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USAGI YOJIMBO LETTERS COLUMN
Send comments to: Usagi Yojimbo ~ Letters Column c/o Dark Horse Comics
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UsagiYojimbo
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Dear Mr. Sakai,
Hello, my name is Josh Henson from Mansfield, Ohio. I am fourteen years old, and this is my story.
I was reading AnimePlay #6 and noticed a DVD came with it. I was watching this DVD, and the very first thing that came up was Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo. I wasn’t really jumping out of my seat, because I’d heard very little about your work. As I watched more and more of the segment, I was astonished by Usagi. The story and the art were so far from regular anime or manga. It actually had humor in it, not like other manga. I thought Usagi himself was so interesting, and the way you did your own story and art was so amazing.
I’ve decided to create my own comics series based upon samurai fighting styles - like using katanas, martial arts, and adventures. I hope this works out for me in the future like it did for you. I have a couple questions, though:
1. How old were you when you discovered Usagi?
2. Where did you learn to draw the style of comic that Usagi is today (different from any other manga)?
3. Do you think I could make it in the cartoonist’s life?
Hope to tell you more about the progress of my comic.
Josh Henson
jhenson27@yahoo.com
Good Luck on your comics career, Josh. It can be a difficult profession to break into, but I can’t think of anything else I would rather do. I have been drawing as far back as I can remember, but I created Usagi when I was in my twenties. I had created a lot of other characters before the ronin rabbit. I enjoy manga, but a lot of my style is influenced by European artists as well.
I would suggest, though, that even before you think about developing a style, you start off taking basic art classes - learn the rules of perspective, the use of basic shapes, composition, etc. Also, show your work around to friends, teachers, other artists, editors, and publishers. Learn what your strengths and weaknesses are in order to improve your craft.
Dear Stan,
I am a huge fan of yours. I have been picking up Usagi Yojimbo since issue #48, just by the look of the cover. I have also picked up various back-issues, such as a second printing of the first issue from Fantagraphics. The reason I am writing is that at the end of “Sumi-E,” the bandit picks up the ink set and turns...”evil,” I suppose. I was just wondering if you were going to get around to Sasuké hunting him down and destroying it, or get Usagi to stumble upon the bandit and team up with Sasuké to destroy the set. I would also like to know if we’ll ever get to know what happened when Sasuké hunted down the demon swordswoman. I am asking all this because Sasuké is my favorite character.
Sean Miller
sean@silentstorm.co.uk
Actually, the fate of the bandit and the paint set was told in the 1991 UY Color Special #2 from Fantagraphics. Unfortunately, Sasuké the Demon Queller was not in that story. That story will be reprinted (sans color) in UY Book 22.
Dear Stan,
I have followed your creation for about fifteen years now. My youngest son introduced me to your work. We spoke with you at the San Diego Comic-Con of 1991. You signed several books and allowed us to photograph you with my son. I saw you again around 2003 at Comic-Con and purchased an original art cover. My sons and I have collected comics for twenty-five years.
I continue to be impressed with the quality of your artwork and storylines. I have managed to collect many of your books over the years. The Albedo and Critters runs are very hard to find. One “old-time dealer” told me the number published was too small for collecting. It took me ten years to buy an Albedo #4, and still don’t have Critters #6, #7, #38, or #50. Of course, there is no rush.
May I ask several questions? I realize you are busy working, but if you get a chance to answer:
1. Will you attend the San Diego convention this year? Which day?
2. Are there “ashcan” comics of UY? I have never seen or heard of one. I would love to get one for my collection!
3. Do you have a complete list of Usagi’s appearances in published comic books, and could I get a copy of it?
Thanks, and best wishes for a long career.
Dennis Kidwell
38976 Foxholm Dr.
Palmdale, CA 93551
This summer I will be at Anime North in Toronto www.animenorth.org, Philadelphia’s Anthrocon www.anthrocon.org, Comic-Con International: San Diego www.comic-con.org, and Anime Weekend Atlanta www.awa-con.com. There may also be a trip to the Netherlands in there somewhere.
There were no ashcans of Usagi Yojimbo, but there were two for Space Usagi. One was published by Mirage, and the other by Dark Horse.
I believe there is a Usagi checklist on the Dojo website www.usagiyojimbo.com.
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Usagi Yojimbo, including all prominent characters featured in the stories and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Stan Sakai and Usagi Studios. Usagi Yojimbo is a registered trademark of Stan Sakai. Names, characters, places, and incidents featured in this publication either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, institutions, or locales, without satiric content, is coincidental.