by CECELIA GOODNOW (SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, OCTOBER 3, 2005)
Long before the invasion of manga, cartoonist Stan Sakai was wooing American readers with Usagi Yojimbo, his epic series about a rabbit ronin, or masterless samurai, in 17th-century Japan.
The long-eared character, whose name means "rabbit bodyguard," stars in one of the most popular comics collections at the Seattle Public Library, which hopes teenage fans will come to hear Sakai at library appearances this week.
"He's one of the pre-eminent creators" on the comics scene today, said Chance Hunt, the library's youth-services coordinator.
Since 1984, when Usagi (pronounced Ooh-SOGGY) debuted in Seattle, the series has developed a following throughout much of the world -- though, oddly, not in Japan.
"It's translated into about a dozen languages," the affable Sakai, a Japanese American, said from his home in Pasadena, Calif., "but there has never been an American comic book that has made a dent in the Japanese market."
He added that while Japan has the world's biggest comics market, "the percentage of stories based on feudal Japan is not that great."
Japan's indifference to Usagi may seem odd, especially given Sakai's heritage -- he was born in Kyoto and grew up in Hawaii. Despite its Japanese setting and martial-arts theme, though, Usagi Yojimbo isn't manga, a word that literally means "comics" but has come to connote a specific, Japanese style. Rather, Usagi follows the stylistic and storytelling conventions of American comics.
What's the difference? Comics aficionados note that manga characters often are drawn with big hair, oversize eyes and exaggerated emotions. But there are subtler distinctions.
"It's like what the Supreme Court says about pornography: I can't define it," Sakai joked, "but I know it when I see it. It's more the pacing of a story. You know how a story has a beginning, middle and end? (Manga) tend to concentrate more on the middle, and sometimes the end is non-existent, almost."
Sakai, 52, grew up in the assembly-line tradition of comic books, in which a comic is farmed out to various artists for penciling, inking, lettering and coloring. Sakai still does the lettering for the "Spider-man" newspaper strip.
But when it comes to his own Usagi Yojimbo, he's a virtual one-man band.
"I do everything myself except coloring for the covers," said Sakai, who owns his characters and retains artistic control.
The birth of Usagi coincided with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles craze of the mid-'80s, and a lot of cross-pollination occurred between the two comics. Usagi even appeared on the original "Turtles" animated series and was a Commodore 64 game character.
"That's how far back it goes," Sakai said with a chuckle.
But his character draws from a far more ancient past.
"I enjoyed watching samurai movies," Sakai said, "and I wanted to do a series based on a 17th-century samurai, Miyamoto Musasha."
One day, as he pondered the concept, Sakai took out his sketchpad and fancifully drew the warrior as a rabbit, with ears done up in a samurai topknot. The image resonated, and Usagi was born.
Twenty-one years later, the character is still going strong, with a supporting cast that includes both historic and imaginary characters -- all set in a feudal milieu that Sakai rigorously researches. For instance, his Tomoe Ame, a female cat character, is based on the real-life Tomoe Gozen, a 12th-century woman warrior. "Most of my female characters tend to be very strong characters," Sakai said.
Usagi has starred in nearly 140 comics and 19 graphic-novel collections, and counting.
"It's just incredibly well done," said Eric Reynolds at Seattle's Fantagraphics, who calls it "one of the more successful alternative comics properties of the last 20 years."
Now published by Dark Horse, Usagi Yojimbo first appeared in "Albedo Anthropomorphics," an anthology published by Seattleite Steve Gallacci. It was quickly picked up by Kim Thompson at Fantagraphics, which still owns the first seven titles. Sakai later moved to Mirage, which still publishes the "Ninja Turtles."
Widely regarded as one of the nicest guys in the comics field, Sakai has won numerous awards -- including three Will Eisners (a major comics award named for the father of the graphic novel), plus a National Cartoonists Society award and an American Library Association award.
His sophisticated, anthropomorphic ronin appeals to the late-teen/twentysomething market and to younger kids -- and he continues to evolve. Older and wiser, Usagi now tries harder to avoid conflict amid the tumult of his feudal, cartoon world.
"He's matured as a warrior and a person," Sakai said. He added, a smile in his voice, "I've matured, too."
Stan Sakai's epic Usagi Yojimbo series debuted in Seattle in 1984, and since has gained a following around the world -- except in Japan.