Thank you Stan!

Bogus · Post by **Bogus** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 22:09 -0700

Stan,

Thanks for coming out to Austin this year to attend Staple! It was a big deal to me that you were able to make it. For being such a long time reader of 22 years it meant a lot to me to finally get to see you in person and say thanks for what you've been doing all this time.

Also, thanks to all the other Usagi fans who made it out there to attend Stan's panel. It felt weird to me to sit in a room with so many other people who read Usagi. For most of my life Usagi felt like something I got to treasure and enjoy on my own, not with others. I never really met anyone else before who reads the comic unless I turned them onto it first. I'm glad I got to listen to you speak about your creation; you tell some great stories.

And finally, thanks for signing my two books and letting me get a picture with you. I know it's no big deal for you to do that, but it really made my day. My father is also really excited to be receiving the book that you signed for him as well. It brightened his day he told me.

My birthday is Monday and this was the best gift I could have asked for. Thanks for everything!

Jet_Jaguar · Post by **Jet_Jaguar** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 14:01 -0700

I had a great time at STAPLE! as well. Stan graciously signed and drew on a big stack of books for me (I was a little relieved to see that I wasn't the only one who brought a big stack of books!) and I very much enjoyed speaking with him. The Q&A session was a lot of fun (I'm the one who asked the question early on about how a manga series that was similar to UY in terms of content would be different stylistically). I had heard of Terry Miyamoto before but not Usagi's other descendants like the one who lived during Commodore Perry's time and the "noir" Usagi from the 1930s (I'd love to see a drawing of that character). Getting to meet some other Dojo members was also great (I'm not sure that I met everyone who was there though).

I thought STAPLE! was a really fun event. It was a bit different from the few sci-fi/comic book things that I've been to since it had a bit more emphasis on indie comics. I was mainly there to see Stan, but I also had fun walking around and picking up freebie stuff (my bag was pretty heavy by the time I left!).

Overall, I had a great time. Thanks for coming to Texas, Stan!

bwbollom · Post by **bwbollom** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 16:40 -0700

I'm glad to see this thread! I too wanted to come here and say a hearty THANK YOU! to Mr. Sakai for coming to Austin and for being such a wonderful and gracious person to all of your fans. I was one of the others, like Jet_Jaguar, that brought a big stack of books to be signed. I usually don't do that at conventions...I try to limit myself to just a couple of items. But I brought in just a few first and asked Stan if it would be ok to bring additional items in for autographs and he said it wasn't a problem, he'd just put them on the side and sign as he had time while meeting other fans. That was perfectly fine by me!

So I came back a while later and picked up my books and he had not only signed but drawn a sketch in every one! I truly was not expecting this...I was just hoping to get the books autographed. Mr. Sakai, thank you so much for your dedication to your art, and to your fans! I already loved the Usagi story, and have had the pleasure of meeting you a couple of times in San Diego, and own a beautiful piece of original art that was created for me a few years back, but each new experience really shows just how much you care about your fans and your books.

At Staple I was also able to complete my Usagi TPB collection by purchasing Book 4, so I'm looking forward to reading the only Book that I have not read thus far. And while we were briefly chatting about the message board, Mr. Sakai gave me a UY poster which he also autographed and drew a sketch on! I had a great time...the rest of the convention was fun as well. Unfortunately, I was only able to stay for a couple of hours and did not get to see the panel/Q&A. Hopefully it was filmed and will eventually get posted online somewhere.

Mr. Sakai, I hope you enjoyed your stay in Austin. I hope to see you again this Summer in San Diego. Thank you again for everything!

Jet_Jaguar · Post by **Jet_Jaguar** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 17:35 -0700

There might be a podcast with the audio from the Q&A session up on the STAPLE! website soon.

I actually shot a couple of minutes of video during the session with my tiny Olympus camera, but the quality is pretty poor.

Stan Sakai · Post by **Stan Sakai** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 17:44 -0700

Thank you to all the Texas contingent of the Dojo. I had a wonderful time in Austin, in spite of a couple on non-con related incidents. Special thanks to Texcap for those wonderful Czech pastries. I had a couple of those sausage pastries after the con. They were delicious, and they saved me then I almost missed dinner that night (one of those non-con incidents). I brought the rest home for the family to enjoy.

I just had a few anniversary posters, and I hope all Dojo members received one. And I did not mind signing all those books.

