Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

Hey Usagi Fans!!!

I'm trying to start collecting Usagi Yojimbo comics and i'm trying to find the best place to start. i have the latest 100 issue and it got me into wanting the back issues. I'm also a longtime Groo collector too (I should've started collecting Usagi sooner!)

anybody have any tips to start collecting the early issues or links to Usagi timelines and all the comic companies it was produced under?

i'll probably need to apply to a couple of credit cards to get the whole Usagi collection found....


Thanks!

Welcome to the boards!


Usagi has been published under the following publishers:

Thoughts & Images ("Albedo" comic)
Fantagraph ("Critters" comic and Usagi Yojimbo vol. 1)
Image (Usagi Yojimbo vol. 2)
Dark Horse (Usagi Yojimbo vol. 3 -- current series)

Since Usagi is creator owned, Stan has allowed Usagi to appear in various other comics under small publishers, but these are the core issues and publishers to know about.

As for where to start, Usagi follows a relatively complex continuity, so it may be worthwhile to start back in the beginning. Still, it's not too hard to pick up partway through. You can't go wrong with starting at the first volume (even if the art and characterization were a bit more underdeveloped back then). Things pick up A LOT by the second volume, but if you want to skip to the really really amazing stuff, I'd start with the Dark Horse volumes. Most people will tell you that "Grasscutter" is the best of the best, but many great stories came before it, too.

Usagi has always been amazing, but he gets better with the year, so it's tempting to skip ahead, but very worthwhile to start back toward the begining.

Welcome to the Dojo, VikingSpawn;

Ha, shaxper was a little faster than me...

Getting the issues all complete might be a little difficult for the Albedo or Critters, where UY was published first (in that order; they both are anthologies, so you'll get some nice stories by other authors as well). These issues pop up on ebay from time to time, but be prepared to pay heavily for Albedo #2, which is the first UY appearance ever; prices range wildly from 550 US$ to excessive 2,000 US$.

UY had his own comic published by Fantagraphics first (for 38 issues) , then changed to Mirage (for another 16 issues), and now has it's home with Dark horse (103 issues and counting).

All these stories (up to issues 89, that is) have been selected in the trade paper backs; the first seven of them published by Fantagraphics, TPB 8 to 21 by Dark Horse (the latter is scheduled for June/July this year). All the trades are reprinted regularly, so just be patient if one or more of them should be out of print.

My first approach was to get the trades, then buying the issues not yet collected, and hunting down the issues backwards; I had the fun of reading the stories in chronological order, caught up with the recent story arc in reasonable time and now I've got the fun of the hunter/gatherer as well....

But that's just me;
For more details about the comics you might want to have a look at the comics section here:

http://usagiyojimbo.com/casl/comics.html


This is still under construction, but contains the basic information about every published UY appearance.

As a matter of fact, I was lucky to get the complete Fantagraphics and Mirage issues from Sensei himself; he said he'll sell them at Conventions, for instance, so if you've got the chance to meet him in persona, he might be able to help you with it...

Welcome aboard, Spawn.

Awesome!!! Thanks!!!!

Wow, the man himself sells complete runs at conventions??? that's perfect!!!

So i should start with Fanatagraphics first then Mirage and then to Dark Horse chronologically. I guess in the Mirage years are where Usagi mingled with the TMNT? are there special appearances/crossovers in the Ninja Turtles issues too?

I gotta alot of work ahead of me! But i'm excited to read this whole entire run.

VikingSpawn wrote:Awesome!!! Thanks!!!!
So i should start with Fanatagraphics first then Mirage and then to Dark Horse chronologically. I guess in the Mirage years are where Usagi mingled with the TMNT? are there special appearances/crossovers in the Ninja Turtles issues too?

I gotta alot of work ahead of me! But i'm excited to read this whole entire run.

We're all excited to have you aboard as a new reader, Spawn. I would recommend reading the UY stories in order. As mentioned before, there is a continuity that exists. My recommendation though would be to get the collected trade paperbacks instead of the single issues. The single issues are difficult to track down at times, unless you can get a complete run from Stan -- not sure which way would be the most affordable but the single issues are actually better reads. In any case you'd need to buy UY Book 1 because that book contains stories from comics that Stan no longer carries regularly, like Albedo and Critters. I would start at Book 1 and continue from there.

Start with the earliest stories first, as key characters like Tomoe, Gen, Mariko, Jotaro, and Katsuichi are introduced. Have fun!

I personally chose to collect the individual issues. I like this better for a variety of reasons, the best of them being that it's more fun/challenging to collect this way, you get to see the letter columns (though those are now available on this site), and the artwork is significantly bigger/easier to see in detail.

The first issue is the only truly hard one to find inexpensively. As a result, I bought the Usagi Yojimbo Summer Special from Fantagraph instead, which reprints Usagi's first three appearances and includes a bonus story, as well. I paid $4 for mine. Collecting all the rest will take some time and patience, but it won't cost you much more than buying the trades.

As for Usagi/Turtles crossovers, check out Usagi (vol. 1) #10 and Usagi (Vol. 2) 1-3. Usagi appears in various TMNT comics as well, but this is where the turles appear in Usagi. Shades of Green (vol. 2, 1-3) was awesome.

Needs a little updating, but here is a good list of Usagi info....
http://www.usagiyojimbo.com/forum/viewt ... ex&start=0

Welcome

Collecting single issues can be rewarding and frustrating, I only have to remember going through that myself many, many years ago myself. But a combination of contacts and eBay led me to get complete runs of the Fantagraphics, Mirage and DH stuff in due time as I was buying up the current issues as they came out.

I also now own a complete run of Albedo. Looking to get a complete run of Critters, I have about half the 50 issues so far, and I think I'm just missing one issue that has Usagi in it.

Aside from that, Trish (Usagi here on the forums) sent me a couple of the specials I needed, Cynlee has been kind enough to send me the first two sketchbooks and in general, you couldn't hope to meet a nicer, friendly bunch of comic fans here

Still need a few issues, mainly the Dark Horse own magazines and such based on the list collated together. Might grab collection #11 for the Hebi and plum stories if I can't find them in their original format for example.

Does Stan sell bundled issues of the early Usagi runs on the website here???

I'm trying to hunt down the early issues but the only 3 comic stores left in my city don't have any issues of the Usagi Mirage/Fantagraphic runs.



back in the '90s there were 15 comic shops in my city and now there's only 3 left! And unfortunately they only sell the new weekly comics on Wednesdays but don't keep back issues from the early '90. ugh!!


Does Stan have a huge stash of back issues that he sells here?

anyone know any good online comic shops???


Thanks!

Mile High Comics has some decent deals on back issues occassionally through their ebay store. Unfortunately, shipping has gotten outrageous through their regular web-site though, unless you buy in quantity.

Mirage Publishing might still have some of the Vol. 2 issues of Usagi available through their web-site.

If you're looking for full runs, can't help there, but I do think I have a few spare Fanta issues about...

Same here; and a few Mirage's as well....

http://www.usagiyojimbo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2913

shaxper wrote:Image (Usagi Yojimbo vol. 2)

I think you mean Mirage.

is there a Usagi Yojimbo list of all his appearances of Usagi in magazine covers like Wizard or Previews or any other comic publications?

I was able to get the Previews with Usagi's 100th DH issue cover. Did Usagi ever appear in Hero illustrated or CBG or CSN?? is there a list somewhere?

Kinda like an appearance list like the "Groo list" has from Groosite.com?

Thanks!