How should I be building my Usagi collection?

[Ogami Itto]

Obviously there are pros and cons to having TBPs Vs. Single-Issues and I've resigned myself to the fact that my "complete" UY collection will probably consist of both. In fact, I know it will, because of that damn elusive Albedo #2 .

TPBs are cool because they're more durable, easier to read away from home, and I feel much more comfortable lending those out.

Single issues are cool because they're . . . well, they're just cool. They each have their own cover and they just feel right. That's how comics are supposed to be.

As of now, my collection consists of:

Ronin TPB (in the mail)
Fantagraphics UY #'s 1-13, 27*, & 29*
Mirage UY #'s 1, 8*, 12*, 13*, 14*
UY Color Special #2*
Albedo #4*
Dark Horse UY 1-3


Should I finish off the Fantagraphics as single issues and then start with the trades at the Mirage run (would result in several "duplicates")? Or maybe finish off the Fantagraphics and Mirage in single issues and start Dark Horse as trades? I want to eventually start keeping up with the new Dark Horse single issues as they are released, but I think it would cost a fortune and take forever to find them all. I'm already afraid my wife is going to start resenting the long-eared ronin.

The problem I'm having is that the issues are getting hard to find. No one really seems to have #'s 14-25 or so of the Fantagraphics books and the Mirage books are all hard to find and expensive when you find them.

Any advice? Thanks!


*Got them tonight at a used bookstore for $1 each and they're all in excellent condition

[Steve Hubbell]

There is no law that says you can only collect one format or the other, nor is there anything wrong with having stories in both formats.

As you know, the Mirage issues were published in color in comic form, but when they were reprinted in book form, the art was touched up for black and white printing.

The short stories "Hebi" and "Courage of the Plum" were reprinted in book #11 as "Snakes and Blossoms" with several all new pages of story to connect the two episodes.

When the story "Demon Mask" was reprinted, the book version had a portion of the artwork redrawn to correct an error in the depiction of the Go game in the story.

Those are just a couple of reasons why having both formats can be nice.

The books are easy to get and they make reading the series in sequence a lot easier than trying to buy the back issues in order. Not that the series needs to be read in sequence always, but some of the multi-issue epic stories like Grasscutter and Dragon's Bellow Conspiracy, it is preferrable.

Go ahead and buy the back issues as well, as you find them and as you can afford them. Look for good deals on ebay, the internet, and in the local comic shops. Avoid places like Mile High Comics which charge outrageous prices for poorly graded comics. Also, if you meet Stan at a convention or show, you can buy issues from him.

Oh, definitely buy the new issues as they come out, it is so much easier and cheaper than waiting until they back issues.

Abayo.....

PS,
Dark Horse reprinted the Mirage issues in book form, with stories from Mirage and Dark Horse collected together in several of the books.

[Ogami Itto]

Thanks for the reply. So the Mirage books are all collected in Dark Horse TPBs but they're published in Black and White? Also, they have extra stories? All of this is a little bit confusing.

By the way, what does abayo mean?

Thanks!

[Steve Hubbell]

Thanks for the reply. So the Mirage books are all collected in Dark Horse TPBs but they're published in Black and White? Also, they have extra stories? All of this is a little bit confusing.

By the way, what does abayo mean?

Thanks!

The Mirage full color stories were reprinted in Black and white in Books 8, 9, and part of 10 from Dark Horse. Books 1 - 7 are published by Fantagraphics. The fourth color special (from Dark Horse) was also reprinted in book form in black and white.

The books collect pretty much all the stories, even the ones which were published "elsewhere", like the two stories serialized in Dark Horse Extra, the stories from Dark Horse Presents and Dark Horse Maverick 2001, not to mention stories which originally appeared in Oni Double feature, More Fund Comics, Drawing the Line (being included in the new book, I believe), and Wizard Magazine.

There have been a few stories which have not been collected in the trade paperback books, mainly out of continuety stories, the watercolor painted stories, and stories which Stan shared credits on (Usagi's Ark, Usagi Yojimbo meets Patrick Rabbit, etc).

The story "Snakes and Blossoms" from Book 11 is the only story which I know of (for sure) which contains original story material (4 pages I belive) never published anywhere else, not counting corrections.

The Hardcover signed and numbered edition of Book 4 contained the watercolor painted story "Return to Adachgahara" which was an original story, but it is now also available in the new Art of Usagi Yojimbo coffee table book, along with "The Guardian" from the Trilogy Tour II comic from Cartoon Books.

As far as the definition of Abayo - according to the Sanseido's New Concise Japanese-English Dictionary, it means "so long", "cheerio", "bye bye". I am not sure but it might be concidered a bit less formal than Sayonara (Goodbye, farewell, etc). I picked it up from the forum here.

Abayo.....

[Ogami Itto]

Very helpful! Thank you.


Abayo