Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

I'm kind of new to Usagi Yojimbo. Could anyone give me some suggestions or tips.

Thanks

You might consider going to your library and looking up Usagi Yojimbo stuff there. That's how I got into it, myself.

If you don't mind spending the money, though, just head to your local comic book store or a place like amazon.com and pick up one or two of the collected novels. I don't feel it's necessary to read them all in order... I myself read them in whatever order I got my hands on them, and I enjoyed the story immensely. While all of them are worthwhile, if you want a jumping-off point, I'd suggest either Book 4: the Dragon Bellow Conspiracy or 12: Grasscutter.

Althouh I'm sure there's another reader here who'd have suggestions of their own.

Yeah, the library's good, but you might as well start at the beginning, or you'll get confused as you're reading the TPBs. I read Grasscutter 2 before anything else (real bright move...like renting the Two Towers before watching Fellowship) I believe the first one is "Shades of Death" and then the back of the book shows them in order from there.

Happy Exploring!

Well, the first one is Fantagraphic's UY Book 1-- just from memory, I think they run up to Book 7 before Dark Horse starts with the vexingly non-numbered TPBs.

The Dark Horse TPBs what is the order?

It is kind of frustrating how most of the Dark Horse books lack numbers... although recent re-printings have had them. About half of the Dark Horse novels in my burgeoning library have numbers on the spines, which looks odd interfiled with so many that don't, but anyway.

Anyway... toecari, and anybody else, here's the order of the books:

Fantagraphics (only identified by number on the spine, but here's the titles all the same):

1: Ronin
2: Samurai
3: The Wanderer's Road
4: The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy
5. Lone Goat and Kid
6. Circles
7. Gen's Story

Dark Horse (usually only identified by title, but may have numbers as well):

8. Shades of Death
9. Daisho
10. Brink of Life and Death
11. Seasons
12. Grasscutter
13. Grey Shadows
14. Demon Mask
15. Grasscutter II
16. The Shrouded Moon
17. Duel at Kitanoji
18. Travels with Jotaro

There's also Space Usagi, which isn't part of the normal continuity.

Do what I did... write it down on a little piece of paper you can keep handy. Made things much less confusing when I was reading everything for the first time.

As for reading them in order... well, I read them out of order and liked it, and Indiana read them out of order and was confused, so your mileage may vary. If you can get your hands on the early books, then you might as well, but if your selection is more limited, I don't think you should let that stop you.

Do any other readers have any comments, regarding reading the books out of order? I'm curious if it's all that common or if more people like to follow the story chronologically. I'd imagine a lot of longtime readers can say they've read things in order, but if you're like me and you only started reading the past 20 years worth of Usagi in the last six months or so, your options are a little more open.

Well I just began reading Usagi as well and from what I have read they almost just seem like one little story seperate of anything else.. So I enjoy reading them however they come..

Thanks for the quick response..........i kind of like to read things in order.......i've noticed they sometimes refer to earlier stories ..............anyways thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!

I picked up Shades of Death, Seasons, and Grasscutter.

Wow let me tell you guys this site is awesome for Usagi Yojimbo back TPB...
http://www.talesofwonder.com/subcat2res ... =11&page=1
I just bought book 1,2, and 3. So I should be set for awhile. I was wondering if there are any comics that aren't compiled into a TPB that I will have to buy seperately? Such as Annuals or color specials stuff like that..

Tales of Wonder is a great place for any comic need.

Izo wrote: I was wondering if there are any comics that aren't compiled into a TPB that I will have to buy seperately? Such as Annuals or color specials stuff like that..

The first three color specials from Fantagraphics have not been reprinted "YET" in a trade volume, because they were published out of continuety (sp?). According to Stan, they are set somewhere still in the future.

The other stuff not reprinted in the trade editions include "The Guardian" from the Trilogy Tour 2 publication, the couple Usagi /Leonardo stories which were included in the ltd. edition hardcovers but never in the paperback trades. The Usagi/Space Ark story was never reprinted in paperback either. The Nocturnals story that Stan contributed to was never reprinted in a Usagi trade but maybe in a Nocturnals trade edition.
Abayo...

Thanks alot but I have another question it appears that none of the Mirage stories were reprinted in TPB form.. Is this true?

I've seen Mirage TPBs...numbers 2 and 7...at my library. So odds are they still exist. (good luck with dragon bellow conspiracy, though)

Izo wrote:Thanks alot but I have another question it appears that none of the Mirage stories were reprinted in TPB form.. Is this true?

Actually, the stories that appeared in the sixteen issues from Mirage have been reprinted by Dark Horse Comics in the first several trades they released, with some of the early Dark Horse stories mixed in with them. So there is no "Just Mirage stories" trade collections, rather a mix of Mirage stories and early Dark Horse stories. The volumes listed below are the ones that have the Mirage stories...

8. Shades of Death
9. Daisho
and, I believe,
10. Brink of Life and Death