Groo: Minstrel Melodies #3 Review

 

Writers: Sergio Aragonés & Mark Evanier

Illustrator: Sergio Aragonés

Colorist: Carrie Strachan

Letterer: Stan Sakai

Cover Artist: Sergio Aragonés

Editors: Philip R Simon & Rose Weitz

Designer: May Hijikuro

Digital Art Technician: Adam Pruett

Prepress: Darby McCann

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: $4.99

Release Date: November 13, 2024

 

The minstrel regaled customers in the inn with tales of Groo’s kindness to orphans. As they left Boyce, his daughter requested he tell his ode about the teachers next. So, when he and Kayli discover people seated in an Amphitheater, the minstrel offers to entertain them until the scheduled guest arrives. Will the audience welcome a song about the minstrel's favorite wandering barbarian? Let's tune up our lutes, leap into Groo: Minstrel Melodies #3, and find out!

 

Story

The crowd tells the minstrel that they await a great teacher. Yet when the minstrel tells them about Groo’s adventures in teaching, they jeer. Undaunted, he mentions a teacher once tried to teach Groo how to read and write. Like the minstrel, Abecedario doesn’t give up when Groo fails to progress. But then, Groo is so amiable. What could be more pleasant than devoting his final years to helping the wandering barbarian?

 

In Groo: Minstrel Melodies #3, our hero recognizes a word on a sign and misinterprets the writer’s intent. Still, Groo is grateful for Abecedario’s teaching. He wants to repay Abecedario’s kindness by passing on his skills. First, Groo shows people how he does things. But they can't replicate what comes naturally to him. So, Groo decides to teach people how to fight. He’s good at that, right?

 

Most generals know that an army wins more battles by working together and following strategies. Groo’s response to conflict injures friends and foes alike. So, Groo teaches townspeople a skill that will protect their livelihoods. Strangely, they don’t ask him for another lesson either.

 

Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier’s story reminds us that mastering skills doesn't mean you can impart them to others. It also reveals some interesting responses to education. Adults readily assume they know enough to get by. Even when someone demonstrates skills that could improve their lives, they prefer doing things like they’re used to. Yet all too often, they will empty their leather pouches of Kopins to hear a speaker with credentials and a reputation for excellence, even if they learn nothing of value.

 

Art

The minstrel sits on a broken stone pillar, evoking the ruins that impressed Groo in Restos. Birds flutter down upon the arbor to watch. Sergio Aragonés uses puffy cloud dividers to showcase the Minstrel and Groo in the same panels. Adults respond to Groo with dumbfounded expressions or run away in terror. An exception is a woman with Princess Leia hair and a similarly fiery temperament. Children return Groo’s smiles. Were they orphans, they would likely welcome him as a parent. The minstrel’s magical song conjures a dragon, a volcano, an octopus, a character close to a certain letterer’s heart, and other delights to dance upon the neck of his lute.

 

Carrie Strachan lavishes a loaded palette on Groo: Minstrel Melodies #3. The minstrel's hat and collar match Groo’s toga, while the coins spilling out of his treasure chest match Rufferto’s coat and the minstrel's lute. While Groo sports yellow and small amounts of red, he trains an army clad in red with small amounts of yellow. A school teacher’s lavender dress matches the distant hills and the top of the great teacher's wagon. Yet the blue banners in the Amphitheater are a perfect match for Abecedario’s headband and robe.