I was not feeling well Saturday afternoon. I am terribly allergic to ash pollen, and was later told that that is one of the allergens in great quantities in the area. I was coughing, with watery eyes. I apologize to those who were subject to a couple of coughing fits at the panel.

There was a live art sale at a downtown club Saturday night. Artisst drew on large sheets of poster board, and they were sold with the proceeds going to some charity. I did two drawings, both sold immediately after completion.

I got home a couple of hours ago, and I'm working on lettering Spider-Man, which has to go out tomorrow.

Thanks all.

I will be at Emerald City in a month.

Ghost9 · Post by **Ghost9** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 7:27 -0700

I also want to thank Stan for coming out to STAPLE. It was a real treat getting to meet him and have him so graciously sign and sketch in my books. It was great having the special privilege of getting the 25th Anniversary poster as well.

Stan was very accommodating, and the Q&A session was a riot! I got a big kick out of his stories. My son's highlight of the whole day was meeting Mr. Sakai and giving him a piece of gum.

STAPLE was a neat introduction to some indie and local talent that otherwise I would have had no exposure to. I look forward to reading "Shark Hunters" from Top Shelf with my son, and especially to checking out Jack: Adventures in Texas' Big Bend at jackcomics.com. Jack's creator, Chris Ruggia was a super nice guy, and I'm definitely going to pick up his first mini-comic when it's available on his website.

Thanks again for coming down to this small con in Austin. We certainly enjoyed having you.

Texcap · Post by **Texcap** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 7:58 -0700

Stan Sakai wrote:Thank you to all the Texas contingent of the Dojo. I had a wonderful time in Austin, in spite of a couple on non-con related incidents. Special thanks to Texcap for those wonderful Czech pastries. I had a couple of those sausage pastries after the con. They were delicious, and they saved me then I almost missed dinner that night (one of those non-con incidents). I brought the rest home for the family to enjoy.

You're very welcome. I felt a little awkward handing you a box chock full of them without your wife there to help you enjoy 'em, but I'm glad that you liked what the Czech bakery had to offer. And I'm sorry to hear that you weren't feeling well due to the pollens in the area. Thank you so much for your time, and for coming to Texas.

I have a small write-up of my experience at the con with Stan ending "Usagi Week" at the site, but here's the most relevant part if you'd prefer not to make the "jump" in my sig below:

Stan was busy with sketches, etc. so I nervously introduced myself when I thought it was appropriate, and returned a few minutes later when he wasn’t as busy with my beautiful girlfriend at my side so that she could meet him (her being Japanese I thought they might enjoy talking for a moment) and so I could get a few things signed. He graciously did a quick sketch for me in each of the 3 Usagi collections that I had brought -- UY Books 1, 14 & 18 -- and handed me one of the 25th Anniversary posters as a member of the Dojo, so that was all really cool. I was surprised at how he automatically started drawing in the books, and really appreciate the time he took to do that. I asked him about his upcoming project Yokai and he, my girlfriend and I briefly discussed Japan’s interesting monsters for a few minutes — including a little umbrella monster that hops around doing very little harm (you learn something new everyday). I didn’t want to take too much of his time up, and I didn’t have any cash (just credit) to spend on those great sketchbooks, or a commission so I thanked him for his time with the hope that he’d enjoy the pastries.

We had some other things to do in Austin, and North in Salado that day so I actually left the convention shortly after but I was awfully glad to have finally been able to meet the man behind his long-earred creation and I appreciate the time he took to talk with us (and apologize for my nervousness) while we were there. I hope to be able to meet him again someday down the road and while I didn’t run into any other Dojo members while I was there, I hope they enjoyed the Q&A session later that day and that they came away with some cool stuff, and a few great memories to boot. I know I did.

Jet_Jaguar · Post by **Jet_Jaguar** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 19:15 -0700

"Tron" at cybermonkeydeathsquad.com wrote a story about going to STAPLE! that includes a funny account of meeting Stan:

http://www.cybermonkeydeathsquad.com/ra ... aple_2009/

"I may as well have worn a "Retarded Fanboy" t-shirt and asked when the X-Men crossover was gonna happen. I knew it was gonna happen, too. It's hard to throw me but when placed in front of someone I so admire and respect - truly on deep levels - my awe takes over, turning me into a nervous moron which was exactly the case here (I've done it to Neil Gaiman too - the first time). I even apologized to Mr. Sakai for my being an idiot but he's a pro. With just a few questions of his own (sketching all the while) he calmed me down and I was able to glean that he has one more Space Usagi story to tell but my favorite dude, Gennosuke, will sadly not be getting a deserved 1-shot or mini-series. Mr. Sakai is a very patient, well-spoken and engaging person as well as one hell of a fast and amazing artist and I cannot say enough about this man or his talent."

