SDCC--Thank you all!

Stan Sakai · Post by **Stan Sakai** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 14:40 -0700

I just got back from Comic-con, have not unloaded the car, but just had to say "Thank you" as soon as I stepped through the door.

That gift--three volumes of tributes and thanks from around the world was unexpected and wonderful. There were even people that I knew long ago but had lost touch with, that sent letters or art. I was completely in the dark. It was such a surprise for me. Well done on putting one over on the old sensei. And that ceramic disc with Usagi is really neat. Did someone in the Dojo make it?

That was not the only thing I received for Usagi's Silver Anniversary. Ray and Julie Feighery presented me with the awesome Albedo #2 cake. I'm sorry there was not time enough to cut it and share a piece with all of you there. Trust me, though, it is delicious. It is a 3-layer vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting, and raspberry jam between two of the layers. That is not all. One of my favorite artists, Lark Pien, gave me a set of original art featuring all of my main characters. That is still not all. Dojo member John Higashi spent the con commissioning artists to draw Usagi on blank trading cards, and he gave them all to me. I've got Tim Sale, Matt Wagner, Art Adams, and so, so many more. He kept pulling cards out of his portfolio.

I'll post photos and scans on-line later.

I was also one of the guest artists for Quick Draw. I had never seen QD before, and it really is the fastest hour at Comic-con. What a great con.

Thank you all! I can hardly wait till Usagi's 50th!
Stan

Texcap · Post by **Texcap** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:22 -0700

It's great to hear that there were some surprises in store for you in celebration of your efforts over the years, and Usagi's 25th anniversary! It was an honor (and an awful lot of fun) contributing a small "thank you" as part of the Dojo project, and I was blown away by the final product that Maka revealed -- there are a lot of very talented folks here.

And maybe the best part? That we can now look forward to Usagi's 50th anniversary, and the wonderful journey there!

Tinlantern · Post by **Tinlantern** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 12:57 -0700

Thank you for 25 years!

Thomas Froehling · Tue Jul 28, 2009 13:15 -0700

It's been a pleasure to contribute to the Triple Tribute Tome (couldn't resist the temptation of that alliteration

); and although I find my piece only a meager scribbling compared to other people's art, it's nice to see all the other pages.

Colin Solan · Post by **Colin Solan** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:25 -0700

Always great to see you, Stan! Glad you enjoyed the con!

chickrockguitar · Post by **chickrockguitar** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:53 -0700

Thank YOU Stan! Gald you had a good time.

bwbollom · Post by **bwbollom** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:56 -0700

It was great to see you at SDCC and I'm glad the Dojo gift turned out so well! I was so happy to hear about it and proud to be able to participate! Thank you, Stan, for providing us so much enjoyment with Usagi throughout the years! And thanks even more for being so kind and friendly to all of your fans!

Post by **Mayhem** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:35 -0700

It was something we could do to somehow show the immense thanks and gratitude towards the pleasure you've given us over the years with Usagi. Here's to the next 25 years

Post by **Todd Shogun** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 14:16 -0700

Stan you are welcome, and extremely deserving of the tributes and gifts you received at Comic-Con for your works and contributions over the past 25 years. Bravo!

A little side story/humor about the Dojo Award presentation at the end of the 25th Anniversary Panel... I had asked Stan to set aside about 10 min. or so months ago to do a "Dojo Contest" at the end of the panel. This of course was a ruse to more or less snatch up some time to present Stan his gift. I also scheduled the Dojo Photoshoot with Stan for just after the panel about a week or so before the con. I never reminded or even brought up the "Contest" thing (my bad). So a text message reminder about an hour or so before the panel started to Stan's cell was all I managed to do (I tend to get brain dead at Comic Con). Of course, Stan probably didn't get the text in time and we had to scramble at the end of the panel to pull it together. Fortunately it all worked out. Maka spent the morning rehearsing his speech, gave it successfully, Stan got his tribute books, and the Dojo photoshoot went off without a hitch. Ray's Albedo NR 2 cake was "icing on the cake" so to speak. And I agree with you Stan, it's a shame we couldn't all have a piece!

Dregory · Post by **Dregory** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 19:27 -0700

I joined the forum because I was so impressed with the panel. I loved that you brought a pad for sketching so that you could help illustrate points from the Q&A. There was a lot of great behind the scene stories as well.