 

Stan Sakai fills white balloons with generously sized uppercase black dialogue and adorns the minstrel’s lowercase lyrics with red music notes. Rufferto and people's thoughts appear in cloudy balloons, and raised voices appear in stars and tan. After banners bookend Groo’s adventures in instructing, a silent one-page Rufferto story reminds us that people may not always appreciate our help (even if we don’t burn down their village to make them rich). Thanks to Dark Horse Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

In Groo: Minstrel Melodies #3, Groo learns that because you excel at something doesn’t mean adults will want to learn from you. Still, if you embrace life with a positive attitude, children may welcome you as their mentor.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

Space Usagi: White Star Rising #1 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Letterer: Stan Sakai & Julie Sakai

Colorist: Emi Fujii

Cover Artists: Stan Sakai & Tom Luth; Peach Momoko

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 23, 2024

 

Admiral Niiro of the Kajitori Empire holds Shirohoshi Castle. Prince Kiyoshi lives as a refugee in the Mino Clan. Kiyoshi knows where his father hid the treasury and has access codes to strategic information in the white star castle's computers. Can Usagi sneak back into the enemy-held stronghold and use Prince Kiyoshi's codes to secure the vital intel before Niiro’s savvy techs hack the system? Let's grab our arcane katanas, leap into Space Usagi: White Star Rising #1, and find out!

 

Story: White Star Rising

Stan Sakai begins by reminding us of Lord Matabe’s failure. The servant of Lord Hideaki was fortunate to find a rare carcass of a Kameyama. Yet despite being entrusted with the Shirohoshi clan’s first castle and commanding a fleet of warships from the bridge of a retrofitted space turtle-dreadnaught, Lord Matabe’s jealousy led him to betray Lord Hideaki to the Kajitory Empire. And when Matabe had Prince Kiyoshi in his clutches, he opted for a duel with Usagi over returning the prince to Admiral Niiro.

 

Lady Ryoko, Admiral Niiro’s Psitech, recognized Matabe’s weakness. After mesmerizing Kiyoshi and probing his mind, Lady Ryoko returned to Matabe’s Kameyama dreadnaught. But Lady Ryoko had also probed Admiral Niiro’s mind and knew where she stood with her lord. So when the Mino Clan fighters ambushed KAME-1, and she realized death was imminent, Lady Ryoko sent a psychic message to her daughter instead of relaying the access codes and the treasure vaults’ location to Admiral Niiro. Lady Ch’Yoko relives her mother's last moments of life when she sleeps. She tells Admiral Niiro she felt her mother's psychic touch but couldn't interpret the message. But Niiro’s plans for her life worry the promising young Psitech.

 

Space Usagi: White Star Rising #1 begins a race against time. The young Lord Kiyoshi knows he is a target. The Mino Clan needs the Shirohoshi clan's financial and strategic resources to repel the Kajitori invaders. Usagi fell in love with the woman he thought was Princess Masayo. But like him, Tomoe was Princess Masayo’s tutor and bodyguard. Now, Tomoe and Usagi partner on a desperate mission. Can they sneak into a fortified White Star Castle, get the information they want, then escape and return safely to the Mino system? The mission seems impossible. Then, Usagi gets an idea.

 

Art: White Star Rising

A giant turtle swims between the stars like Great A’Tuin. Yet people see no elephants on its shell as it descends through a planet's atmosphere. It leaves behind a furrow after scooping food into its beak. Slender bipedal dinosaurs like Coelophysis feed on the newly hatched turtles. When the adults return to rest in peace, the dinosaurs and their pterosaur cousins return to feed in Space Usagi: White Star Rising #1.

 

Lady Ryoko’s lofty manner fades when glimpsing a fiery starfighter. Then she closes her eyes and touches her forehead like Spock. So it is her daughter, Lady Ch'Yoko, and her attendants at Shirohoshi Castle, whose eyes bulge and jaws drop when she “remembers.” On Gifu, a cyborg ninja sneaks into the Mino Imperial Palace. A yellow glow surrounds him, and red colors the air when he attacks. Lord Kiyoshi wears purple and sleeps beneath a purple blanket. Usagi rides a beige biped dinosaur through the yellow-brown desert. He passes green reptiles, brown rodents, humanoids, and aliens as he heads toward a green and orange dome.

