Space Usagi: Death And Honor #2 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: January 17, 2023

 

Alert! Shirohoshi Castle has fallen! Lord Hideaki is dead! The Kajitori Empire has triumphed over the Shirohoshi Clan! Can Commander Usagi escape with Prince Kiyoshi and ally with the Mino Clan? Let's leap into Space Usagi: Death And Honor #2 and find out!

 

Story

Usagi wants to escape the battle. Still, when Prince Kiyoshi requests he aid a Shirohoshi cruiser, Usagi defends the beleaguered vessel. His actions put them at a disadvantage when they go to warp. Emerging at the outskirts of the Mino system, Usagi plans to send an S.O.S. Instead, he receives a plea for help from a Mino Clan vessel!

 

Lord Hideaki criticized how Lord Matabe withheld his forces in the last Kajitori attack. Now Lord Matabe rules Shirohoshi Castle in Space Usagi: Death And Honor #2. He hoped to capture Lord Hideaki. Instead, Lord Hideaki committed suicide rather than become his hostage. Matabe hoped to access the clan's treasure vault and strategic battle files. Instead, when Admiral Niiro arrives, Kajitory technicians find no record of either.

 

Usagi and Matabe’s world revolves around honor. Usagi remains loyal to his clan even though his patron is dead. Usagi wants to uphold Lord Hideaki's wishes, even if Prince Kiyoshi proves reluctant. By contrast, Matabe switched loyalties to gain money and power. Lord Hideaki shamed him, so Matabe intended to shame his former lord. But Lord Hideaki anticipated his treachery. Outwitted, Matabe loses face with Admiral Niiro and hands the Kajitori Empire a hollow victory.

 

In Space Usagi: Death And Honor #2, Usagi’s ancestors left Earth to inhabit the stars. Yet warmongers and opportunists will always cause trouble, and only love and loyalty can preserve civilization. Usagi sacrifices for his fallen lord and Prince Kiyoshi. Even minor infractions—committed in a moment of weakness—bother Usagi. Matabe’s treachery left Usagi little to show for his life of service. Yet in Stan Sakai’s story, Usagi gains others’ respect. Perhaps they can help him rebuild the Shirohoshi Clan.

 

 

 

Art

Animal officers and Kajitori ninja control the orbiting Shirohoshi castle. Fighters fire lasers in dogfights among the stars. The Kajitory boasts Shark-shaped cruisers, while the Shirohoshi clan uses turtle-shaped dreadnaughts. A Psytech sweeps gracefully between the armored samurai. When she touches Jiro, his eyes draw closer. When Usagi’s fighter reaches the Mino system, the ship is a blaze of light. As he pilots the ship through the atmosphere, Usagi's eyes swell when he spies a dinosaur. After landing, Usagi turns away as the prince disembarks via a hoverboard. Usagi stalks from their craft. Yet Usagi halts in his tracks, and his jaw drops when a gun-toting stranger appears.

 

Emi Fujii’s rich coloring makes you forget that Space Usagi: Death And Honor #2 originally came out in Black & White. Caught up in the textured blue interior of Shirohoshi Castle, you don't notice the lines and crosshatching or the lines beneath the ninjas' feet. As Admiral Niiro strides down the corridor, Sakai’s rippled lines on the green floor look more like reflections captured on the surface of a lake or river. Yet it’s in space where Fujii’s talent invokes the most awe. A haze of white surrounds a planet, suggesting a dissipating atmosphere. Colors fill the void, contrasting with spaceships and Shirohoshi castle while enlivening space battles with laser barrages and explosions.

 

Large uppercase lettering adorns Space Usagi: Death And Honor #2. Bold letters suggest intonation and larger or colored words indicate increased volume. Sakai renders fright with a giant yellow exclamation mark atop a red question mark. Yet Prince Kiyoshi's shrunk and bold dialogue prompts Usagi to abandon prudence. He gives in to the prince, even if doing so goes against his lord’s instructions.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

After escaping Lord Matabe’s clutches, Commander Usagi battles his code of honor, loyalty to Lord Hideaki, and reverence for propriety while protecting Prince Kiyoshi in the futuristic yet prehistoric Space Usagi: Death And Honor #2.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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