Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #3 Review

 

Writer, Colorist & Letterer: David Petersen

Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez

Cover Artists: Gabriel Rodriguez, David Petersen & Matt Smith

Editors: David Mariotte & Bryce Carlson

Publisher: Boom!

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 18, 2025

 

After quarreling with his ghostly guide, Bardrick endures several years alone without another victory. To be sure, he slays many snakes. But Bardrick fails to kill the four remaining great serpents that menace Lockhaven. Nearly four years pass until Bardrick finds Skalaknute sleeping in his lair. After his second conquest, the ghostly Elk reappears. It leads Bardrick to Dødfare. This time, the small warrior with a big heart does not leave the battle unscathed.

 

After slaying three of the great snakes, Bardrick lies dying. How will Lockhaven fare in his absence? Or can Bardrick defy the venom flowing through his veins? Let’s grab our weapons, leap into Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #3, and see!

 

Story

Matriarch Siobhan and her captains dismissed Bardrick’s claims about the ghostly Elk. She refused to send a Guard captain or patrol leader to avenge Farrer’s family. But the Matriarch trained as a healer before she became responsible for her nation. In David Petersen’s story, the Matriarch must decide whether to aid the Guard she exiled.

 

Like the Matriarch, the Elk abandoned Bardrick after their quarrel. Instead of watching Bardrick provoke the snakes to ravage Lockhaven, the specter watched Farrer remarry and father more children. After rejoining Bardrick, the Elk told him he could relinquish the Black Axe after the former Guard killed Langtspyd. But in Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #3, Bardrick is dying. Even if he survives, he will never recover his former strength. So, the spirit must decide how best to defend Lockhaven from Langtspyd and Streikrask.

 

David Petersen’s story demonstrates how our roles change as we age. Bardrick must accept that he can no longer continue as before. The solitary soldier must also decide to abide by the Elk’s strategy or follow his inclinations. Yet Bardrick knows what his four years alone cost him and the toll his actions took on his beloved people.

 

Art

The Matriarch gazes up at the towering Elk from her castle balcony. The spirit glows with a pale blue light, while the Matriarch shines in her purple hat and robe of office. Yellow and orange creep through the grass as the Matriarch nears Dødfare’s corpse in Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #3. Beige smoke rises from a black and gray cauldron as she concocts a remedy in Bardrick’s hand-stitched beige and tan tent.

 

David Petersen lavishes a palette of subdued colors on this tale about accepting our limitations. While Bardrick has not recovered his former strength, Gabriel Rodriguez shows the former Guard captain undertake another journey. Adorned in his ragged cape, Bardrick still carries the weapon Farrer found too heavy to wield. He scrambles over rocks and paddles across a pond on an autumn leaf. After years of seeing how the serpents devastated communities, Bardrick beholds how his selfless service has benefitted Lockhaven.

 

David Petersen opens Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #3 with another medieval frontispiece. This time, snakes intertwine, but not as a caduceus or the Rod of Asclepius. The Black Axe lurks between lines of elaborate letters while a tiny mouse peers out at the reader. The Elk speaks words of wisdom into blue balloons while mice use beige balloons. Sound effects slither through the air as Bardrick makes another difficult decision on behalf of his people. Thanks to Boom! Studios and Archaia Entertainment for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Fighting for the values we believe in and the people we love can be an isolating experience. Sometimes, it may feel as though no one watches or cares about our struggles. But Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #3 reminds us that we are never alone. In our darkest moments, others may offer their aid if we're not too proud to let them.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2 Review

 

Writer, Colorist & Letterer: David Petersen

Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez

Cover Artists: Kevin Eastman & David Petersen; Gabriel Rodriguez; David Petersen

Editors: David Mariotte & Bryce Carlson

Publisher: Boom!

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 7, 2025

 

Bardrick enjoyed his life as a Guardmouse in Lockhaven. But he and his fellow guard captains never saw eye to eye. Nor did he agree with Matriarch Siobhan's defensive strategy to protect All That Is. Instead of safeguarding the merchants and field workers, Bardrick thought the Guardmice should seek out the snakes that enclose their lands.

