Return to Hell, part 2 of 2: In the aftermath of a brutal gang war, the rabbit ronin and the mercenary swordsman Kato were both lied to about payment by Boss Higa, the ruthless gangster who controls the town called Hell! But on their recent return to town for revenge, they discovered that Higa has built a new gang, and holds the town even more tightly in his grip. Now Usagi and Kato must face a town full of mercenaries and the possibility of a second gang war!

Cover for UY 131

Taiko" Part 1 of 2: "Taiko" means "drum" in Japanese, and is carried by Raijin, the god of thunder. When a province suffers a long drought, the farmers turn to a drum maker to create a taiko from the stump of a 300 year old tree stuck by lightning. This would show the gods their devotion, and they may answer their prayer for rain. However, the Red Scorpion Gang are extorting the farmers--pay up, or the drum will be destroyed. Usagi wanders into town just as things come to a boil.

Cover for UY 132

"Taiko" Part 2 of 2: The Red Scorpion Gang has burned down the temple, and now threatens to destroy the huge drum that would be used to pray to Raijin, the thunder god, for much needed rain. The farmers cannot pay the gang's extortion, but they need the drum for their rain ceremony. Only Usagi stands between the blood thirsty gang and the helpless farmers. Time is running out. The drum must be finished before the usual summer rainy season ends. Usagi helps the drum maker, but how can he fight the Red Scorpions at the same time?

Cover for UY 133

"Toad Oil": It is a well known fact that toad oil from Mt Tsukuba has amazing healing properties. However, the oil that Kitsune is selling is not only NOT from Tsukuba, but it does not even come from toads. In spite of this, her newest scam is a huge success. So much so, that her partners want more than their fair share of the profits. When Usagi tries to intervene she persuades him to stay out of it, in this tale of double, and even triple, crosses.

Cover for UY 134

"Return of the Lord of Owls"....It has been more than a hundred issues since the Lord of Owls was seen, and he is an even more mysterious figure than ever. Five samurai faced off against the Lord of Owls, and one ran away rather than be slain. Since then, his life had been haunted by images of his dead companions.

Usagi hires a guide over the mountain pass plagued with bandits, and now regularly patrolled by the magistrate's guards. After the Lord of Owls kills a group of seemingly innocent pilgrims, Usagi gets involved.

Cover for UY 135

Fantagraphics will be releasing a "Complete Fantagraphics Usagi Yojimbo" as a two volume hard cover with a slip case. It will contain all the stories from Fantagraphics' seven volumes, though not the intros. Also, all the supplemental material from their hardcovers, except for the color Return to Adachi Plain which was recently reprinted in The Art of UY. It will also have an updated interview with me. We are considering a color cover gallery, and the inclusion of a TMNT/Usagi story that was never reprinted. This is scheduled in time for San Diego. We will also reprint The Treaty from Shell Shock. It is a 10 page story guest starring Leonardo from the TMNT. The story will be reprinted in subsequent editions of (probably) Book 7. Will also include a color cover gallery of the FB comics. You can pre-order it at Amazon.

Box Design for The Complete Fantagraphics UY

Usagi Yojimbo:"Tengu Wars" - A future story arc, which may see print sometime in 2008. Features answers to some of the questions raised in UY #65's "Usagi and the Tengu" story. May also feature Katsuichi! Some interesting questions which may be answered include: Who cut off the Tengu's hand? Was it Katsuichi? Did Katsu challenge the Tengu long ago and win, hence forcing the Tengu to reveal his secrets on sword fighting, making Katsuichi the expert swordsman with the "unorthodox style" that everyone comments on? Katsu even lives like a mountain goblin in a way. Could it be that he has adopted their lifestyle? All this and more will be revealed in this future story arc!!! Interesting factoid: Japan's greatest hero, Yoshitsune, learned the art of swordsmanship from a tengu.

Lady Tomoe's Wedding - Stan Sakai says he merely "planted a seed" when we found out that Lord Ito of the Kojima had a plan to arrange a marriage between himself and the lovely Lady Tomoe Ame. What does the future hold? No one can be sure at this point, but one thing's for certain, we haven't heard the last about this shake up in the pages of UY!

War of the Worlds - Yes you read right! Stan is planning a UY mini-series inspired by H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds. This story is about a small expeditionary party of three ships that the Martians sent to earth in 1628--more than two centuries before their big invasion. Usagi has joined the Geishu clan by this time, and Lord Noriyuki has grown into a fine, capable lord. Lord Hikiji has made his move to overthrow the shogunate, and the county is driven into another civil war. It is during the great battle between the Geishu samurai and Hikiji's forces that the first of the Martian ships crashes into the middle of the field. Stan has some nice images in mind--a huge tripod behind a Japanese castle, Edo being razed, armored samurai attacking a martian ship, and the Neko Ninja (again led by Chizu) infiltrating a tripod. To readers who can't grasp such a wild twist in the pages of UY, Stan says he taken all doubts and concerns into consideration, and the story will fit into Usagi continuity and Japanese history.

Usagi Meets Wei Fong Hung - Stan says he has a story where Usagi meets a Chinese doctor/martial artist (ala Wei Fong Hung) though. That story has not been scheduled yet...stay tuned for more info! Stan Sakai: "[Usagi] will meet a Chinese doctor, modeled very, very loosely on Wong Fei Hung. Yeah, I know. They lived in different time periods, but this is a fantasy."

The Return of Inspector Ishida - UYD Member "Maka" gave Stan a great idea for an Inspector Ishida Mystery, a Hana-fuda crime for Inspector Ishida to solve. "The murderer leaves hanafuda cards in his victims clothes as a clue to why the crime was committed." Stan thought it was a great idea and, with Maka's permission, will be using the story ina future issue of UY!

Usagi Meets Catnippon - What's going on with the much-anticipated crossover between Usagi and Sergio Aragones's Samurai Feline? Stan Sakai: "We [Sergio and Stan] haven't discussed this for such a long time. We wrote up a 6 issue synopsis, but haven't done anything with it. We just don't have the time." So who knows if it will be published...chances are it will, but the question is...WHEN???

Usagi meets Nilson and Hermy - Stan plotted out a meeting between three of his most famous characters...Usagi, Nilson Groundthumper, and Hermy. Fans have been patiently awaiting years for this meeting, even longer than Usagi/Catnippon. Stan even figured out a way around the language barrier (Nilson and Hermy being from Europe) -- and the key is Hermy himself. Stan Sakai: "Nilson and Hermy haven't appeared in years, though I still want to do a crossover story with Usagi."

The Adventures of Nilson Groundthumper and Hermy - Stan has mentioned that he does plan on doing a few more Nilson stories...stay tuned!

Space Usagi - Stan has stated that he does plan on doing a fourth and final Space Usagi mini-series, quite possibly to wrap up the saga