 

 

 

Story: Akemi and the Secret Invasion

In Space Usagi: Yokai Hunter #1, Usagi promised Akemi she would go on missions someday. But like her advanced quantum Trigonometry lessons, Akemi gets bored mapping uncharted planets on the outskirts of the Shirohoshi system. So when she finds an uncharted planet, Akemi decides a little exploration is in order. Seeing all the strange plants and animals is fun. But could there be a reason this planet is uncharted? In Akemi and the Secret Invasion, Julie and Stan Sakai begin a children’s story akin to their graphic novel Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis. Like young Princess Leia in the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series, Akemi reminds us of the things that delight us, such as reading favorite stories and discovering new aspects of nature.

 

Art: Akemi and the Secret Invasion

Emi Fujii lavishes a loaded palette on Akemi and the Secret Invasion. Yet the colors owe more to the pastel family than in White Star Rising. As Akemi pilots her one-person scout ship, her red and yellow clothes match the yellow fire spurting from the ship's nacelles and the planets and five-pointed stars she passes. As Akemi passes fanciful flora and fauna, sunlight reveals a streak of horizontal lightness through her burnt sienna hair. Her features constrict when facing a sudden gust of wind. Yet Akemi’s irrepressible smile soon returns as she explores this uncharted world in Space Usagi: White Star Rising #1.

 

Lettering

Stan Sakai places generous-size uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. Thoughts hover in puffy clouds, letters swell for volume, and sound effects capture every slamming barrier, conflagration, bloody death, and explosion. Thanks to Dark Horse Comics and Dogu Publishing for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

As Stan Sakai enhances the history and mythology of this future universe, Usagi enlists a criminal's help in a lightning raid on enemy soil, and his daughter begins her space-faring career in Space Usagi: White Star Rising #1.

 

Rating 9.7/10

 

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

Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2 Review

 

Writers: Sergio Aragonés & Mark Evanier

Illustrator & Cover Artist: Sergio Aragonés

Colorist: Carrie Strachan

Letterer: Stan Sakai

Cover Artist: Sergio Aragonés

Editors: Philip R Simon & Rose Weitz

Designer: May Hijikuro

Digital Art Technician: Adam Pruett

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 9, 2024

 

When the minstrel and his daughter arrive in Boyce, the customers in an inn welcome their return. As her father regales them with another musical tale of his favorite hero, a servant offers Kayli something to eat. The patrons are eager to hear the minstrel's instrumental epic. How will he bless their lives with his latest ode to the bumbling barbarian? Let's tune up our lutes, leap into Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2, and find out!

 

Story

Groo and his loyal companion Rufferto hear a sobbing wail as they wander through the forest. His dog believes the cry came from a child. Groo’s keen ears detect the cry of a baby goat, a delicious piglet, or perhaps even a goat. When they meet a hungry boy, Groo offers to feed him. Then, he discovers that the orphan has many friends. That evening, as the group roasts the fruits of Groo’s hunt, the children rejoice in the feast. Afterward, they cluster around Groo and Rufferto as they sleep. But Groo remains awake. Like Beorn, Groo knows he cannot support a house full of little people. But then, he doesn't even have a hut!

 

The next day, Groo tries to find parents for the orphans. As in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the third time proves the charm. But Groo is unsure those who offer to care for the children would give them the best life possible. Thankfully, an idea comes to the wandering barbarian’s rescue. So what if one of the children suggested it? As Groo proclaims in Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2, he can defeat armies, destroy villages, conquer ships, and sink dragons. If he can do all that, surely he can take someone else’s idea and make it his own!

 

In Sergio Aragonés & Mark Evanier’s story, Groo assesses his abilities and lifestyle and realizes he is unfit to raise a child. Groo may be partially responsible for their predicament. Still, when confronted with their need, Groo tries to find people who will adopt them. Like a credentialed social worker, Groo returns to ensure the orphans receive the care and attention he believes they deserve. Perhaps Groo is correct, and he is unfit to care for children. Still, the wandering barbarian doesn’t have to be bribed with barrels of cheese dip to help Jane Eyre and Oliver Twist’s friends in Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2.