Post by **Maka** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:57 -0700

Hello Stan and UY Dojoers,

I just got back from a two week camping trip with my family and in-laws to see the the Great Basin, Bryce Canyon, Great Canyon and Zion Canyon. It was the best camping trip of my adult life.

I've been following the message boards using my iPhone. But there are somethings a desktop computer just does better.

For example, replying to reply to this thread.

Stan, it was an honor to contribute something to your 25th anniversary gratitude gift. I'm glad you liked it.

For the dojo members who couldn't be there, here's the speech that introduced your gift to Stan at the 25th Anniversary Panel:

-----
Dear Stan,

Today, we celebrate your amazing accomplishment of writing, penciling, inking, lettering and producing Usagi through four different publishers in the past 2 and ½ decades.

In particular, those standing up now represent some of your fans who are part of the Usagiyojimbo.com message board community, called the Dojo, that Todd here created 13 years ago.

For those of you who don’t know the UY Dojo, you should join. Stan takes the time to welcome people, answer their questions and share parts of his life with his fans. For example, in May an eight-years-old fan posted some questions for a school project. In less than a day Stan wrote over 12 paragraphs of answers and offered to send him a poster to help his grade.

Stan, your respect for and openness to interact with your fans is a key reasons why the Usagi Yojimbo Dojo is the BEST comic message board on the internet.

The UY Dojo, UY Facebook Group, and other fans and professionals present this 25th anniversary gift to you. Your global fans, from South Africa to Australia, from Spain to San Francisco, from Germany to Canada, from France to Florida have put together these collective gratitude portfolios to you. From the six years old triplets to those nearing retirement, generations of fans have contributed over a hundred pages of gratitude. While not everyone could be here today to celebrate, we all wanted to thank you for enriching our lives with your tales of a master-less samurai rabbit.

You are one of the most disciplined, dedicated and creative professional storytellers of the past 25 years. The Japanese have a saying, “Time flies like an arrow.” These past 25 years of Usagi have flown by fast. Thank you for taking us on that journey with you. We look forward to what the future brings.

Now we say “Domo arigato gozaimasu, Sakai-san!!!” (and we all bowed in respect and to honor Stan).

-----

In case any of you missed it, most of the thank yous can be viewed on the 25th anniversary site: http://25yearsof.usagiyojimbo.com/

This really is the best comic message board on the internet. You are some of the most respectful and helpful folks on-line. Thanks for being so cool and I look forward the Usagi's 50th!

Peace, maka

P.S. Stan, Angela loved seeing your panel. She said, "I really like how your comic books are made. I think they are fascinating."

Stan Sakai · Post by **Stan Sakai** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 10:51 -0700

Thank you, Maka. I have to confess that I really did not hear what you said because I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of the Dojo when you all presented me with the books, and Ray and Julie gave me the cake. It is nice to have your speech on the record.

We used to love doing the Golden Circle tour of Utah (well part of it). That is such a beautiful area of the country. Did you do the South Rim, as well as the North Rim of the Grand Canyon? The South is more accessible, but the North Rim is so much grander. I was surprised in that the last time we had gone to Bryce, Juliet's Balcony had eroded away. But, that's how it is with that area. It's always changing. I'm glad you had a good time.

Fanfan · Post by **Fanfan** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 13:44 -0700

Thank you Stan for all.
What i would like to express is far beyond words...

And thank you Maka for what you did for us, Usagi fans from everywhere.

Domo arigato gozaimasu

Post by **Maka** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 14:13 -0700

Stan Sakai wrote:Thank you, Maka. I have to confess that I really did not hear what you said because I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of the Dojo when you all presented me with the books and Ray and Julie with the cake. It is nice to have your speech on the record.

You are welcome, Stan! I'm glad you get to see what I said.

Did you do the South Rim, as well as the North Rim of the Grand Canyon?

We did the North Rim. I was surprised that they have very few railings on the trails there. I have a little thing about heights. Add to that my daughters are still 7 & 10; my heart was beating pretty fast on the Grand Canyon trails.

Heart breaking was a 55 years old Glendora woman, Nancy Maltez, died on the Angel's Landing Hike in Zion the morning after Cheryl and her father did that SAME hike. She was with her husband and their three children (ages 14-20). So sad. I was so glad Cheryl and her father made it back alive.

It makes me realize how random life can be so I have to appreciate what I have while I have it.

Sorry for that tangent. But to loosely tie it together, one of the things I, and others, on this board appreciate, is your storytelling. Thanks again and Happy Silver Anniversary!

Peace, maka