Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

The first four pages of "Return of the Black Soul" have been posted in the Coming Up section. Stan really throws us a curveball here, completely altering some of the theories behind the Jei/Inazuma relationship! Just check out the preview to see what I mean.

The cover art work for UY 101 is also posted in the Coming Up section...a wicked picture of Usagi, yet is unrelated to the story in 98. This issue does feature the return of everyones favorite kunoichi, Chizu!!!!

"Return of the Black Soul"

Ventre Saint Gris !

UY #101 cover is.... brrrrr.... nightmarish

Yup Chizu returns cuz me and FanFan demanded it!!

Soon all will bow to the power we hold over this title!!

Bwhahahahaha!


Thank you Mr. Sakai for bringing Chizu back and please, please, please don't kill her.

What a cover. I nearly swallowed my tongue.

Do we really need a new demon, anyway ? If there's something strange in the neighbourhood, who we gonna call ?

JEI-BUSTERS !

Whoa!!...that cover is creepy! And those sample pages are cool too!

Also posted the cover for UY 98 and the finalized cover for UY 99.

WAY COOL COVER!!!!!! The return of Gen AND Stray Dog!!!! How COOL is that!!! SUBARASHI!!!!!!! I can't wait for this issue! Abayo!

estee wrote:Yup Chizu returns cuz me and FanFan demanded it!!

Soon all will bow to the power we hold over this title!!

Bwhahahahaha!

estee wrote:Thank you Mr. Sakai for bringing Chizu back and please, please, please don't kill her.

For sure, it would not be what i wished...

Todd wrote:Also posted the cover for UY 98 and the finalized cover for UY 99.

Perhaps i am minimalist, but i truly prefer the illustration without the Usagi logo.
For people who don't know : "Hey what's this"
And for fans : "true happiness!"

#101 might have the most exciting cover in all of Usagi history. That's gonna be one heck of a story!

That #101 cover gave me an idea last night. Couldn't Usagi become a Jei/Inazuma-like "demon" for five or six issues ?

Imagine him, one of the most skilled swordsmen in Japan, becoming a real, nearly invincible serial killer and maybe a lethal enemy for his allies. That could be a Dantesque story arc.

Besides, that would give us clues about the real nature of Jei's curse. Usagi is a honourable person, his intentions are pure, so could he resist this evil inside him ? How would he react in front of Tomoe, Jotaro, Chizu... ?

And finally, why are Jei/Inazuma evil ? We know that Jei spared Keiko's life because he felt "no evil" in her, but is it what he really believes ? Or is it a way to express his mercy ? That would mean he's still human, somewhere.

There has to be a reason why Jei is after Usagi. It could be that they crossed paths before, and Stan just never explored this. Maybe Usagi's actions led to the demise of the original Jei, and now his demon ghost runs rampant across Japan, possessing skilled swordsmen to exact his revenge! Usagi is too strong-willed to be possessed by a demon. There has to be something with Jei (the host) and Inazuma to allow them to be possessed...maybe some connection to the original Jei??

Given what the preview of a demonised Inazuma says, then I'm wondering if the demon calls itself Jei. Hence... Usagi's spear wielding nemesis had his own name before being possessed...? Maybe we'll find out when that story gets published.

Todd Shogun wrote:There has to be a reason why Jei is after Usagi.

I thought the main reason was the fact that Usagi is the only person still living after having encountered Jei in battle.

And the covers are simply amazing. Astonishing. Not bad.

Jei originally wanted to kill Usagi because he thought he was "evil". Beyond that there's been nothing more revealed.