 

Art

Unlike the walled town the minstrel visited in the previous story and the crumbling village Groo reduced to ash in the minstrel's song, Boyce evokes an English hamlet. Its whitewashed cottages with thatched roofs line the wide dirt road and climb a verdant fell. Customers pack tables inside the inn, drinking frothy tankards of ale, eating meat cooked on the grill, or even enjoying a slice of watermelon. Perhaps the bats flying from the head of the minstrel's instrument should warn the diners that even listening to a song about Groo can be dangerous. But as the instrument continually conjures images of erupting volcanos, fire-breathing dragons, and even leaping dolphins, who would suspect the smiling minstrel with his belled jester hat of endangering them?

 

While Sergio Aragonés fills in for the regular artist who has yet to work on the series, Carrie Strachan lavishes a loaded palette on Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2. The green and yellow-clad minstrel blends harmoniously with Groo’s yellow tunic. Kayli’s pink dress and the scarlet stripes on her stockings link with the gleaming red gems on Groo’s gold bracelets, while Strachan helps Cecil B Demille's costume designers array the bit players and extras in colorful garments.

 

Stan Sakai fills white balloons with uppercase black dialogue and adorns the minstrel’s lowercase lyrics with red music notes. Townspeople and Rufferto’s thoughts appear in cloudy balloons, while the cry that Groo thinks could be from an infant salmon appears in red letters. After all of Sakai's generously sized contributions, a silent one-page Rufferto story suggests that behaviors learned in childhood can determine an adult’s suitability to be a responsible parent in Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2. Thanks to Dark Horse Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When Groo befriends displaced orphans, the wandering barbarian discovers that finding responsible and loving parents may be the biggest challenge of his wandering career in Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2.

 

Rating 10/10

 

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

Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #5 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Letterer: Stan Sakai

Colorist: Hi-Fi Colour Design

Cover Artists: Stan Sakai & Emi Fujii; Dustin Nguyen; Mitsuhiro Arita

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 21, 2024

 

When Usagi, Gen, and Stray Dog stormed the abandoned temple, Inuyoshi’s bounty hunters surrounded them before they could escape with Yukichi. Then Heizo, one of Inuyoshi’s bounty hunters, stumbled into the abandoned temple and reported that Jimmu’s army had them at a disadvantage. Inuyoshi wants the bounty on the bandit terrorizing the neighborhood. Gen and Stray Dog also hope to earn that bounty. Can Usagi and Inuyoshi’s people put the past behind them and work together to prevent Jimmu from robbing more merchant caravans? Let's grab our katanas, charge into Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #5 and find out!

 

Story

After night falls, Usagi, Gen, Yukichi, and Stray Dog take out Jimmu’s sentries. Inuyoshi orders his band to gather firewood and plans to smoke the bandits out of their hut. But Usagi and Inuyoshi’s plan didn’t account for Yatagarasu. Jimmu’s trained crow warns the sleeping bandits, and they rush out to turn their night callers into sushi. Usagi and Inuyoshi’s surprise attack becomes a melee, as the samurai and bounty hunters fail to surround the house, and the bandits abruptly roused from sleep to fight for their lives.

 

While Jimmu's army outnumbers Usagi and Inuyoshi’s combined forces, skills matter in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #5. Usagi recognizes that Jimmu has worked hard to become a formidable swordsman. And while the bandit leader dismisses most of Inuyoshi’s gang as poorly trained, he likens a few of his attackers to dragons. But character also influences the battle. Jimmu has amassed an army. Strategic planning and a cool head when ambushing a merchant caravan earn him comparisons with his historic namesake. But Jimmu’s first thought is for himself. So when the tide of battle turns against him, Jimmu opts to flee for his life rather than stand by his men.

 

Like Usagi and Inuyoshi, Jimmu is likely a former samurai who became a ronin. Whether his parents named him after the first emperor of Japan or he adopted the moniker, Jimmu sought to create an aura of invincibility. So, he trained a crow and named it after the first emperor's pet. Ironically, in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #5, Yatagarasu shows more loyalty to his master than Jimmu pays his men. But then, as Inuyoshi bitterly commented in the third issue, while the samurai were supposed to be loyal to their lords, the arrangement wasn’t reciprocal.

 

Stan Sakai delivers an intense battle, gives major characters a chance to shine, and brings The Crow miniseries to a satisfying conclusion. The issue sparkles as society forces its protectors to become criminals while those who need protection must fend for themselves.

 

 

 

Art

A singing sentry takes a swig from a jug as he treads a dirt path. When Usagi appears behind him, the jug goes flying. A trio of lookouts fall, surprise writ on their faces, as Gen, Stray Dog, and Yukichi run away. A crow sits on a barren branch near a thatched roof house that vents smoke from the front and back. Within, outlaws sleep on a built-up wood floor around a recessed cooking fire. A sleepy outlaw who stumbles out smiles when he reaches a tree. After a surprisingly graphic moment, the outlaw's body and head tumble to the ground separately in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #5.

 

Hi-Fi Colour Design lavishes a loaded palette on Stan Sakai’s expressive characters and intense action. Highlights and shadows lend depth and drama to people, clothing, and the bushes and trees of the forest. Everyone shines brightly amid the dark blue air except Jimmu. His dark blue and hippo-gray clothes help the gray-furred bandit slip away into the fog before distant trees. But brown-furred and cloaked Inuyoshi won’t let that happen!

 

Stan Sakai honors readers with generously sized letters in white dialogue balloons. Raised voices swell and darken words while colored exclamation marks and gray skulls invade dialogue balloons. White letters shout within a crimson splotch while a black Tang flies off katanas. Yatagarasu’s caws soar through blue dialogue balloons, and an ivory storm cloud signals a character's final decision in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #5. Thanks to Dark Horse Comics and Dogu Publishing for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Caught in a caste system rigged against them, formerly respectable warriors weigh their sense of honor and worthiness against each other. While some live, others die. Appearances can be deceiving, and snap judgments likewise unjust, in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #5.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

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

Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #4 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Letterer: Stan Sakai

Colorist: Hi-Fi Colour Design

Cover Artists: Stan Sakai & Emi Fujii; Derek Chew; Mitsuhiro Arita

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 17, 2024

 

Inuyoshi captured Yukichi. The vicious leader doesn’t want competition from Gen, Stray Dog, and Usagi as his bounty hunters track the bandit Jimmu. Inuyoshi demands that Usagi and his friends leave town or he will kill Usagi’s cousin. Will Usagi, Gen, and Stray Dog do Inuyoshi’s bidding? Let's grab our katanas, charge into Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #4 and find out!

 

Story

While Gen drinks, the boy eats. Isamu lives on the streets, and can rarely afford seconds, let alone thirds. But Gen calls a halt to Isamu’s feasting and demands Yukichi’s location. Isamu wonders why Yukichi matters to them. Usagi explains that Yukichi is his cousin. The boy is envious, as no one looks out for a street urchin.

 

In Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #4, the latter includes the bounty hunter, Nobu, who asked Isamu to help capture Yukichi, then refused to pay the orphan. Nobu’s boss, Inuyoshi, waits to hear if Usagi, Gen, and Stray Dog have left the area. But Nobu insists it would be easier to kill Yukichi than wait to learn if Usagi and his friends have left them area. While Inuyoshi is dour and ruthless, Nobu believes the world owes him. So when a situation arises that would help him advance, he grabs it, regardless of the cost to others.

