Space Usagi: Death And Honor #1 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Letterer: Stan Sakai

Colorist: Emi Fujii

Cover Artists: Sweeny Boo, Agnes Garbowska & Jennifer L. Meyer

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: December 13, 2023

 

Alert! Scramble all fighters! The Kajitori Empire has launched a scathing attack upon the Shirohoshi Clan!

 

As Commander Usagi’s fighters defend Shirohoshi Castle, two Kajitori ships break through their forces and speed toward the orbital castle. Can Commander Usagi deflect the Kamikaze attack and turn back the enemy fleet? Let's leap into Space Usagi: Death And Honor #1 and find out!

 

Story

Commander Usagi suffers painful losses as he marshals the Shirohoshi forces and deflects the Kajitory armada. It's a victory tinged with sadness, as one kamikaze ship struck the castle's launch bay, injuring and killing the flight crews. If only Lord Matabe had not held back the third fleet so long! Lord Hideaki praises Commander Usagi and chastises Lord Matabe. Lord Hideaki’s briefing nearly ends in tragedy, thanks to a Kajitory assassin. The attack affirms Lord Hideaki's belief that the Shirohoshi clan needs help fending off the Kajitory Empire.

 

Lord Hideaki has a plan. He will ally with the neighboring Mino Clan. Lord Hideaki charges Commander Usagi with training and guarding Prince Kiyoshi. Once negotiations are complete, his son will marry the Mino clan’s Princess Masayo. Prince Kiyoshi’s wishes are irrelevant, as this political marriage will safeguard the clan from the powerful, expanding empire.

 

In Space Usagi: Death And Honor #1, Stan Sakai melds space opera with feudal Japanese history to craft an entertaining and exciting story. While Lord Hideaki’s actions seem callous, he makes decisions for the good of the clan. Commander Usagi also makes sacrifices. Each warrior regrets the potential cost to Prince Kiyoshi’s happiness. Yet honor remains preeminent to each leader. Young Kiyoshi must learn this lesson, as he will one day lead the Shirohoshi clan. 

 

 

 

Art

Lasers streak through space, damaging tri-winged fighters and ending lives. A Japanese castle perches on an asteroid bolstered by metal appendages. Giant turtle-shaped dreadnaughts transport armies through the vast reaches of space. Thrusters fire when Commander Usagi reaches the landing bay. He removes his helmet, adorned with a crescent moon, and disembarks via an artificial gravity disc. Along with other warriors, he kneels before Lord Hideaki and Prince Kiyoshi. The wall behind the clan leader and his son bears their emblem: three dots within a circle. 

 

Emi Fujii imbues Stan Sakai’s hand-drawn art with a hand-painted appeal in Space Usagi: Death And Honor #1. Inked lines show shadows and color variations provide texture. Swirls of light suggest a nebula, while splatters of orange tinged with red and speckled with yellow portray explosions. Brightly colored clothing contrasts with grey and wooden interior walls. Yet ninjas wear only black and gray.

 

Large uppercase lettering honors readers' eyes in Space Usagi: Death And Honor #1. When the prince hears his father's declaration, a giant question mark appears within a white dialogue balloon overlaid by an exclamation mark. Energetic sound effects convey pulsing cannons, the scream of a kamikaze dive, and Commander Usagi’s cry as he unsheathes his sword and charges toward his lord.

 

Final Thoughts

When armies battle to control the cosmos, a young man must surrender his future to safeguard the present. Amid battles, bargains, and betrayals, Space Usagi: Death And Honor #1 asks which is better: to lead or to serve?

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.