The Top 100 Comic Book Rumbles, Day Four
Jun 25, 2019 8:29:14 GMT -5
shaxper and thwhtguardian like this
Post by brutalis on Jun 25, 2019 8:29:14 GMT -5
7. Usagi Yojimbo versus an army
by Stan Sakai. Usagi Yojimbo #10, February 26, 1997.
Stan delivers to us the gigantic and horrific battle between 2 Japanese army's of Lord Mifune and Lord Hikiji where Usagi is a Samurai and bodyguard to Lord Mifune. Against overwhelming odds Usagi fights to protect his lord until Buichi Toda betrays Lord Mifune and Mifune is killed in a barrage of arrows. Usagi commits his final duty and attempts to escape with his Lord's head in order to prevent the enemy from displaying their triumph. Fighting his way to freedom, Usagi confronts Lord Hikiji where Usagi is wounded and receives a scar over his left eye (leaving him with a perpetually uplifted Spock eyebrow look) from Hikiji. Usagi does manage to escape and bury his Lord's head therby fulfilling his duty and meaning he does not feel the need to commit seppuku. Having avenged his master Usagi now becomes a master-less samurai, a Ronin warrior, taking a pilgrimage traveling the lengths and breadths of Japan as a Yojimbo for hire helping those who need and deserve help, meeting and making new friends and all the while hoping to one day stop the evil Hikiji.
A truly immense and spectacular origin story which highlights all the best aspects of this series and for spotlighting the lead character Myamoto Usagi and why with each new story and battle Sakai shows us more of the "real world" and teaches us all in how to being a better person. I had picked up the 1st few issues of Usagi but hadn't really followed it strongly until this issue, which just awed me in all the nuance and details of Stan's writing and art combining into a brilliant must read series!
by Stan Sakai. Usagi Yojimbo #10, February 26, 1997.
Stan delivers to us the gigantic and horrific battle between 2 Japanese army's of Lord Mifune and Lord Hikiji where Usagi is a Samurai and bodyguard to Lord Mifune. Against overwhelming odds Usagi fights to protect his lord until Buichi Toda betrays Lord Mifune and Mifune is killed in a barrage of arrows. Usagi commits his final duty and attempts to escape with his Lord's head in order to prevent the enemy from displaying their triumph. Fighting his way to freedom, Usagi confronts Lord Hikiji where Usagi is wounded and receives a scar over his left eye (leaving him with a perpetually uplifted Spock eyebrow look) from Hikiji. Usagi does manage to escape and bury his Lord's head therby fulfilling his duty and meaning he does not feel the need to commit seppuku. Having avenged his master Usagi now becomes a master-less samurai, a Ronin warrior, taking a pilgrimage traveling the lengths and breadths of Japan as a Yojimbo for hire helping those who need and deserve help, meeting and making new friends and all the while hoping to one day stop the evil Hikiji.
A truly immense and spectacular origin story which highlights all the best aspects of this series and for spotlighting the lead character Myamoto Usagi and why with each new story and battle Sakai shows us more of the "real world" and teaches us all in how to being a better person. I had picked up the 1st few issues of Usagi but hadn't really followed it strongly until this issue, which just awed me in all the nuance and details of Stan's writing and art combining into a brilliant must read series!