I was terrified that this was how I was going to act when I met Stan, but thankfully I was able to do a pretty good job of restraining myself and not bugging him with too many dorky questions or gushing about how Usagi Yojimbo has changed my life or anything like that. I'm glad that someone asked him about the possibility of more Space Usagi since I would be thrilled to see more (especially if it was an epic-length Grasscutter-type story set in the Space Usagi world).

Jet_Jaguar · Post by **Jet_Jaguar** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 13:21 -0700

The TexasGeek.tv podcast posted some video shot at STAPLE! in which Stan appears briefly (unfortunately, we don't get to hear any of his discussions with people):

http://texasgeektv.vox.com/library/post ... 009-1.html

If you look closely, you can see me walking by in the background at about the 6:30 mark near the top of the frame. I'm carrying an (extremely heavy!) black messenger bag over my shoulder.

The bearded fellow who appears at the 2:04 mark sat next to me during Stan's Q&A and did weird doodles in his notebook the whole time. He seemed to not be paying much attention. Go figure.

I don't think I ever figured out exactly why that one exhibitor was wearing a wizard costume (this really wasn't the type of con where you saw many people wearing costumes).

tru2gzus · Post by **tru2gzus** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 21:04 -0700

Jet_Jaguar wrote:The bearded fellow who appears at the 2:04 mark sat next to me during Stan's Q&A and did weird doodles in his notebook the whole time. He seemed to not be paying much attention. Go figure.

Actually, it's not too unusual. I read about a study not too long ago that showed that people who doodle while learning / listening do better or retain more because of it. I think it's related to different ways people absorb knowledge. But, it could be he was just an odd duck too, who knows...

Jet_Jaguar · Post by **Jet_Jaguar** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:51 -0700

tru2gzus wrote:
Jet_Jaguar wrote:The bearded fellow who appears at the 2:04 mark sat next to me during Stan's Q&A and did weird doodles in his notebook the whole time. He seemed to not be paying much attention. Go figure.
Actually, it's not too unusual. I read about a study not too long ago that showed that people who doodle while learning / listening do better or retain more because of it. I think it's related to different ways people absorb knowledge. But, it could be he was just an odd duck too, who knows...

For some bizarre reason, I just thought about this part of the episode of The Simpsons where the Radioactive Man movie was being filmed in Springfield:

Dr. S: "Wait! Did you know that there's a direct correlation between the decline of Spirograph and the rise in gang activity? Think about it."
Bart: "I will."
Dr. S: "No, you won't."

tru2gzus · Post by **tru2gzus** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 22:24 -0700

Jet_Jaguar wrote:
tru2gzus wrote:
Jet_Jaguar wrote:The bearded fellow who appears at the 2:04 mark sat next to me during Stan's Q&A and did weird doodles in his notebook the whole time. He seemed to not be paying much attention. Go figure.
Actually, it's not too unusual. I read about a study not too long ago that showed that people who doodle while learning / listening do better or retain more because of it. I think it's related to different ways people absorb knowledge. But, it could be he was just an odd duck too, who knows...
For some bizarre reason, I just thought about this part of the episode of The Simpsons where the Radioactive Man movie was being filmed in Springfield:

Dr. S: "Wait! Did you know that there's a direct correlation between the decline of Spirograph and the rise in gang activity? Think about it."
Bart: "I will."
Dr. S: "No, you won't."

Lol, I remember that episode. When I read your post I immediately thought 'butterfly effect'.

We really don't realize how things are different today than in the past because of little changes. It's like when frogs are cooked live (not that I've done that or would even want to eat them), they put them in warm water and slowly turn up the heat otherwise they'd jump out right away in hot water.

And to get the post back on track...thank you Stan (ahead of time) for the goateed Usagi you are doing for me at Emerald City!

Jet_Jaguar · Post by **Jet_Jaguar** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:06 -0700

One of the exhibitors at STAPLE!, a guy who was there with his significant other selling dollar grab bags with books and little toys (mine had a volume of Dragonball Z), posted a little comic about the wizard: