Stan Sakai (Author, Artist, Cover Artist), Ronda Pattison (Colorist)
Usagi Yojimbo #5 ends here his tale to his friend Gen. This is the recounting of his last battle as a Lord-serving samurai, where everything is lost, and of how he begins his journey as a ronin.
In other issues, we’ve examined the consequences of what he did, but as for now, the tale is ended, the sake is drunk, and they must part ways. The long tale is over.
I′m glad to say that Stan Sakai won two prizes this year at the Eisner Awards(the first to be awarded digitally)—one for his lettering and another for his Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo: The Complete Grasscutter Artist Select.
Above all, I think, these awards are recognition of his great talent for storytelling; his stories have a timeless quality to them.
There is also a bonus little ghost story in this issue. It features a kappa. I love these froggy yokai creatures, and I can′t get enough of them. They are turtle-shaped and have a bowl of water on top of their heads; if you manage to spill it you are safe from their influence, otherwise, you drown. Very effective to warn kiddos of the water, I think.
Also, I want to congratulate IDW for coming up with so many interesting titles in such “interesting times” as these are; the road to maintain a steady flow of comics out there into the world is a hard one right now.
This series collects the original early issues of Usagi Yojimbo in full color.
Usagi Yojimbo Color Classics #5 is available in August 2020.
AVAILABLE: August 2020
IMPRINT: IDW
PAGE COUNT: 32
COLOR: FC
DIAMOND CODE: MAR200817
Featured image by Stan Sakai, all images belong to IDW Comics
