Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

Long Beach comic scene here to stay
By Christine Amarantus
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Published: February 17, 2010

“Usagi Yojimbo” creator Stan Sakai will be on hand at Comic Expo promoting his work, signing books and doing sketches for fans.

“I had been invited to the last LBCC, but had to decline because of another commitment. It had been a big success, so I enthusiastically accepted their invitation to their first one-day expo,” Sakai said.

Sakai frequently makes public appearances at Southern California events, having his work displayed in both Pasadena’s Pacific Asia Museum and the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco last year. He keeps in touch with fans on forums on his Web site, UsagiYojimbo.com.

“The main reason to attend these conventions is to get to meet and talk to our readers,” he said. “Another reason is to meet other creators, both as peers and as fans. After all, we have to be fans at heart to get into this medium.”

Mini ‘Comic Con’ held at Long Beach Convention Center
By Christine Amarantus
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Published: February 22, 2010

Fellow comic book creator Stan Sakai also remarked on hearing great things about last October’s Comic Con in Long Beach, which hosted Comic Expo, and jumped at the invitation to the single-day convention.

Sakai’s creation, “Usagi Yojimbo,” turns 26 this year. He said that when he started, he had trouble thinking of what story to write and draw for the following month.

“Now I’m thinking I’ve laid down groundwork for stories I’m going to tell five years from now,” he said.

Sakai hinted that he would like to put out a six issue miniseries for the more futuristic “Space Usagi,” and a “War of the Worlds” story.

“What if Martians had sent out a scout ship a couple centuries earlier and it landed in Japan?” he said. “There will be giant robots and all kinds of things.”

There is also a nice little video clip from the Long Beach Comic Con which includes a segment with Stan Sakai......

I actually walked by as Stan was doing this segment but forgot to take a picture. Be on the lookout for a few pics I took of Sensei/the con later today.

My overall impression of the con was that it was a good little show for everyone. Plenty of artists, and not too crowded. I thought it was going to be in the same hall they used in October, but instead they placed it in an adjacent room.

Here's a few pictures of Sensei working his magic at the con:

Sensei doing a sketch for a fan.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44909934@N ... 961/"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2777/437 ... 9d6f6f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1080219"/></a>

A commission for myself, that Sensei totally knocked out of the park! It's of Princess Kinuko disguised as a commoner from UY vol.2 13-14. I always had a soft spot for that storyline.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44909934@N ... 001/"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2715/437 ... 606f73.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="P1080404"/></a>

Sensei signing my copy of previews for UY 100 on the cover.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44909934@N ... 714/"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2773/438 ... b9ac36.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1080238" /></a>

Sensei holding the print for UY 100.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44909934@N ... 678/"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4020/438 ... 5042c2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1080225"/></a>

That's interesting. Why would Sensei be signing a round black disc...
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44909934@N ... 748/"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2776/438 ... ec2c2a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1080231" /></a>

They're the bases for the statues of course! Sensei was gracious enough to sign each one. I think that makes me the first to get them signed.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44909934@N ... 185/"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/438 ... f5cb87.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DSC00021" /></a>

Great pictures! Thanks for sharing.....

Do they offer classes in "Signature Signing on Any Size, Shape, or Surface" for aspiring artists?

I bet Stan (and probably most cartoonists) can tell some great stories of some of the weird and unusual things he has been asked to autograph.......

Steve Hubbell wrote:Great pictures! Thanks for sharing.....

Do they offer classes in "Signature Signing on Any Size, Shape, or Surface" for aspiring artists?

I bet Stan (and probably most cartoonists) can tell some great stories of some of the weird and unusual things he has been asked to autograph.......

Thanks! That should definitely be a class in all art schools . There was some confusion at first as to where exactly Stan should have signed the bases so it would show correctly when displayed. Luckily I had the postcard that showed all the statues, and using Sensei's intuition, they all came out great.

Here is an article from the Orange County Weekly. My picture is in there, during one of my down times. I got it off of Heidi McDonald's site.

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentalit ... -beach-co/