There are a lot of comics out there, but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we look at the most recent section of the long-running, B&W classic, “Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden.”
Who’s This By?
“Usagi Yojimbo” is written, drawn and lettered by multi-award winner Stan Sakai (“Groo the Wanderer.”) While the comic is mostly a solo-endeavor, his covers, and the infrequent color issues, are colored by Tom Luth (“Groo the Wanderer.”)
What’s This All About?
In a world where everyone is an anthropomorphic animal and Tokage, strange but adorable lizards with hands for feet, roam the land, we follow the adventures of Miyamoto Usagi, a lone rabbit wanderer, as he fights bandits, saves villages and rubs up against local authority. Throughout his many adventures, he has picked up a number of friends, acquaintances, and foes and participated in adventures both large and small. Set in feudal Japan, the series occurs against the backdrop of true events, both mythic and historical, with a healthy dose of the supernatural mixed in. He has also crossed over with the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” many times.
This mini-series focuses on Usagi and his detective friend, Inspector Ishida, as they attempt to discover the identity of a murderer and the mysterious box they are so willing to kill for.
So, Why Should I Read This?
It’s hard to say something that hasn’t been said about “Usagi Yojimbo” already. The series has been in publication for 34 years, has hit nearly 250 issues, and has only gotten better as the years go on. Stan Sakai is a master of his craft and while I could go on and on about why the series as a whole is worth your time, Brian has already done a great job of that here. That doesn’t mean I won’t talk about what makes “Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden” perfect for any and all readers, it just means I’m going to leave the retrospective for another time.
Still, “The Hidden” is the perfect distillation of what makes the “Usagi Yojimbo” series as a whole so beloved. It is easily accessible for newcomers, old fans, and lapsed fans alike. It is not burdened by continuity but every action, every interaction, has the weight of these previous adventures upon it without ever leaving the reader confused. He reintroduces characters as if they were new but in ways that help to remind older readers without feeling out of character or being unnecessarily expository.
Additionally, those who have read the previous Inspector Ishida mysteries will have an idea of what they’re in for but, as with any good character, more is learned about him and the way he views the world. This is evidenced by the conversations he has with Usagi throughout the series, as they discuss the Kirisitans and the political and social situation surrounding them. This is one of the strongest aspects of “The Hidden,” beyond Sakai’s storytelling; Sakai’s blending of history into his fictional, feudal Japan bolsters the solidity of the world he has created and allows him to comment upon the present through use of the past.
This mastery of parceling out information is on full display in the first issue of “The Hidden.” Out of the 24 pages contained within, it’s not until page 17 that we actually see Usagi and it isn’t until page 22 that the main thrust of the series begins, with Usagi being dragged into a case by Inspector Ishida. Those previous pages were used to explain the world and to provide set-up for the later events of the mini-series. Yet none of it is anything less than engrossing thanks to Sakai’s art.
His figurework is cartoony, and as such highly expressive, while his panels are rich with details and have a comedic bent to them. He draws the action and motion with high intensity, switching between these different modes at the drop of a hat. He can go from a tense chase through the streets, and a subsequent death, to a couple panels where that death is put in focus and produces a hearty laugh because of the juxtaposition between the seriousness of the death panel and slapstick portrayal of him falling off his horse, and then right back to the tense chase.
Continued belowHe also takes the time to slow down and spend a page or two allowing the characters to sit and talk and breathe. The very first page of issue #1 starts with 10 panels of a Tokage wandering onto the road as samurai come charging down it towards the town and a scene later on has Ishida, Nezumi, and Usagi mulling the case over while eating dinner at an inn table. The action is minimal but it’s a moving scene that allows Sakai to develop the characters in front of our eyes while furthering the plot. He lets scenes such as these sit in silence too and in the moments he allows the art to speak on its own, that’s when the timelessness and beauty of “Usagi Yojimbo” settles in and the urge to read just one more page, one more story, takes over.
How Can You Read It?
“Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden” #7, the last in this mini-series, comes out today from you local comic book shop as well as your favorite digital outlet. The collected edition hasn’t been announced yet but it can be assumed to be coming in the new year.
For those who wish to read the rest of the series, Dark Horse has re-collected most of vol. 2 & 3 of the series in their “Usagi Yojimbo Saga” books, while Fantagraphics has published all of vol. 1 in “Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition,” which is available on comixology or in print at your local comic shop/bookstore. I suggest perusing the Wikipedia article for a more easily accessible break down of the full-run. However, the joy of “Usagi Yojimbo” is that most issues are easily understood and enjoyed without any prior knowledge. Give the Ronin Rabbit a chance and you just might find your new favorite series.
