Monday, February 16, 2015

Usagi Yojimbo: Grasscutter #1

   It's great to see this series making its return (after a brief hiatus while writer / artist / creator Stan Sakai worked on other projects).

   And Dark Horse has provided the perfect jumping-on spot, with this "1 for $1" issue - yep, it only costs a buck. 

   It introduces the cast and sets up a major storyline, which centers around a plot against the Shogun and the search for the legendary blade known as Grasscutter. 

   We also meet some of the supporting cast, including a demonic killer and some of the allies and enemies of Usagi Yojimbo

   The downside is that this is a reprint of an issue that came out years ago - so to get the rest of the story you'll have to buy the "Grasscutter" collection or track down those back issues.

   For those who just tuned in, Usagi is a masterless samauri - a ronin - who wanders across the face of Japan in the early 17th century. The characters are represented by different animals - it's surprising how quickly you forget that, and focus on the characters, stories and adventures being presented. 

   It's amazing that the series has been running for decades, and just keeps getting better and better. 

   The stories blend heroism, humor, action, adventure, tragedy and tremendous heart - so if you like that sort of thing, you should be buying this series.

   Highly, highly recommended!

Grade: A

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3 comments:

Billy Hogan said...

I'll be picking up this series when it resumes in a few months. I know, late to the party, but better late than never!

El Vox said...

Yeah, it is an excellent series. When I first saw it many years ago, I thought, oh golly, another TMNT ripoff as there seemed to be a lot of similar anthropomorphic titles like that at the time. Boy, was I wrong.

Chuck said...

Billy, I was late to the title, too. Now I'm trying to track down the back issues I've missed!

El Vox, I had the same reaction - but as I've discovered, it's so much more!