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.