 

Like Inuyoshi, Usagi knows what it’s like to lose his clan. He wanders the land as a ronin, without a place or a people to call his own. Yukichi was an unexpected blessing: someone to share the journey with. So, while he worries about Yukichi, he empathizes with Isamu’s plight.

 

Stan Sakai fills his story with ruminations on family, loyalty, and honor, as Usagi takes another person under his wing. When imprisoned, Yukichi looks out for his adversaries. While bounty hunters fight over money and position, the bandit leader Jimmu attacks merchant caravan. Like Nobu, Jimmu is a harsh and brutal pragmatist. Inuyoshi is bitter over how his lord dismissed him. But in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #4, the grim bounty hunter who has lost the joy of living must choose between the pragmatism that helped him survive and sacrificing his wealth and position to protect another’s interests. Or worse, a skull in a dialogue balloon hovering over his still body.

 

 

Art

Isamu smiles wide and his eyes drift closed as he eats. Usagi shares the boy’s smiles and offers gentle nudges. Amid this warmth and bonding, Gen acts as the strict taskmaster. The boy’s eyes bulge when Usagi hands the boy a gold Ryo. But it’s Usagi’s friend who makes sure the boy earns his reward in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #4.

Hi-Fi Colour Design showcases brightly colored characters against brow, tan, beige, and gray as Usagi, Gen, and Stray Dog question Isamu in the North Inn. Even though he’s seated on the floor in the abandoned temple, Yukichi looks intense and driven as he makes his assertions. Nobu frowns as he argues. Dressed in orange and gray-blue, he clenches his fist as he grumbles. Despite not paying Isamu the money he owed him, and snitching Yukichi’s hefty purse, he’s unhappy that his leader, dressed in warm maroon and gray-blue, kneels before Yukichi.

 

In addition to his appealing characters and settings, Stan Sakai rewards readers with generously sized letters in white dialogue balloons. Raised voices swell and darken words, while colored question and exclamation marks join a skull in dialogue balloons. Amid the grunts, groans, and gasps, Sakai fills the air with the Pows and Wops that made the 1960s Batman TV show so much fun. And then there’s the immense samurai cries as Usagi and his friends crash the party in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #4. Thanks to Dark Horse for providing a copy for review.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Stan Sakai muses on the importance of family, society’s need to care for orphans, and the link between money and happiness in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #4.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: Saturday Morning Adventures #1 Review

 

Writer: Erik Burnham

Artist: Jack Lawrence

Colorist: Luis Antonio Delgado

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Cover Artists: Jack Lawrence & Luis Antonio Delgado; Chris “Mista Jonz” Jones; Jon Sommariva & Francisco Perez; Stan Sakai & Emi Fujii

Publisher: IDW

Price: $5.99

Release Date: June 12, 2024

 

Donatello brought Usagi to New York. Usagi guards an incubating dragon and helps out at Obento’s animal shelter. Michelangelo likes Usagi so much that he slapped the rabbit with a pizza. But does Usagi’s destiny lie in New York or his homeland? Let's order a thick crust pepperoni, tune into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: Saturday Morning Adventures #1, and find out!

 

Story

Like the Turtles, Usagi patrols Obento’s neighborhood. When thieves break the lock on a shopfront, he gives them a good seeing-to. Applause erupts. Usagi turns to find his Turtle friends. Aside from their visit, the Turtles have another surprise for Usagi. Donatello has found a way to send him home.

 

Thanks to a suggestion from Master Splinter, the Turtles step through Donatello’s dimensional with Usagi. Leonardo loves the tranquil forest, Rafael misses the hubbub of the big city, and Michelangelo can’t wait to sample the culinary delectations of Usagi’s world. As they hasten toward Usagi’s village, a creature leaps from the shadows and attacks Usagi. While the two exchange sword blows, the Turtles strain to distinguish their dark attacker amid the shadows. Donatello brightens his Turtlecom’s viewscreen. When he shines it toward Usagi, the dark assassin dissolves in a puff of smoke.

