Usagi Yojimbo Saga Volume 1 Paperback – October 28, 2014

Every time I read Usagi Yojimbo, I feel at ease for some reason. This comic book makes me feel relaxed and I suddenly lose all my negative energy. Maybe it is because of how Usagi is portrayed in this comic book, because it is hard not to love him. This volume colleges all 16 issues of the Mirage comics and the first 6 issues of the Dark Horse series. In other words, this volume collects the 8th, 9th, and 10th volumes of the trade paperbacks, which is perfect for me because they are becoming unavailable on Amazon. For a huge Usagi Yojimbo fan like myself, this book is awesome.If you never read any Usagi trade before this is a good place to start. However, I suggest you read the previous 7 volume first (remember this is technically volume 8-10). Most of the character in this are new to the series, well for me at least, and there are a few old friends. The good thing about Usagi is whenever Sakai brings back an old character from a previous issue Sakai makes sure to briefly explain who they are again. If you never read Usagi before do not worry about getting lost because it is a simple story that this volume covers in the beginning.Reading the introduction(s) to this always helps with the mood of this comic too. The writers they pick know exactly what to say about Usagi and way to a great comic book. To me it is a great comic book because I have yet to find an issue I did not like. Every story that Stan Sakai tells is perfect. Usually I will complain saying this needs a fix for my preference or that need it need a little more of that. However, Usagi is a rare comic book were I honestly think everything is perfect. In addition, it is about a rabbit who wears blue (a huge bonus for my liking in the comic book world).Another thing I love about this comic is the fact it is teaching me about Japan and its samurai history. Yes, the character is a giant rabbit, but most of what Sakai writes is all based on really history and culture of Japan. Most of what I learn on Japan comes from manga and anime. Yet most of what you see in those shows show up in Usagi as well. However, one story in this was talking about how the leaves in Japan turn color; I did not realize they had foliage in Japan too. Reading Usagi I feel like I learn something new every time.Oh and one last thing. This volume is exceptionally good if you are looking for the Usagi Yojimbo and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles three-issue crossover that inspired a few episodes of the television show. After all, it is because of that episode I fell in love with Usagi Yojimbo. It is a good thing I finally decided to read the comics.

... although I do. Get old.I first encountered Usagi Yojimbo just last year, slightly more than fifty years after I first encountered breathing. There are few books which I cannot put down, but Usagi Yojimbo stories are utterly enthralling.

All of these Saga volumes for Usagi Yojimbo are the best way to read one of the best series ever! Usagi Yojimbo is a wandering Ronin rabbit who travels through feudal Japan to gain experience with his sword. The stories of his travels and adventures are very unique and parallel a few Japanese fables as well. The characters that Usagi interacts with are also some of the most creative and fascinating creatures that has ever graced comics (or graphic novels for that matter). I highly recommend the series, and the Saga books are a plus as they cover so many story arcs in one sitting!

It came on time, but some what damaged. Theres pages slightly torn in the corners...the spine has creases at the top and bottom. (I really wish when shipping books they would shrink wrap them) In the end...I received it...the pages/art work and print are very nice and big. As well as these are THICK BOOKS!! (Small spolier...the ninja turtles story arc is in this vol. Yessssssssss!!) I will be/looking forward to buying vol. 2 in the future.

Love Stan Sakai's work. His stories are really entertaining. I enjoy his work very much.

I'm new to the Usagi Yojimbo comic books - I only knew him as a recurring character on the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cartoon.Years later, I found out that he had his own comic book series, and paired with my love, respect and complete adoration for Asian cultures, I decided to give this series, in particular, the proper attention.I am as soooo glad I did, what an absolutely fantastic story.I look forward to collecting the other saga editions, as well.A samurai/ronin rabbit?That's just an awesome premise, alone. haha

Excellent story. Rating is for the condition of the book received. No care was taken in packaging for shipment. Wrapped in insufficiently padded mailer - paper thin. Edges scuffed and damaged all around on a new product.Seller needs to provide better quality packaging for their product.

Corners of book are slightly bent, but otherwise was in good condition.