 

When Blacksmith Farrer brought the Black Axe to Lockhaven, Bardrick exchanged one way of life for another. He left his home and pledged to eradicate the great snakes and their kin. The spirit of a dead elk helped him find Gammeltann. But after battling the great snake of the north, Bardrick and his guide parted company. Can Bardrick fulfill his ambitions without the ghostly elk’s help? Let’s grab our weapons, leap into Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2, and find out!

 

Story

The regions controlled by the snakes far outstrip All That Is. Those lands are far too vast to search. So Bardrick patrols the shrinking borders of All That Is. He engages in battles. He kills many offspring of the four great snakes. He even wounds them. Yet the great serpents always escape to fight another day. But then, they are not blind. And, after quarreling with the dead elk, Bardrick lacks a guide to lead him to the next sleeping serpent.

 

Bardrick may have left Lockhaven, but Matriarch Siobhan has not forgotten him. The Guardmouse she struck from the rolls has caused no end of trouble. Angered that a mouse killed one of their elders, all the snakes target all the mice in Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2. They attack the mice harvesting the fields. And they cut off supply routes, preventing convoys from delivering food to towns.

 

The years are not kind to Bardrick in David Petersen’s story. The exile travels alone, knowing many mice have died because of him. Bardrick wonders if, in swearing genocide on the snakes, he has signed the death warrant on Mousekind. Perhaps his fellow Guardmice were right about him. Or maybe Blacksmith Farrer created something evil when he poured his anger and loss into forging the Black Axe.

 

In Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2, Bardrick yearns for help. He misses the only person who aided his quest. He also doubts his abilities. But then, the great snakes dwarf Bardrick. And, unlike the exiled Guardmouse, Skalaknute, Streikrask, Dodfare, and Langtspyd have a vast network of agents to monitor the crusader’s movements.

 

Art

Gabriel Rodriguez shows snakes slithering through the grass like shark fins rising from the waves. In the barren fields, workers gather the harvest. The snakes wash through the workers like a tidal wave, overturning bags, barrels, and wagons. Little moves in their wake. In Lockhaven, Matriarch Siobhan confers with her Guardmice. While she still looks regal in her purple robes, a scar on the captain who called Farrer’s plea a fool’s errand glows.

 

In Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2, Bardrick strains to pull up his tattered russet-and-ivory tent. Yet the russet fabric looks faded, and the ivory sections have yellowed. The encroaching lavender-gray night awakens the lonely mouse's memories of the elk spirit. But when Bardrick hears movement and looks away from the yellow and orange campfire, he sees only a firefly, its bioluminescence ivory like the crescent moon.

 

David Petersen opens Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2 with a medieval frontispiece. The fire-breathing green snake, streaked with gold and maroon, crawls atop the similarly colored capital G. Large white letters locate us in space, and black, typed uppercase letters fill beige balloons and boxes. No sound effects accompany Bardrick as he battles green snakes amid brown leaves or as dark shadows against gray earth. Instead, punctuation marks convey hope, fright, and an existence stripped of meaning. Thanks to Boom! Studios and Archaia Entertainment for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Years pass while Bardrick searches for the great snakes in Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2. After achieving his first great victory, Bardrick wonders if he overestimated his abilities. The elk spirit warned Bardrick that it would not fight his battles for him. And the oversized axe, forged from all of Farrer’s sorrow and malice, weighs as heavily in Bardrick’s hands as it did in the Blacksmith’s.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1 Review

 

Writer, Colorist & Letterer: David Petersen

Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez

Cover Artists: David Petersen, Gabriel Rodriguez, Goñi Montes, Derek Laufman, Walter Simonson & David Petersen

Publisher: Boom!

Price: $4.99

Release Date: March 19, 2025

 

Farrer served the residents of Shorestone. He enjoyed a happy life with a loving family. Now, Farrer braves a storm, crossing All-That-Is to reach the castle at Lockhaven. As he pushes through the rain and wind, he drags a heavy burden tied and wrapped in cloth. Why has the blacksmith abandoned his town to visit the Mouse Guard keep? Let’s grab our weapons, leap into Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1, and find out!

 

Story

Farrer interrupts a meeting of the Mouse Guard with a tale of woe. He explains that a great snake and its kin have slain his wife and three daughters. The blacksmith poured his mourning into his craft, fashioning a new weapon to avenge his family. But the guards argue that his black axe is too heavy to wield effectively. Matriarch Siobhan explains that she can not spare any guard mice to champion his cause.

 

Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1 transpires in 915 AD. These are dark times for civilization, made all the darker by the snakes that enclose All-That-Is. The serpents’ continual incursions leave survivors like Farrer in mourning. Yet Matriarch Siobhan cares for her people as best she can. She assigns her captains to guard the workers when they harvest the fields. Siobhan also provides escorts for merchants transporting food and goods to towns like Shorestone.

 

In David Petersen’s story, one Guard Captain disagrees with the matriarch’s decision. But then, Bardrick already feels like he doesn’t belong in Lockhaven. The others are so focused on protecting the necessities that they have forgotten how to live. They only believe in what they can see, while Bardrick dares to believe in things he cannot prove. As they fail to understand what Farrer offers them, Bardrick accepts the gift they thoughtlessly reject. In so doing, Bardrick leaves his old life behind to embark on an adventure of discovery.

 

Art

While Ferrer braves the elements in a tunic and traveling cloak, the Guard Captains cover their chests in armor. They sit at a wooden table, illuminated by a candle and the nearby fireplace, and study a map of mouse-held territory. Gabriel Rodriguez shows tears fall from Bardrick’s eyes when Farrer kneels before them in Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1.

 

Among his fellow captains, Bardrick’s lowered hood rises higher toward his mouth. When Farrer leaves the room, Bardrick pursues the blacksmith down the dark halls supported by rings of voussoirs and roof bosses. Bardrick touches the metal ball at the end of the twisted metal handle. Then Bardrick kneels as Farrer lowers the axe onto the captain's shoulder with the inscribed blade pointing toward the ceiling.

 

David Petersen portrays the shadow that hangs over this land with muted browns, grays, and greens. Yellow and orange flames roar in fireplaces while candles burn in alcoves and make metal lanterns glow. The guards' armor and cloaks shine compared to Ferrer's gray cape and muted green and brown tunic. Matriarch Siobhan glows in her elegant purple, blue, and gold finery. When Bardrick embarks on his new mission, orange, peach, and brown threaten the dominance of the gray clouds.

 

While large white letters locate us in space, colored boxes fix events in time. Printed black text inhabits yellow and blue balloons. David Petersen opens Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1 with a frontispiece containing a symbol and colored lettering evoking illuminated manuscripts. Sound effects enhance a final battle as Bardrick struggles to wield the heavy weapon against an angry titan. Thanks to Boom! Studios and Archaia Entertainment for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Farrer forged the Black Axe through a desire for revenge. In Bardrick’s hands, it embodies the hope for a better future, one not ruled by their serpentine enemies. Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1 is about faith and sacrificing everything to protect the endangered and oppressed.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside and view more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #2 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Letterer: Stan Sakai

Colorist: Hi-Fi Colour Design

Cover Artists: Stan Sakai & Emi Fujii; Jared Cullum; David Petersen

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 8, 2024

 

Yukichi wanders the streets. As bounty hunters mix with the locals, Yukichi’s thoughts dwell on Gen and Stray Dog. The young samurai wishes he hadn’t reprimanded them for pursuing a fugitive for money. Then again, Yukichi wishes he hadn’t helped Jimmu escape justice. Perhaps he should help Usagi’s friends capture Jimmu. But as Yukichi returns to Usagi and his cousin’s friends, he hears a cry for help. Will he aid a local beset by bandits? Or will Yukichi interfere with bounty hunters apprehending a criminal again? Let's grab our katanas, charge into Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #2 and find out!

