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.