosawa's Ran and Kagemusha.

[Usagi will soon meet someone from China.]

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.