 

Story

Yukichi finds a boy clutching his leg in the alley. Yet when he kneels to help, Yukichi sees no irritation or swelling. The boy throws mud in Yukichi’s face. People rush toward Yukichi. As Yukichi wipes his face, he recognizes the bounty hunters who tried to apprehend Jimmu in the woods.

 

Yukichi and Usagi drove the bounty hunters off in the woods by bonking them with sheathed swords. But in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #2, Yukichi is alone, and it’s six against one. So Yukichi draws his sword and charges his attackers.

 

Usagi grows worried about his cousin. Yet when he rises, his friends counsel patience. Yukichi is a better-trained warrior than any of the bounty hunters in town. His cousin can take care of himself. Besides, Usagi has a more pressing problem. Yukichi has volunteered to pay for Gen and Stray Dog's meal. But the bounty hunters twisted his words and told the innkeeper the samurai would pay for all their expenses. After years on the road, living hand-to-mouth, Usagi knows how difficult it can be to fill your purse. But now Gen and Stray Dog expect the samurai to pay for a week's room and board!

 

In Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #2, Stan Sakai focuses on what it means to be a samurai. Usagi and Yukichi’s code teaches them to do their best and live in the moment. Gen, who grew up in poverty, watching his mother die and his father scrapes by, has a cynical view of the world. Stray Dog may not mooch off others like Gen, but neither does he exhibit Usagi and Yukichi’s joy of living.

 

As Usagi admitted in the previous issue, Yukichi grew up in a sword school. He's new to life on the road. It’s easy for his cousin to look down on others who have watered down their principles. Sadly, Yukichi's inexperience will lead him into trouble in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #2. Pride cometh before the fall may not be a Japanese saying or a Bushido precept. Still, it is an essential truth of human nature. Gen and Stray Dog may be willing to overlook Yukichi’s contemptuous remarks. Unfortunately, the bounty hunters in the alley, whom the young samurai deprived of their prize, may prove less forgiving.

 

 

 

Art

A crow’s eye view reveals the scope of this village near the mountains. Locals and bounty hunters fill the dirt streets while boats ply the river flowing through town. Yukichi looks down as he walks, like so many around him. Tokage scamper past drunks slumped in alleys and a beggar kneeling before his bowl. Only when the young samurai reconciles a means to help Usagi and his friends without sacrificing his principles does he look up, and his usual alertness returns.

 

Stan Sakai populates Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #2 with a heavyset bully, a mischievous urchin, and an older samurai with a scarred face. Gen smothers the pain of his upbringing with endless plates of food and bowls of saké. Gen’s partnership with Stray Dog evokes Bebop and Rocksteady’s brotherhood. Perhaps an abandoned temple outside the village converted to another purpose stokes Yukichi’s ire.

 

Hi-Fi Colour Design lavishes a loaded palette on Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #2, as colorful roofs and clothing contrast with dirt streets and wooden buildings. The innkeeper and patrons spark life into the inn's browns, beiges, and grays. Puddles in the street reveal shading, highlights, and the ground beneath. As the nearby fields and forests exude a pastoral beauty, red suffuses a panel background in response to a brutal act.

 

Stan Sakai rewards readers with generously sized letters in white dialogue balloons. A giant shout swiftly becomes an ellipse and a colored exclamation mark, while a Pow and a skull follow a street scuffle. A Crack near the end incites horror. Yet this story of honor vying with pragmatism ends with a sigh.

 

Thanks to Dark Horse for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Yukichi’s lighthearted innocence has buoyed Usagi's lonesome journey. But a senseless attack on another samurai's honor could prove his undoing in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #2.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #1 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Letterer: Stan Sakai

Colorist: Hi-Fi Colour Design

Cover Artists: Stan Sakai & Emi Fujii; Jared Cullum; David Petersen

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 3, 2024

 

Usagi and Yokichi have left the mountains. They survived their battles with freezing temperatures and supernatural monsters. What terrors might they face next? Let's grab our katanas, charge into Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #1 and find out!

