Comic Review: Usagi Yojimbo Color Classics #4

Usagi Yojimbo Color Classics #4

IDW Publishing

Writer/Artist: Stan Sakai

Usagi Yojimbo’s adventures continue in this new issue of the Color Classics line. This new issue features chapters seven and eight of the classic “Samurai” storyline. The last issue saw Usagi discover a drunken Kenichi in an inn. After news broke that their village was being attacked the rival rabbits teamed up and left to save their home. Chapter seven picks up from there with the bandits attacking the village and demanding all their food. After Usagi’s father attempts to defy them the bandits begin pillaging the place. Their leader eventually spots Mariko, the childhood friend of Usagi and Kenichi, and decides he wants her for himself. Naturally, this is where Usagi and Kenichi step in.

This chapter is more serious than the last. It mostly consists of a fairly violent battle between the bandits and the two samurai. There’s no noticeable humour in this chapter but it’s still a well-done story. It also provides what seems to be a nice conclusion to Kenichi’s story arc. The dialogue during the scenes in the present also gives a bit of insight into Usagi. We see a bit of his emotional side as he describes Kenichi’s fate to Gen. It’s quite nice considering how stoic the rabbit can be at times.

Chapter eight is where things take a darker turn. At this point, Usagi is employed by the lord Mifune and alongside Gunichi he now serves as a bodyguard. The story revolves around an assassination attempt on Mifune’s wife and child. Ninjas are sent by a rival lord and Usagi, Mifune and Gunichi have to try and stop them. The attack results in war breaking out between Mifune and the rival lord who sent the ninjas. Usagi is of course called into the battle as a soldier. This is another serious story. I think that’s a good thing though. This is a far more serious chapter than any of the previous ones. Humour may have distracted too much from the events of this story. Still, it’s very enjoyable and you get a good feeling for Mifune’s character throughout this short chapter.

The artwork continues to be stunning. Sakai does a fantastic job throughout this issue. It’s impressive how expressive these characters are. Even though they’re cartoon animals you can really see the emotion, especially during battle scenes. Mifune is exceptional too in terms of the variety of emotions he displays. The blatant hatred shown when he finds out his wife and child were targeted for assassination is incredible.

The lettering isn’t anything to write home about. The sound effects do their job in that they add to the action scenes. Little things like the “Twang” of the bowstring when Kenichi fires an arrow or screaming as warriors rush into battle. It does a lot to suck you into what’s happening in the story.  Other than that it’s mainly the standard use of bold text to convey emotion in dialogue and highlight important words. It’s all done well though and adds to the tale that Sakai is telling.

All in all this is a great issue. These chapters lack the humour that was present in previous issues but that’s not a bad thing. Usagi’s tale is becoming more and more serious so naturally, the comedy has to be dialed down. These are still great stories and the action in them is fantastic. Both of these chapters feel like they could’ve taken place in any great samurai film. They’re that good. If I had to pick a favourite of the two chapters it’d be eight though. This story is so emotional and it does a great job of increasing the stakes and setting up the next issue. I can’t wait to see what happens next. Definitely a book worth picking up if you haven’t already.

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