SEQUENTIAL TART, VOL 4 #3, MARCH 2001

[Steve Hubbell]

THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI: STAN SAKAI INTERVIEW
by KARON FLAGE (SEQUENTIAL TART, VOL 4 #3, MARCH 2001)

Usagi Yojimbo is one of those rare comics that can combine a little bit of everything – adventure, history, mystery, horror, folk tales, heroics – and do it all incredibly well. This is due to the talent and creativity of its creator, Stan Sakai. I had a chance to chat with Stan at SPX and Mid-Ohio Con and I was thrilled when he agreed to an interview.

SEQUENTIAL TART: Why comics? What does the comics medium offer you that other media does not?

STAN SAKAI: I always read comics, even when my parents threw out my comic book collection. When I realized people actually made a living doing comics, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Working on an independent comic gives me total control of all aspects of the creation. I have talked to creators in other fields and even mainstream comics in which the creators’ vision is filtered through so many other people and there is usually disappointment in the final result.

SEQUENTIAL TART: How do you create a comic page? Do you write a full script to follow while you draw or is it more of a case of the art leading the story?

STAN SAKAI: First of all, comes the idea. The idea may come from some research that I’ve come across or maybe from sketching or from recreationally reading. One story, The Tangled Skein, was inspired by a line in a tv documentary: “There is a forest at the base of Mt Fuji whose trails are so convoluted that many people get lost. It is especially popular for people who want to commit suicide. They walk in and are never seen again.” After the idea, comes the research. Accurate research can only add to the story. Lack of it can destroy the story’s credibility.

For me, the writing is the hardest part of making a comic book. True, the art takes a lot longer but the writing is much more intensive and is the part of the process that is the most frustrating at times. I usually start off with an outline, usually no longer than one page. It may include description of scenes, snatches of dialogue or description of the action. Then I do the thumbnails, very small and very simple, four comic book pages on an 8 ½ x 11” sheet. These determine composition and pacing. The final dialogue is written on these thumbnails. When I write for another artist, I send him thumbnails in lieu of a written script. Of course, in this case the thumbnails are a lot more detailed.

Next the art is done on kid finish 2 ply strathmore 500 series bristol board. The image area is 10 x 15. I rough it out using a 2H pencil, letter it, tighten the art with an H pencil then ink with a flexible tip fountain type art pen. I use Badger Black Opaque ink. This ink is usually used in air brushing so is very fluid and non-clogging. It is also permanent and waterproof.

SEQUENTIAL TART: You originally conceived Usagi as a human “Miyamoto” based on the 17th century samurai Miyamoto Musashi. What was so intriguing about Musashi that made you want to create a comic about his life?

STAN SAKAI: There have been so many movies based on Musashi’s life, the most famous of which is Inagaki’s Samurai Trilogy starring Toshiro Mifune. Most of them are based on the book by Eiji Yoshikawa. Musashi was the epitome of bushido, the way of the samurai. He was an expert and innovative swordsman as well as a philosopher and artist. I wanted to do a comic series loosely based on his life but while sketching, I drew a rabbit with his ears tied into a chonmage, a samurai topknot, and my character was born. I named him Miyamoto Usagi (usagi means “rabbit or hare” in Japanese) as homage to Miyamoto Musashi. I wasn’t sure which direction to take the stories—a pure historical series or should I go toward fantasy? The first story, The Goblin of Adachi Plain, pretty much set the mood for the entire series—a fantasy rooted in history.

SEQUENTIAL TART: How did “Miyamoto” evolve from human to rabbit “Usagi” and how did your vision for the character change when he took on an anthropomorphic form?

STAN SAKAI: Using anthropomorphic characters give me more freedom in writing as well as art. I base the stories in feudal Japan but they are written with a Western perspective. I don’t think I could do this if I was using human characters. It also makes it clear that this is a fantasy series, though with roots in the history, tradition and culture of a specific country, and so I can stretch the boundaries a bit more.

SEQUENTIAL TART: I have read that Tomoe is also based on a real character - a samurai woman named Tomoe Gozen. Are any of the other characters based on historical figures?

STAN SAKAI: Tomoe Gozen lived in the 12th century during the Gempei War, Japan’s Civil War, and was famed for her martial skill as well as her beauty. She was the consort of Lord Kiso Yoshinaka who conquered Kyoto and set himself up as Shogun. His older half-brother drove Kiso out of the capital and cornered him in Uji Province. Kiso refused to let Tomoe die with him because it would lessen his status as a samurai and a man so she jumped on her horse, attacked the opposing army and cut off the general’s head. She went on to become a nun. The visuals of my Tomoe Ame was based on Etsuko Shiomi, a star in the 80’s. Incidentally, Tomoe Ame is also the name of a candy I used to eat as a kid (each box came with a toy).