 

Story

Lowland warmth rejuvenates Usagi and Yokichi. The travelers gladly exchange their boots for sandals. They luxuriate on the grass, soaking in the sun's rays. A stranger rides along the dirt road and pauses to warn them not to stick around before riding away. Unsettled, Usagi and his cousin resume their journey.

 

Yokichi notices a crow circling. He hears metal striking metal. When he and Usagi enter a stand of trees, they see four people attacking someone. Like Conan, Usagi and Yokichi throw caution to the wind and aid the underdog. The crow also intervenes with its beak and claws. The crow attacks from above, and samurai strikes from the rear prove too much for the fiends, and they hurry away.

 

The warrior they save thanks them and introduces his pet as Yatagarasu. Trained crows are rare, and Usagi and Yokichi are impressed. The traveler thanks them for their assistance and directs them toward the nearest village as he heads in the opposite direction. Yet when Usagi and Yokichi reach this hub of civilization, the people they pass in the street make the wanderers uneasy.

 

Usagi and Yokichi enter a restaurant to discover the four who attacked their friend in the woods. Yokichi’s lack of prudence puts him and Usagi at a disadvantage. Still, as they replenish their bodies and learn why the town is crowded, Usagi and Yokichi discover an intriguing link between the rescuee and an ancient Japanese emperor.

 

In Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #1, the first installment in Stan Sakai's new five-issue miniseries, Usagi and Yokichi’s good deed could return to haunt them.

 

 

 

Art

Usagi and Yokichi sit on a stone wall as someone arrives on a horse. Flies buzz around the stranger as he warns the travelers not to stick around. Yokichi holds his hand over his eyes when he spies the crow. Usagi grabs his sword when he hears metal striking metal. Stan Sakai fills panels with up to four people fighting in these intense action scenes. The traveler smiles as his pet alights on his shoulder. He smiles and bows to the rabbit warriors as they part.

 

Usagi and Yokichi arrive in a town filled with two-story structures. People in the streets frown. Others sit on the ground or recline on the upper-story balcony. Many of them grasp sake jars. Flies circle one swordsman who walks with a tilted head. A panel in the restaurant captures a tense moment as the attackers from the woods rise from their table to meet Usagi and Yokichi.

 

Hi-Fi Colour Design brings bright colors to Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #1. A full palette of pleasing colors reveals highlights and shadows. The overall effect welcomes readers into this intriguing new story.

 

Stan Sakai fills white dialogue balloons with generously sized letters, colored question marks, and exclamation marks. He captures the crow’s utterances in blue balloons. A few sound effects enliven the swordfight as the dialogue captures the combatants' emotions.

 

Thanks to Dark Horse for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #1 ponders the dangers of helping strangers without knowing all the facts, shows how the necessities of life drive people into moral gray areas, and introduces a character linked with a revered historical personage.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

Usagi Yojimbo: Ice & Snow #5 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Letterer: Stan Sakai

Colorist: Hi-Fi Colour Design

Cover Artists: Stan Sakai & Emi Fujii; Jared Cullum; David Petersen

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: February 14, 2024

 

Jei and the bandits attacked Usagi and Yokichi while crossing a frozen river. Usagi and his cousin survived weakened and frozen. Trekking through the snow, they stumble upon a village. Will they find friends or adversaries there? Let's grab our katanas, charge into Usagi Yojimbo: Ice & Snow #5 and find out!

 

Story

The farmers planted their crops, but the rains came late. Heavy snowfall killed much of what grew. In their hut, a couple kneels before the cookfire, grumbling that their diet is limited to barley gruel and whatever starving tokage they can find. If only the lizards tasted better than the disgusting gruel. Sorry farmers! You can't always get what you want!

 

Karma throws them a curveball when two samurai arrive on their doorstep. "Gimme Shelter," Usagi cries while Yokichi asks for food. “We have some delicious gruel,” the farmer replies. Stan Sakai opens Usagi Yojimbo: Ice And Snow #5 like he began the first chapter of this story arc. Usagi and his cousin arrive hungry, tired, and cold, hoping to spend the night in a stranger's hut. They have another encounter with the bandits they fought in the first and fourth issues. As Sakai closes his Ice And Snow story arc, these sword-wielding rolling stones discover more supernatural beings in the cold, remote mountains. But then, you’ve got to have sympathy for the devils! After all, Yokai must live somewhere!

