Usagi Yojimbo

• Title: Usagi Yojimbo: The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy #4
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Stan Sakai
• Artist: Stan Sakai

Miyamoto Usagi‘s attempt to save Tomoe has failed and has left him half-dead on the road only to be found and rescued by Shingen, who thankfully is less murderous than the last time our ronin’s path crossed the ninja. Usagi’s successful escape, and Tomoe being loose somewhere in his compound, forces Lord Tamakuro to push up his plans to move against the shogun. Can Usagi work with the Neko Ninja to stop him?

In the other ongoing storyline, Gen finally catches up with Zato-Ino leading to a lengthy battle that highlights this chapter of the story and costs the bounty hunter his horn. Before their fight can conclude, Usagi and the ninja arrive as the ronin quickly makes each a promise and secures their help for the attack on Lord Tamakuro’s fortress. Now the real battle begins.

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• Title: Usagi Yojimbo #22
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Stan Sakai
• Artist: Stan Sakai

Miyamoto Usagi‘s travels with his cousin Yukichi Yamamoto continue in part one of “Ransom” as the two wanderers have mad their way out of Lord Hikiji’s province only to run into new trouble when their paths cross those of Kitsune and Kiyoko. It doesn’t take the young warrior long to discover the sneakiness of the two thieves as they tease Yukichi before showing the travelers the thieves’ latest score: a ledger of corruption and payoffs.

There’s some fun here at Yukichi’s expense as the naïve young warrior sees a bit more of the world than he was expecting in a pair of thieves who seem to periodically show up just to drive Usagi crazy.

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• Title: Usagi Yojimbo: The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy #1
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Stan Sakai
• Artist: Stan Sakai

IDW continues to collect old Usagi Yojimbo stories and release them in color for the first time. Usagi Yojimbo: The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy #1 offers the retelling of the first chapter of “The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy,” originally released in the late 1980s Fantagraphics Usagi Yojimbo run. Although Miyamoto Usagi does appear in the issue, as one of three separate weary travelers struggling through the rain (the other two being Gen and Zato-Ino), his entrance to the story comes rather late.

The story of Chapter One involves Lord Noriyuki sending Tomoe Ame to investigate the unusual activity of his neighbor Lord Tamakuro who seems to be stockpiling warriors and weapons for some unknown purpose. Tomoe confirms her lord’s suspicions by discovering rifles and gunpowder but is captured before she can report back (which is where our rabbit ronin steps into the tale).

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• Title: Usagi Yojimbo #20
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Stan Sakai
• Artist: Stan Sakai

Usagi Yojimbo #20 begins a new arc with the introduction of young swordmaster Yukichi Yamamoto who meets Miyamoto Usagi for the second time. The pair’s first meeting is shown in a flashback in which Yukichi retells the meeting where the young pupil was too slow to recognize Usagi’s skill with a blade denying a meeting for the rabbit ronin with Itsuki-Sensei. Now with his master dead, Yukichi travels to deliver Itsuki-Sensei‘s sword his nephew Daido.

The flashback meeting, which Usagi has long ago forgotten about, and hold no ill-will, but which still haunts Yukichi, offers an interesting way to pair the two together as something more than just simple companions on the road. It turns out Yukichi is thankful for Usagi’s company as some local marauders take interest in the two travelers (and aren’t too happy with being publicly rebuffed).

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