Another historical figure, Date Masamune, became the model for Lord Hikiji who plays an important part in Usagi’s wanderings. It was Hikiji who killed Usagi’s lord, making him a masterless warrior. Masamune actually lived in the 16-17th century and aspired to become Shogun himself. He was a visionary and sent the first delegation of samurai to Europe.

I have also created characters based on Japanese pop culture. Lone Goat and Kid is, of course, a tip of the hat to Lone Wolf and Cub. Zato-Ino, the blind swordspig is based on Zato-Ichi the blind swordsman, star of twenty-seven movies as well as a TV series.

SEQUENTIAL TART: You obviously do a great deal of research when writing Usagi - kite making, festivals, the law of the time period, agriculture, games of the period. When you started the series did you expect to be spending time on research? Is it something you enjoy doing or is it more of a necessary use of time? Ever try making a kite based on the research you did?

STAN SAKAI: I enjoy doing the research. When I first started, I didn’t expect to do so much. It was Sergio Aragones who encouraged me. Even though Groo is a humor book, he does an unbelievable amount of research for his stories.

The only kites I put together were from those kits you buy in hobby shops.

SEQUENTIAL TART: How did you become associated with Eastman and Laird?

STAN SAKAI: Usagi first appeared in Albedo #2 in 1984. This was about the time that the first issue of the Ninja Turtles was published. This was before the black and white boom and there was a prejudice against non-color comics so naturally we kind of gravitated to each other. I remember we could not give away our comics at that San Diego Con. They were going for hundreds of dollars for a first printing the very next year.

Anyway, it was at a SD Con that Peter Laird and I were sitting and talking and he just said, “Would you like a toy?” That’s how Usagi became part of the TMNT merchandising. That action figure sold 2.2 million units the first year. Usagi also appeared in two episodes of the cartoon series as well as cross overs in the comics. Mirage later became my publisher until they shut down their publications division.. I still have a very good relation with the folks at Mirage. I saw Peter and a couple of the other guys at SPX in September and didn’t realize until then how much I missed working with them.

SEQUENTIAL TART: When did the idea to incorporate Usagi into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles world occur and were you at all skeptical about this idea - I mean mixing modern day ninjas with an old-world samurai does not seem like an ideal combination.

STAN SAKAI: It was a fun thing to do. The toy looks very different from my version of Usagi but it had to fit the rest of the toy line. You should have seen the one that was rejected.

SEQUENTIAL TART: What do you think allowed Usagi to survive and thrive when so many other characters and titles were cancelled in the early 90s?

STAN SAKAI: I hate to blow my own horn but I think the quality of the series has something to do with it. Usagi has received its share of awards so I assume others agree. It or I have gotten a Parents Choice, an Inkpot, three Eisners (out of 15 nominations) and two Spanish Haxtur Awards. I also think it is because Usagi is unique in the comics field. There have been other samurai comics but never with the dedication and research that I put into it. Also the fans have been amazingly supportive, just check out the website at http://www.usagiyojimbo.com It is completely put together and maintained by fans.

But one of the biggest reasons it is still out there is because of timing. Usagi appeared before the big black and white boom and so didn’t get lost with all those other new books that just hit the Stands in a deluge.

It also kept coming out fairly regularly so it was never forgotten. Diana Schutz, my editor at Dark Horse, is great at keeping me on a consistent schedule.

SEQUENTIAL TART: What effect do you think that the Usagi Yojimbo Summer Special ultimately had on making this character known in comics circles?

STAN SAKAI: The Summer Special was the first comic that was exclusively Usagi and it sold very well so that convinced both myself and Fantagraphics that a series was viable.

SEQUENTIAL TART: Usagi has been published by a variety of different publishers from Fantagraphics to Mirage to Dark Horse; was there ever a point where you thought about giving up on the character? If so what made you continue?

STAN SAKAI: I have never felt that was. Nor have I ever thought of taking a hiatus from the series. I do everything so I can vary the kind of stories that I want to tell. I can do mysteries then switch to a fantasy with ghosts and monsters then do a historical drama. After more than 16 years, I’m still never bored with Usagi.