 

Usagi and his cousin are kindhearted and share many similarities. Yet Usagi showed more concern for the woodcutter couple in the first issue. In Usagi Yojimbo: Ice and Snow #5, Usagi is more willing to believe that criminals can reform than Yokichi. Stan Sakai's story also addresses radical changes in behavior. Doctors, psychiatrists, and scientists explain and treat behaviors that people like Usagi and Yokichi once ascribed to supernatural phenomena like Yokai.

 

This issue lacks the weird charm of Keiko playing her flute, unaffected by the violence around her. I missed the way Jei tilted his head and smiled in a Joker-esque way as he dispatched opponents with delight. This issue feels more like a tragedy as the travelers discover the village's terrible secret. The ending suggests that Usagi and Yokichi’s paths may diverge soon. If so, I’ll miss Usagi’s younger cousin. But then, Usagi is a ronin, fated to live his life as a wanderer. And while a hero may walk in the company of others from time to time, their journeys are often more solitary than not.

 

 

 

Art

The farmers look old and infirm. Their expressions are pained, and the husband walks with care, his head tilted to the side as he approaches the door. Usagi and Yokichi look worse. They hunch, eyes barely open, like scouts using their last ounce of strength to report an invading army to their leaders. Elder Hatatake clutches a staff in both hands as he walks. Yet he leaps back when Usagi demonstrates that a samurai is always at readiness, even when asleep.

 

Stan Sakai reveals the bandits’ mean streak when alone. But their eyes widen, and they nearly drop their bowls of gruel when Usagi and Yokichi appear. Their actions seem sedate compared with the farmers after the moon rises over the nearby mountains. The farmers grunt and growl. Their infirmities melt away as they bare their teeth and extend their claws.

 

Hi-Fi Colour Design's vibrant colors give Usagi Yojimbo: Ice & Snow #5 a modern appeal. The shading and highlights have a soft, smoky look akin to airbrushing. People and objects in shadow often look gray, while the snow ebbs between white and blue. Yet when night falls, the air surrounding the farmers burns yellow and orange and glows neon pink and purple.

 

Stan Sakai fills balloons with large, black, uppercase dialogue that grows bold or swells but never shrinks. He often reveals emotions with symbols like questions or exclamation marks. Skulls in cloudy balloons proclaim that A Murder Is Announced. In this village where everyone knows your name, and no one (not even the postman) knocks once, let alone twice, a creaking door announces the entry of a friend, neighbor, or elder.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Weakened and near death, Usagi and Yokichi place their lives in the care of a village with a terrible secret that evokes Ted Nugent's signature song in Usagi Yojimbo: Ice & Snow #5.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

Usagi Yojimbo: Ice & Snow #4 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Letterer: Stan Sakai

Colorist: Hi-Fi Colour Design

Cover Artists: Stan Sakai & Emi Fujii; Jared Cullum; David Petersen

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 10, 2024

 

Jei wants to kill Usagi. His hungry and cold robbers dream of stealing Usagi's gold. Keiko, his adoptive niece, loves playing her flute. Can the party find the traveling Ronin before they freeze to death in the snowy winter? Let's charge into Usagi Yojimbo: Ice & Snow #4 and find out!

 

Story

The thieves are cold, hungry, and tired. Jei’s long ears pick up their grumbling. The thieves wonder why Jei dragged them from their warm den on a cold night to kill a wandering samurai. But Jei is on a mission. He intends to rid the world of evildoers. From his perspective, Usagi falls into that category. While others might disagree, Usagi has outlived his lord, and a samurai’s sole purpose is to serve his master.

 

Yuki-Onna mentioned she battled Usagi and Yokichi in her hut. Keiko mused it must be cold in the Yokai's hut. Jei, his adoptive niece, and the thieves trudge toward a pillar of smoke on the horizon in Usagi Yojimbo: Ice & Snow #4. The wolf and the young cat hope to find the rabbits warming the home of the Lady Of The Snows.

