For the first show of the new year, we’re reading Stan Sakai’s “Usagi Yojimbo.” This little black and white rabbit has nigh defined the samurai comics genre for the past three decades. We try to unfurl the cute fuzzy exterior and find the raw guts of what’s going on in this classic. For more information on past or future episodes, visit www.AtomicPoweredSuperCast.com!
Usagi Yojimbo Book 1 – Ronin (Fantagraphics Books) collects the earliest stories which were originally published in Albedo Anthropormophics (Thoughts and Images) and Critters (Fantagraphics).
Usagi Yojimbo Book 2 – Samurai (Fantagraphics Books) collects the stories from the first six issues of the self-titled Usagi Yojimbo series published by Fantagraphics.
Lone Wolf and Cub originally appeared as a manga, then was made into both a film series and a television series. Usagi Yojimbo actually features a homage to the character in the form of Lone Goat and Kid.
The character of the Blind Swordspig (Zato Ino) is a homage to the film character of Zatoichi, the blind swordsman who featured in a series of 26 films and a television series (and played by actor Shintaro Katsu, brother of the actor who starred in the Lone Wolf and Cub film series).
The character of Gen the bounty hunter was based upon actor Toshiro Mifune and hhis role in Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo series. This is the same actor who was the first choice for Obi Wan in George Lucas’ Star Wars (A New Hope).
The second volume of the Usagi Yojimbo comic series was published by Mirage, the original publisher of the TMNT comics.
Usagi appeared in only two episodes of the original TMNT series. He has also made a couple more appearances in one of the newer TMNT series, including one episode where one of the turtles travels to Usagi’s world.
Stan Sakai has always claimed in interviews, when asked, that Usagi Yojimbo is written for a readership of one – himself. But his most prized award is the 1990 Parents’ Choice Award for “Skillful weaving of facts and legends into his work” …..