Usagi Yojimbo: Bunraku and Other Stories

Usagi Yojimbo: Bunraku and Other Stories by Stan Sakai
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Usagi Yojimbo: Bunraku and Other Stories collects Usagi Yojimbo #1-7 from IDW in color!

I caught up on my Usagi Yojimbo reading right before my son was born last year. He's turning one in a couple weeks so it's only appropriate that I read the newest Usagi Yojimbo volume.

In this collection of tales, Usagi encounters killer puppets, escorts a famous writer on a trip away from her abusive samurai husband, takes on a goblin not far from where his master was slain years ago, and joins up with old friends Stray Dog and Gen.

Reading new Usagi stories is like slipping into a favorite t-shirt, comforting and familiar. This volume is both a good jumping on point for new readers and a refresher for old readers. Stan Sakai's art is as crisp as ever. I thought color would be unnecessary, and I still think that to some extent, but Tom Luth's coloring is a nice addition. The coloring is understated and while I noticed some gradients, flat color for the most part. It reminds me of the coloring in Dark Horse's Moebius books.

I think I appreciate Stan Sakai's writing even more than his art, though. He manages to work Japanese culture into his tales without making it seem like he needed to shoehorn everything he researched into the tale. In Bunraku, it was puppetry. He's also a master at giving the audience what they need rather than what they want. We all wanted to see Usagi cut down Mura's husband but his final fate was much more satisfying the way things played out.

With Bunraku and Other Stories, Usagi Yojimbo continues to be one of my all time favorite series. Four out of five killer puppets.


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