If you're looking at Usagi, you probably understand the basics of the comic - Tradition Samurai morality/adventure fables retold by Stan Sakai in a Western art format and style.Usagi rocks, but important to note - this is not a collection of the comics in the order they were produced. Rather, it is a collection of self contained stories taken from across Usagi's career. I can't say I understand the logic that was used to choose these stories, but that's probably because I didn't read much of the few (but well written and insightful) commentatory pages interspersed between some of the stories. You will find asterisks and footnotes referring to Usagi Yojimbo stories you won't have read yet if this is your first Usagi venture, or that have occured in the chronology beforehand but aren't present in this "Volume 1".The actual book itself is quite a tome for the money. It's about an inch less height and width ways of a size of A4, and is just over 1 and a half inches thick (41mm to be exact in metric). Compared to other Dark Horse offerings, your pence per page is trivial - Attached is a comparison photo of the full colour "Lobster Johnson" from Dark Horse, price on the back cover $18, compared to this volume, price on the back $25. Usagi's Saga Vol 1 is weighty enough that I felt exhausted by the thing half way through, and so I broke up my reading over several weekends. It's full black and white as the original colour slides for the comics have been lost to the sands of time, but there is a compilation of colour covers in the back.Sakai is very good at using variations within the art style to convey tone and maintain immersion. Characters flex in presentation depending on circumstance and role to assist storytelling. For example, in comedy, conversational and landscape shots, Usagi's face is often drawn in a minimal style - the eyes are reduced to dots with the signature raised left eyebrow, and the outline of whiskers and rabbit eyes reduce him to an iconographic cartoon, similar to Tintin, who again is two dots and a squiggle for a nose and hair. This draws the reader into projecting with Usagi as their representative. This contrasts to the more detailed and malicious looking villians, and Usagi's intense expressions in moments of high drama (Herge uses much more detail and photo-realism shading for villians to convey "otherness" and contrast Tintin's cartoonishness). If you buy this, look out for one tale where a Bounty Hunter - Drawn consistently with highly detailed, intense expressions where his motives are shady - changes in art style and becomes more minimal, cartoony and therefore relatable. Why go on about this? Well, it is useful to contrast to "mainstream action comics" where the story takes a backseat to visual clarity of explosions and fistfights, etc. The focus within Usagi is in character development and storytelling, and the artwork follows and presents the the story narrative, rather than leading it. Consistently across all Sakai's Usagi, moments of emotional tension are vivid and memorable (photo attached). My one gripe with Sakai's artwork is that at times during action sequences, motion is not very clearly expressed - Motion lines are used more sparsley than they ought to be, characters die in freeze-frame poses as Usagi yells at them, sword in hand, and it is difficult to follow across panels where villians are being smited, and how. However, in dedicated action sequences, this problem disappears as Sakai gives the action more page room to breathe.Sakai is also faithful to his source material. There were some moments that caught me off guard as a pragmatic Westerner where Samurai honour was taken to extremes, necessary for both storytelling, historical realism, and consistency within Usagi's world. There are a few sly nods to the fourth wall - Usagi's commentary that the secrets of gunpowder ought to be lost lest their power corrupt - and conflicts with the supernatural that are in keeping with the scope of the comic and its central cast. Plots are intricate without being confusing, dramatic without falling into melodrama or satire. Usagi as a character far removed from modern sentiment and narcissism, he is a hero with a deference for tradition and morality, yet retains a childlike curiousity and admiration for beauty that contrasts his essential grittyness. Volume 1 of Sakai's Saga opens a window into Bushido Japan, and through Usagi the reader can receive, understand and adventure through it.On a closing note - I saw another reviewer mentioned that Saga volume TWO has colour strips in it, I repeat that here for anyone who doesn't pick that up and enjoys it enough to buy the next.

A brilliant compilation that really drew me into the world of Usagi Yojimbo. Fantastic and with some stories that have really stayed with me.

I knew of Usagi Yojimbo for years before reading any of his stories. Seeing this, I bit the bullet and bought it.It was a grand read.

Usagi is the best! Can't stop reading it, the edition is just awesome, nice and heavy

The Usagi Yojimbo Saga Book 1Seit einigen Jahren will ich mir immer wieder eine Ausgabe von Usagi Yojimbo kaufen, um mal in die Serie reinzuschnuppern. Doch bislang scheiterte es immer wieder am Preis der Trades für eine Serie, von der ich wenig wußte, zumal ich mit anthropomorphen Figuren wie z.B. den Turtles meist nicht so viel abgewinnen kann. Andererseits gab es z.B. mit Blacksad auch Comics, die mir gut gefallen haben.In The Usagi Yojimbo Saga gibt es nun viel Material zum kleinen Preis. Zur Feier des 30. Geburtstages der Figur sind Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 2#1–#16 und Vol. 3#1–#6 in dem 632 Seiten dicken Band enthalten, inklusive der Cover in Farbe, verschiedenen Vorworten, Erklärungen von Stan Sakai und einer kurzen Biographie. Inhaltlich gleich ist der Band also mit den Trades 8-10.Usagi Yojimbo ist ein herrenloser Samurai, also ein Ronin, der durch das feudale Japan des 16. Jahrhundert wandert, und allerlei Abenteuer und Kämpfe zu bestehen hat. Die Hauptfigur ist ein Hase, und es wimmelt von anderen Tieren wie Bären, Katzen, Schweinen und Fledermäusen, die ebenfalls alle menschlich dargestellt sind. Natürlich müssen viele Unschuldige befreit, Jungrauen gerettet und Bösewichte getötet werden.Fazit: Die Zeichnungen von Stan Sakai reißen mich nicht vom Hocker, sind für meinen Geschmack teilweise etwas zu einfach gehalten. Gerade aber an der Hauptfigur sieht man was Sakai drauf hat, wenn er sich etwas mehr Zeit lassen würde. Die Stärken der Serie sind jedoch die gradlinige, spannende Erzählweise und die authentische Atmosphäre. Die geschichtlichen Hintergründe und die Gesellschaftsordnung sind gut dargestellt, und so kann man nebenbei einiges Lernen, auch in Kombination mit dem Anhang, in denen Sakai die Inspirationen für die einzelnen Geschichten erläutert. Hat mich sehr an Lone Wolf & Cub erinnert, von denen ebenfalls bei Dark Horse im letzten Jahr dicke Sammelbände erschienen sind.Die Darstellung von Gewalt bzw. deren Resultate hält sich dabei in Grenzen, oftmals sieht man nur der Schlag des Schwertes, und im nächsten Bild den zusammengesunkenen Gegner – ohne Blut. Umso stärker wirkt es, wenn doch mal mehr zu sehen ist.Für Turtlesfans gibt es einen Gastauftritt der Schildkröten, die in diese Umgebung sehr gut passen.Ich habe mich für die Softcoverversion entschieden, die allerdings Schwächen bei der Verarbeitung hat. Das verwendete Papier ist recht dick, war allerdings an einer Stelle fies geknickt, und der Rand des Einbandes war leider rissig beschnitten. Ich weiß allerdings nicht, ob das generell der Fall ist oder nur bei meinem Exemplar. Wer viel Wert auf die Optik legt, sollte demnach besser zum signierten Hardcover greifen.Insgesamt ist The Usagi Yojimbo Saga ein guter Einstiegspunkt, und ich werde mir auch die nächsten Bände, die bereits jetzt schon für 2015 geplant sind, ebenfalls gönnen.