The Usagi Yojimbo Saga Vol. 7 | Writer, Artist, Cover Artist: Stan Sakai
There are two masters who took up their pens (or typewriters) and quietly dug themselves a nice spot to hone their craft for years on end, thus achieving perfection, page after page; their names are Terry Pratchett and Stan Sakai.
Hear me out: one set the Discworld in motion and wrote about many of its characters, while the other started with a Samurai bunny and explored ancient Japan in as many imaginative ways as possible, always including a touch of the fantastic interwoven with actual facts about feudal Japan.
This 600-page compilation is one with many great stand-alone stories—some of which I had never seen before—and they are superb in every way, as Stan Sakai′s work always proves to be. (You can see my reviews of his various other works here).
Take “Traitors of the Earth,” for instance. This is the first instance I′ve ever seen where a cursed netsuke can bring back the dead disguised as zombie warriors!
“A Town Called Hell” shows us Usagi caught in the crossfire between two competing lords, and “Those Who Tread on the Scorpion’s Tail” find him facing the notorious Red Scorpions. Furthermore, there are many stand-alone short stories that are nothing short of adventurous, filled to the brim with swordfights that are a pleasure to view, especially when Sakai uses double spreads—so many tiny details to see!
The volume collects Usagi Yojimbo Volume Three #117-#138, the Free Comic Book Day 2009 story “One Dark and Stormy Night,” and the Usagi Yojimbo Color Special #5 story “Cut the Plum.”
The Usagi Yojimbo Saga Vol. 7 is available on March 22, 2023.
Genre: Action/Adventure, Kids
Publication Date: March 22, 2023.
Format: b&w, 600 pages; TPB
Price: $29.99
Age range: 10+
ISBN-10: 1-50672-497-3
ISBN-13: 978-1-50672-497-3
Featured image by Stan Sakai, all images belong to Dark Horse Comics