 

 

 

Usagi’s friend Kai informs them that dark shadows have fallen on the land in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: Saturday Morning Adventures #1. Vampires may not fill the skies, but Shadow Warriors have defeated the Shogun's elite warriors and captured all who opposed him. Their master, Lord Desmodus, now rules from a castle on a nearby hill. Could Usagi have prevented this tragedy? All he knows is that the holiday is over. It's time for the Turtles to return home so he can free his people.

 

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: Saturday Morning Adventures #1, Usagi is called Usagi Yojimbo, not Miyamoto Usagi. The story doesn’t revolve around what it means to be a samurai or a ronin in Usagi’s world. Instead, Erik Burnham focuses on what the Turtles do best: helping others, supporting their friends, remaining resolutely upbeat, and defeating Bad Dudes (especially megalomaniacal alien bad guys). While all the Turtles shine, Donatello's quick thinking proves the sharpest blade. He helps them navigate the hurdles Desmodus sets in their way. Donatello also adjusts his thinking when he discovers more things in this dimension than are dreamt of in his philosophy.

 

 

 

Art

As green smoke rises above a city bathed in the yellow moon's light, three thieves wearing green shirts adorned with a brown shell break a gold padlock. While two wear square masks, all three wrap red bandanas with eyeholes around their heads. But Usagi isn’t fooled by the reptilian pretenders. Clad in his lavender Kimono and black Katama, Usagi punches and kicks the thieves into an early night. The Turtles clap and smile while Michelangelo lifts his arms in admiration. Leonardo and Usagi bow parallel to the ground, sharing each other's gaze. The Turtles take Usagi to Donatello's lab, where Mikey enjoys a slice of Cheesy Pepperoni. Donatello presses a control and gestures to the portal as it shows the forest near Usagi's village.

 

Luis Antonio Delgado lavishes a loaded palette of attractive colors on Jack Lawrence’s art in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: Saturday Morning Adventures #1. Delgado and Lawrence portray Usagi as he looked in the 1980s TMNT TV series. The black Shadow Warriors aren't hawks, but they have wings and will remind readers of a character from TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures #8. Desmodus doesn’t fight crime, but he displays a familiar symbol on the chest of his purple armor. Delgado casts Kai's memory in beige, tan, and brown, reminiscent of his village's wood frame houses and thatch roofs. Blue and purple robots hover around a pulsing bright green column, reminiscent of the armor Desmodus prizes.

 

Ed Dukeshire's uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons will please pizza lovers of any age. Words rarely shrink and embolden for inflection, while Desmodus’ computer utters larger machine font in rectangular boxes. Energetic and colorful sound effects help us hear swords clang, Desmodus’ jubilant laughter, and Donatello’s searing invention. Yet a gentle cough clears the air and enlightens the reader in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: Saturday Morning Adventures #1. Thanks to IDW for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Raphael grudgingly leaves New York City amid signs of his rising popularity. Yet Raphael endorses their mission wholeheartedly when he discovers the threat to Usagi's world. He requests poetry, admonishes Donatello for labeling people, and discovers a new favorite vehicle in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: Saturday Morning Adventures #1.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

 

 

Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #3 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Letterer: Stan Sakai

Colorist: Hi-Fi Colour Design

Cover Artists: Stan Sakai & Emi Fujii; Derek Chew; Mitsuhiro Arita

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 12, 2024

 

Inuyoshi captured Yukichi. The vicious leader doesn’t want competition from Gen, Stray Dog, and Usagi as his bounty hunters track the bandit Jimmu. Inuyoshi will kill Yukichi unless Usagi and his friends leave the area. But will Inuyoshi release Yukichi if Usagi, Gen, and Stray Dog agree to his terms? Let's grab our katanas, charge into Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #3 and find out!

