One for One

[Stan Sakai]

Dark Horse will be doing a new promotion called "1 for 1". Basically they will reprint the first issue of a few series, and price them at $1. Usagi will be taking part in this. DH UY #1, Noodles, for a dollar.

I would have preferred a done-in-one story, but that does not fit in with the promotion parameters. However, it is a good story. It was nominated for an Eisner and won a Haxtur Award. The interiors will be the same, but DH did commission a new cover. I did a new painting for this one--ink and watercolor, as usual.

I think this comes out in the summer. You can't miss it. There should be a lot of promotion promoting this promotion.

[shaxper]

GREAT story; one well worth repeating.

It is too bad that they couldn't reprint both parts of the story, though. Perhaps that will pique new readers' interests and make them hungrier for more, though? After all, in a sense, Usagi's world is always "to be continued..."

[Silent Phantom]

Even though I have the first print, I'll definitely be being picking this up when it comes out.

[goandal]

How can you tell if it's a first print or reprint of UY #1?

I'll be looking out for the 1 of 1 issue, thanks for the heads up Stan!

[Stan Sakai]

How can you tell if it's a first print or reprint of UY #1?

The 1for1 issue will have a new cover. The original DH #1 has Usagi facing some unseen adversary at the top of some stone steps. The reprint will have him fighting 3 guys in the forest.

The reprint of the Fantagraphics #1 has a darker orange background color.

[rs2]

How can you tell if it's a first print or reprint of UY #1?

cover and price. Usagi #1 was $2.95 or $2.50 I think, and as Stan said "I did a new painting for this one--ink and watercolor, as usual." and I must admit, I'm almost tempted by cover alone...

which raises an interesting point. will there ever be a collection of Usagi covers, Stan? if possible, based on Vertigo's Preacher: The Collected Covers, in which the right hand page was Fabry's painted piece, and the left thumbnails, commentary, etc?

edit: beaten to it by Stan. no bad thing, I think.

[Stan Sakai]

which raises an interesting point. will there ever be a collection of Usagi covers, Stan? if possible, based on Vertigo's Preacher: The Collected Covers, in which the right hand page was Fabry's painted piece, and the left thumbnails, commentary, etc?

I don't think there is enough of a demand to warrant a color Covers Collection. Besides, I usually do not do cover thumbnails or other prep work. The covers are reprinted, though in black and white, in the trades.

[goandal]

Interesting.

[MikeM]

I love these promos. I am glad Darkhorse is doing it. I have picked up a tonne of DC's that they have done. Planetary, Tom Strong, Vertigo Crime (not the same thing but very cool), Fables.
I plan on buying a bunch of the Usagi ones and giving them away to my nephews and young cousins, plus keeping a few for myself.

[shaxper]

The 1for1 issue will have a new cover. The original DH #1 has Usagi facing some unseen adversary at the top of some stone steps. The reprint will have him fighting 3 guys in the forest.

If there's a new cover, then I most certainly need to own it. Thanks for the head's up!

The reprint of the Fantagraphics #1 has a darker orange background color.

What reprint? Is that part of the 1for1 promotion, too?

[Stan Sakai]

The reprint of the Fantagraphics #1 has a darker orange background color.

What reprint? Is that part of the 1for1 promotion, too?

No, it is not. I'm just pointing out that Fantagraphics UY 1 was reprinted, and this is an easy way to differentiate the two printings.

[rs2]

I don't think there is enough of a demand to warrant a color Covers Collection. Besides, I usually do not do cover thumbnails or other prep work. The covers are reprinted, though in black and white, in the trades.

if I can respectfully disagree...
Yokai has whetted my appetite for more colour Usagi, I'm afraid.

although why this is a bad thing, I've no idea (time to re-read my Mirage run and Return to Adachihara methinks!)

[shaxper]

(time to re-read my Mirage run and Return to Adachihara methinks!)

The Mirage run and Return to Adachihara/Yokai really aren't comparable. Return and Yokai were painstakingly done in water color, which yielded stunning results both times. The Mirage run wasn't the same level of artistic feat. It was nice to see Usagi in color, but it just wasn't the same.

Personally, I prefer the B&W issues to the Mirage colored ones because Stan's line work and shadowing stand out so much more without color.

Of course, to get back to your original point, yes the covers are certainly desirable in color since that's how they were drawn to appear.

[rs2]

(time to re-read my Mirage run and Return to Adachihara methinks!)

The Mirage run and Return to Adachihara/Yokai really aren't comparable. Return and Yokai were painstakingly done in water color, which yielded stunning results both times. The Mirage run wasn't the same level of artistic feat. It was nice to see Usagi in color, but it just wasn't the same.

Personally, I prefer the B&W issues to the Mirage colored ones because Stan's line work and shadowing stand out so much more without color.

Of course, to get back to your original point, yes the covers are certainly desirable in color since that's how they were drawn to appear.

true, but I'm hardly going to read Return to Adachihara and then go "hmmm... that's me."
while yes, Yokai raised the bar for colour Usagi in spectacular fashion, I think that you're not giving the Mirage run it's due.
then again, that's just my 1.3p (at current exchange rates)

[Angilasman]

Oh, neat. I wonder what other series will get this treatment.