Incidentally, since we’re talking about publishers, I want to mention that there are currently 13 trade paperback collections. The first seven are published by Fantagraphics and the rest are by Dark Horse who also collected the Mirage material. All the books are continuously being reprinted — Book 1 is currently in its 6th or 7th printing. A 14th book, Demon Mask is due out at the end of March. There is also a Space Usagi collection.

SEQUENTIAL TART: What inspired Space Usagi and are there any plans to do another series with this character?

STAN SAKAI: Dinosaurs. I love drawing dinosaurs and I could not draw them in Usagi Yojimbo. Oh sure, there are those dinosauresque lizards running around but they’re not the same. If I wanted to have Usagi meet up with dinosaurs I would either have to transport him into the far past or take him to the future and another world where these great animals still live. The latter seemed far more interesting and so Space Usagi was born. I get many requests to bring him back and I’m thinking of doing a fourth mini-series.

SEQUENTIAL TART: Whatever happened to the pilot of Space Usagi TV series? Are there still plans to do something with it?

STAN SAKAI: We could not get a toy company to finance the series. At that time, toys were an integral part of the merchandising, even more so than it is now. Space Usagi was the first creator-owned license that Turner Entertainment handled and it was the first new project Mirage Licensing had since the Turtles. We even were offered a time slot on tv. Unfortunately, toy companies had been burned badly by Bucky O’Hare many years ago and anything with a rabbit in space was considered off limits to them. A lot of time has passed and we’re still getting offers to license SU as well as UY.

SEQUENTIAL TART: Every now and again you have stories outside the Usagi framework such as the autobiographical short story for Dark Horse Maverick and the pages you had in Dan Brereton’s Troll Bridge. Are there many stories you want to tell that do not fit within the Usagi framework? In particular, do you enjoy creating autobiographical stores?

STAN SAKAI: Every now and then I’m asked to do a non-Usagi story such as the Riblet back-up series that ran in Bone. Upcoming projects include a Simpson’s story for the next Treehouse of Horror comic from Bongo, a short story written by Greg Rucka for the Oni Color Special and a pin-up for Guy Davis’ Marquis.

These are nice diversions and I get to work with other creators and publishers.

I do come up with other stories and they are usually written down or just put on the back burner until later. Every writer has more plot ideas than time to develop them. I remember when Sergio came over at 2 am one day to pick up Groo pages. On the drive over, he thought of a plot for a new Terminator movie and an Usagi story. He filed the Terminator story in his memory and gave me the Usagi one.

It became Broken Ritual which appears in Usagi Book Seven.

I have also done a few autobiographical pieces such as Norway. That was not intended for publication but Diana liked it so asked to include it in Maverick 2000. I have a few others that have not been published. A lot of them are exercises and an excuse to experiment in different styles. No doubt they’ll see print one of these days.

SEQUENTIAL TART: You also find the time to letter comics such as Sergio Arragones’s Groo and the Spider-Man newspaper strip. What is it about lettering that appeals to you?

STAN SAKAI: Lettering is actually relaxing in many ways. It is more mechanical than creative and uses another part of my brain. I guess it proves the whole left brain/right brain theory. Anyway, I enjoy lettering and it let’s me work with terrific creators such as Sergio, Mark Evanier and Stan Lee.

SEQUENTIAL TART: What comics do you like to read? Does your family read comics?

STAN SAKAI: My son, Matthew, likes superheros though most of them are written above his level. He enjoys the Batman books that are based on the animated shows and still likes Pokemon. He’s discovered Usagi in the past year. Hannah likes to read Archie.

I enjoy a variety of books. Guy Davis’ work is phenomenal. I also enjoy Bone, Akiko, Supernatural Law, Castle Waiting... I won’t list them all because I know I’ll leave a few of my favorites out but they tend to run more independent than mainstream. I like to read novels. I especially enjoy detective or mysteries. My favorite authors are Max Allan Collins, Greg Rucka and Laura Joh Rowland.

SEQUENTIAL TART: What do you say when people at parties ask you what you do for a living?

STAN SAKAI: I tell them I’m a cartoonist. They usually find it a lot more interesting than what they do for a living.

SEQUENTIAL TART: Here is your chance to push another creator’s work. What comic should we all be reading right now?

STAN SAKAI: Those books I mentioned earlier are all worth reading. I just noticed another similarity about them—they are all single-creator books, undiluted by the assembly-line system of the mainstream. They may not be big sellers but it’s a lot more personal. Each creator puts a bit of him/herself into the work.