 

Story

As Merchant Yamada’s convoy traverses a narrow mountain pass, Jiro assuages Masa's concerns by reminding him that mercenaries protect them on their journey. Like his fellow porter, Masa is tired and wishes Merchant Yamada paid them as much as he did the mercenaries. When the two porters spot a crow flying overhead, Jiro muses that the bandit Jimmu reportedly has a crow, just like his legendary namesake. Masa dismisses Jiro’s worries that the crow could be a scout for Jimmu. Crows are stupid. They have no sense of loyalty!

 

Despite the friends’ attempts to distract and comfort each other on the long journey, Jimmu has laid a trap for them. As Jimmu’s people attack and people die around them, Jiro and Masa help each other. As their end nears, the friends confess how they wronged each other. Then Jiro opts for a reckless escape, and Masa follows his lead.

 

In Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #3, Stan Sakai contrasts the need to survive versus the value of loyalty. Inuyoshi was once a samurai but became a ronin. The way his lord dismissed him embittered him. He admires strength and results, and those he hires emulate him. Two of his scouts worry about the cost of hiring additional bounty hunters to take on Jimmu’s organization. They comfort themselves that some new hires will die, leaving more of the bounty for them.

 

Jimmu also demonstrates how ruthlessness achieves results. Anyone who watches the news knows how vicious political battles can be. How many lords in Usagi's day began as bandits and built an organization so strong that others had to recognize their legitimacy? The legendary Jimmu was the first emperor who united the warring factions of Japan. The bandit in Sakai's story exhibits the organization and prowess necessary to become a rising power.

 

Much of Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #3 concerns Masa and Jiro, Jimmu and his crow, and Inuyoshi and his bandits. Usagi and Yukichi bear some blame for their predicament, as they rescued Jimmu from Inuyoshi’s bounty hunters earlier. Usagi’s history with Inuyoshi tells him the vicious ronin cannot be trusted. Yet what can he do? Even if Usagi knew where  Yukichi was, how could he rescue his cousin from the bounty hunters? Could Usagi prevent Inyoshi or his people from killing Yukichi in such an attempt? Or, for that matter, prevent them from freezing his cousin in carbonite?

 

 

 

Art

Stan Sakai shows the sheer cliff along which the merchant party travels. Evergreens dot the mountainside, their exposed roots clinging to the rocky slope. The convoy traverses the narrow path single-file, or two people walk together like Jiro and Masa. There are a few packhorses, and some porters pull a wagon. The porters carry heavy packs while the mercenaries walk unladen by extra weight. Unlike the mountain pass of Coradhras, snow covers the mountainside, but a storm doesn’t make the path impassable.

 

Jimmu displays none of the lightheartedness he showed Usagi and Yukichi. As his spy alights on his shoulder, Jimmu issues orders. Trees fall. Arrows fly. Warriors leap to attack, swords drawn. Jimmu’s bandits don’t resemble Uruk-hai, but they inspire the same fear. While others run and chaos explodes around them, Jiro and Masa look out for each other. When the end comes, Jiro and Masa grasp each other’s hand in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #3.

 

Amid the white and gray mountains, Hi-Fi Colour Design helps characters pop by painting their clothing in bright colors. Yukichi brightens the gray and brown temple where Inuyoshi holds him captive. The surrounding greenery reminds us how the temple once contributed to the community. Intriguingly, the bounty hunter who brings Yukichi’s broken swords and relates Inuyoshi’s demand wears blue like Stray Dog and Usagi.

 

Stan Sakai rewards readers with generously sized letters in white dialogue balloons. Raised voices swell and darken words as trees crack and crash along the mountain pass. A boy's thoughts appear in a cloudy balloon, while colored question marks and exclamation marks join a skull in dialogue balloons. Thanks to Dark Horse for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Fate offers Usagi a hand as an act of selfishness returns to bite Inuyoshi’s bounty hunters amid a powerful meditation on friendship and loyalty in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #3.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To preview interior 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.