Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

I know a tiny bit about Lone Wolf and Cub. Someone else here had a photo of their bookshelf and Showa caught my eye. Those are the only two comics I can think of to look into next.

What do you think should I read next if I want to continue my exploration of Japan and/or samurai through comic books?

If you reply with a recommendation please let me know why you think I should read it. Thanks for your help!

"Vagabond" just by virtue of being a manga about the actual Miyamoto Musashi (or at least a fictionalized, non-rabbit version of him).

Sakai and co.'s own rendition of "The 47 Ronin".

Way of the Samurai 4, a video game on Steam and GOG.com---I don't know enough history to vouch for its authenticity (although given some of the silly character names I'm guessing whatever accuracy there is is cursory), but it at least captures the mood of Meiji Restoration-era Japan well enough. And has many, many endings.

I already read 47 Ronin and loved it!

Have you read Nilson Groundthumper and Hermy? That is in the same universe as Usagi, and it's very funny.
My recommendations would be:
Hellboy/BPRD/Abe Sapien (and the other tie ins): In my opinion, the best interconnected series of comic books (as in, the best universe of comics with more than one title; Usagi Yojimbo is still the overall best universe!). Hellboy is great, of course, but BPRD took on a life of its own and is the backbone of the Hellboy universe. The ties ins like Abe Sapien and Witchfinder are definitely worth reading too.
Lobster Johnson: This is part of the Hellboy universe, but it deserves its own mention. The only series that can match Usagi Yojimbo in quality (when Tonci Zonjic is illustrating; the one shots by other artists are great, but the ones Tonci Zonjic illustrates are some of the best comics ever made). I would recommend starting at Vol. 2, as Vol. 1 takes place late in the Lobster's career, while Vol. 2 is takes place at the very beginning of his career, and the books after that go in chronological order. However, you can read and understand vol 1 on its own just fine. Actually, you could almost start anywhere, as each book can be read and understood on its own.
And a few miscellaneous books:

Harrow County: A good horror book by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook, with occasional guest artists. The book is drawn entirely in watercolor.

Who is Jake Ellis/Where is Jake Ellis: two miniseries by Nathan Edmonson and Tonci Zonjic. A sort of supernatural spy thriller. The second collection, which collects all of Where is Jake Ellis, just came out a few weeks ago. Start with Who is Jake Ellis and then read Where.

Batman: The Doom that Came to Gotham. A Batman book set in the 1920s, written by Mike Mignola. I just read this yesterday, and it's a quite good horror Batman story. Batman acts a lot like Hellboy and also uses a gun. The costume design for Batman is really cool; I want an action figure!
Also try Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, about an 1800s Batman. This one is illustrated by Mignola.

The Marquis by Guy Davis. Guy Davis was the longtime illustrator of BPRD, and the Marquis is his creator owned work. This is a really good horror book, and there's a quote from Sensei Sakai on the back of the tpb! Stan has also done a great drawing of the Marquis.
If I think of any more suggestions I will post them here. I haven't read much Lone Wolf and Cub or Groo the Wanderer, but I have enjoyed both of those series as well.

I'm one of the biggest Hellboy fans you'll find. I also love Guy Davis so I've read the Marquis. Also, loved the Doom That Came to Gotham.

I was vaguely aware of Groundthumper but haven't looked into it it but I will now.

Thanks for the reply!

Shirato Sanpei has a really good and long running ninja manga which had a brief 37 issue run in the U.S. as "Legend of Kamui" originally published by Eclipse Comics, and then reprinted in a couple trade paperbacks by Viz.

If you tried and enjoyed Lone Wolf & Cub, you might enjoy this as well.....



http://vintageninja.net/?p=7496

(and Stan Sakai is credited with lettering and touch-up art)

If you're interested in another comic in the 'funny animal' style: Fantagraphics has just published the first half of "The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck." It's one of my favorite graphic novels of all time.

Showa is terrific, as is all of the material by Shigeru Mizuki that Drawn and Quarterly is putting out.

Angilasman wrote:If you're interested in another comic in the 'funny animal' style: Fantagraphics has just published the first half of "The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck." It's one of my favorite graphic novels of all time.

The second I saw that you'd posted in this thread, I knew that was going to be your recommendation

Of course, the Barks Four Color adventures are pretty darn amazing too.

^But I started with Life and Times, and because that's effectively a prequel to all of Barks' stories and maybe more modern, and therefore accessible to general audiences, I think it's a good entry point!

Angilasman wrote:^But I started with Life and Times, and because that's effectively a prequel to all of Barks' stories and maybe more modern, and therefore accessible to general audiences, I think it's a good entry point!