 

While the Yokai killed several of Jei’s thieves, Usagi attacked Yuki-Onna before the demon could drain his cousin's life force. Yokichi has recovered enough strength to worry about Usagi, who burned his thick coat of oiled straw amid the struggle. Yet when they hear Keiko’s flute, the samurai deduce that she and Jei are nearby. Flinging off his sleeping mat, Usagi races through the snow-covered forest, anxious to put distance between them and Jei.

 

A frozen river impedes Usagi and Yokichi’s flight in Usagi Yojimbo: Ice & Snow #4. Can they pass it safely and escape Jei’s judgment? Or will the bandits overwhelm them while traversing the thin ice?

 

Jei’s certainty that he pursues a sacred mission makes him impervious to influence. His utter disregard for the thieves reveals how little he regards others. The bandits’ earlier horror at Jei killing and eating a tokage—the cute dino-lizards many keep as pets—reveals how Jei's fanaticism has separated him from others.

 

Keiko's joy in playing her flute evokes our modern fascination with cell phones and social media. Lost in another world, Keiko trusts Jei’s decisions. Nor does she flinch when he kills anyone who disagrees with him. Perhaps Jei accepts her company and provides for her needs because Keiko rarely questions his actions or mission. Yet her contentment with life amid their travels--and her love of music--appeal.

 

 

 

The thieves occupy the lowest rung of society, yet we can relate to their frustrations with Jei in Usagi Yojimbo: Ice & Snow #4. Their sitcom-worthy banter adds interest to their hunt for the rich Ronin and lessens Jei’s single-minded intensity. Yet when they spot Usagi and Yokichi, the robbers burst into action. What they lack in training, they make up for in numbers.

 

Adding danger to the hunt is Usagi’s weakened state. While Yokichi recovers from the yokai’s attack, Usagi suffers from the cold. His fright shows how much he fears Jei. Their battle on the ice reveals Jei’s belief in his mission as he utters dialogue seemingly taken from Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan.

 

Art

The black blade protruding from Jei’s wooden spear matches his robe and perhaps his heart. While Keiko calls him Uncle, the wolf’s pupil-less eyes, sharp teeth, and long ears suggest no girl would ever mistake him for her grandmother. The robbers—dogs, bears, and perhaps cats—provide comical and quizzical expressions. Although they can summon battle lust and channel anger, both quickly give way to fright. Keiko closes her eyes when she plays her flute, even while walking. Yet the cat lowers her instrument and gazes at any developments that interest her.

 

Wrapped in his sleeping matt, Usagi looks thinner than Yokichi in his thick straw coat. When his cousin expresses concern, Usagi's eyes swell as he smiles and shrugs off adversity. When they realize Jei is in the neighborhood, Usagi’s eyes narrow, his long ears fall behind him, and he summons long strides through the snow-covered trees. The battle on the frozen river evokes Thorin and the dwarves’ final battle in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The rabbits may not battle Orcs, yet Yokichi’s fight with the thieves and Usagi's clash with Jei provide ample spectacle.

 

 

 

Hi-Fi Colour Design's vibrant colors imbue Usagi Yojimbo: Ice & Snow #4 with interest. The appealing choices provide excellent contrast. Highlighting and shading add depth and command the reader's interest, just as Yuki-Onna summoned Usagi to her hut.

 

The lettering in Stan Sakai's hand-drawn balloons remains the largest in the industry. Jei’s balloons resemble the cloudy ones Keiko's music produces. Can you hear the wolf's musical (or hypnotic) voice? Sound effects are often less noticeable than shouts, yet an eye-catching "Sploosh" announces that a thief has just fallen through the thin ice of the frozen river.

 

Final Thoughts

After surviving an attacking winter demon, Usagi and Yokichi flee a fanatical fiend and his band of thieves who want Usagi’s head on his spear in Usagi Yojimbo: Ice & Snow #4.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

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