I ended with Life & Times and felt it worked similarly well in that way, both because it made Rosa's ability to fit all that past continuity seem all the more impressive and because it's a far deeper story with more emotional range. Barks could make you laugh, inhale sharply, and sometimes sob a tear or two, but not with the same frequency and magnitude as Life & Times. I'd hate to start with the finest Scrooge piece and then read all of the rich Barks work only in the context of how it doesn't measure up.

shaxper wrote:

Angilasman wrote:^But I started with Life and Times, and because that's effectively a prequel to all of Barks' stories and maybe more modern, and therefore accessible to general audiences, I think it's a good entry point!

I ended with Life & Times and felt it worked similarly well in that way, both because it made Rosa's ability to fit all that past continuity seem all the more impressive and because it's a far deeper story with more emotional range. Barks could make you laugh, inhale sharply, and sometimes sob a tear or two, but not with the same frequency and magnitude as Life & Times. I'd hate to start with the finest Scrooge piece and then read all of the rich Barks work only in the context of how it doesn't measure up.

I think you did right in reading Life and Times after Barks stories.
L&T (and most Don Rosa stories) is full of references to Barks earlier stories, and they are better appreciated and understood with previous knowledge of Barks work.
One of the reasons Don Rosa started the project was because he wanted to construct a complete story from the hints about Scrooge youth given in the various Barks stories. In my opinion, this prowess and what it represents becomes more impressive when reading it last.

shaxper wrote: I'd hate to start with the finest Scrooge piece and then read all of the rich Barks work only in the context of how it doesn't measure up.

I had a completely different reaction! I think Barks' best work is just as emotionally rich, just more subtle because Barks was working within the restraints of his time. I think Back to the Klondike, A Christmas For Shacktown, Vacation Time, The Ghost of the Grotto, The Golden Helmet, and The Old Castle's Secret are just as great as Life and Times.

And the biggest difference for me between the two is that Rosa is very sentimental, but Barks is far more cynical - so when he does hit those sentimental moments they really land!

Angilasman wrote:

shaxper wrote:
And the biggest difference for me between the two is that Rosa is very sentimental, but Barks is far more cynical - so when he does hit those sentimental moments they really land!

That's genius. Yes, I totally agree.

I miss talking with you. Been a long time since the old Classic Comics section at CBR

Disappointing Encounter with a Legend - This weekend I was really excited to go to Long Beach Comic Expo to meet some of my favorite comic writers and artist one of them was Don Rosa. Like many people my first exposure to his work was through the cartoon Duck Tales. Don Rosa HATES Duck Tales. He even had a sign at his booth explaining how that TV show you loved as a kid was a gross bastardization of the sacred text created by God Carl Banks himself and passed on to ME ! If you love these characters because of that crappy show you are doing it wrong and will burn in a fiery abyss. (Mr. Rosa’s sign didn’t actually say this – It said something like these are not the characters from the T.V. show Duck Tales but are the characters from the comics which the show was based on)

I made the mistake of asking his assistant for the Poster print of Scrooge McDuck with his “Lucky Dime.” Mr. Rosa stopped what he was doing (which I believe was complaining to a fan that he wasn’t selling enough prints) and then scolded me for referring to the “Number One Dime” as the “Lucky Dime.” He then went on this two minute diatribe about how the dime was an emblem Scrooge’s hard work and determination and not a Lucky Dime. After he was done he turned to one of the anointed disciples and quipped, “ You can always tell who the true fans are.”

No Sir you cannot. True I am not a Duckinsian Scholar well versed in the excepted nomenclature of divine talismans. I’m just a guy who loves your characters because of a tv show he watched as a kid and now wants to learn about the comics it was based on. In fact I was hoping you would have some books so I could buy them from you so you would get the profits. I even bought this weird Scholarly book about your work written by some Italian guy. I also had my friend carve a portrait of Scrooge McDuck out of wood that I wanted to give to you because I read that you lived in a Cabin and to say thank you for the joy that you have brought to so many people.

I told him none of this. Maybe after he was done ranting I should have told him, “No I think you’re wrong. It is a lucky dime.” Or maybe I should have stood by his booth and sang the theme to Ducktales. Instead I waited in line, bought the print, thanked him and told him it was nice to meet him. I then walked off like a sad Charlie Brown… I am such a Tool.

Still want to read about the adventures of Scrooge McDuck. So I should read Banks first and then Rosa? Is it like a Star Wars thing where you should watch the Original trilogy first and then the Prequels? Also I have a cool carving of Scrooge McDuck. I might put it on Ebay or bring it to Comic Con so someone from the Dojo can have it.

- Spam

Is Scrooge a samurai? Am I missing something here?