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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 29, 2020 17:37:31 GMT -5
Usagi Yojimbo Color Classics #1
 Written and illustrated by Stan Sakai Colored by Ronda Pattison Summary: Our favorite Rabbit Ronan recounts to Gen how he first became a samurai.
Plot/Art: Reprinting Usagi Yojimbo #1 from all the way back in 1987 this colorized edition is a delight for old fans and a great introduction to the character for brand new readers. Although not as complex or refined as latter stories both plot wise and artistically, Samurai none the less remains a favorite of mine to this day. Sure, the story of a young warrior seeking out an unorthodox mentor is hardly new, having been a staple of not only countless samurai stories but also films like Star Wars which were inspired by them, the plucky rabbit going through those same motions have a level of charm to it that just makes you smile.
In addition to the reprint there are two other features, the first was a brief black and white summary of Usagi's adventures up until now(which I believe is new) and the second was a new addition to the the ever popular Chibi Usagi world by Julie Sakai which featured a fun house mirror that distorted the chibi characters reflections into...their traditional looks by Stan Sakai, which was a great gag.
Coloring: I've grown used to Luth's work in coloring Sakai's world over the years and loved it all along I think I might have a new favorite with this issue. While Pattison sticks to the color scheme Luth chose for the characters outfits giving the story a great sense of visual continuation the colors of the back grounds here are far richer and warmer than what we've seen in the past which give's Stan's line-work an even great sense of beauty. I'm really looking forward to seeing what she brings to the table as the book progresses.
Grade:10/10 |
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Post by jabba359 on Jan 30, 2020 0:26:56 GMT -5
Good review. I really liked the coloring and look forward to reading more issues. I do have to point out that the colorist of the current issues (and past covers and occasional color story) is Tom *Luth*, not Bluth.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 30, 2020 7:18:42 GMT -5
Good review. I really liked the coloring and look forward to reading more issues. I do have to point out that the colorist of the current issues (and past covers and occasional color story) is Tom *Luth*, not Bluth. oops, you're 100% right! |
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Post by jabba359 on Feb 6, 2020 2:35:58 GMT -5
In addition to the reprint there are two other features, the first was a brief black and white summary of Usagi's adventures up until now(which I believe is new)
I thought it looked vaguely familiar but couldn't quite figure out why. But today I finally stumbled on where I had seen it before. This 4-page black and white sequence is in the front of the Usagi Yojimbo Saga vol. 1. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 6, 2020 6:55:00 GMT -5
In addition to the reprint there are two other features, the first was a brief black and white summary of Usagi's adventures up until now(which I believe is new)
I thought it looked vaguely familiar but couldn't quite figure out why. But today I finally stumbled on where I had seen it before. This 4-page black and white sequence is in the front of the Usagi Yojimbo Saga vol. 1. I had a similar feeling that I had read it somewhere and now I know where thanks to you! Vol. 1 is one I checked out of the library but do not own. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 26, 2020 10:49:24 GMT -5
I was rereading this issue in preparation for #2 which comes out today and I thought of something that I didn't before...Kenichi is a brown rabbit. I can't remember from any of the previous color specials, but was he always brown or is it new? I always thought he was white like Usagi.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2020 18:41:52 GMT -5
Usagi Yojimbo: Color Classics #3
Story and Art by Stan Sakai
Colored by Ronda Pattison
Summary: Usagi continues with the tale of how he first became a samurai after battling Gunichi and teaming up with Kenichi.
Plot: Though the story is a well known one to me it doesn't fail to entertain. With it's classic Wuxia inspired battle between Usagi and Gunichi complete with Buddhist references and the feel good team up between old friends at the end with Kenichi the simple universal appeal of the story is easy to understand. From a historical view point from a long time fan it's always interesting to see just how much the character of Usagi has changed over the years from the haughty warrior in the tale to the very humble, humanist wanderer we now have and while I definitely prefer the current characterization there is still a lot of charm to the original interpretation which is why he's endured to this day.
Coloring: I'm still thrown by Kenichi being a brown rabbit for some reason, even though I know it's not new to this series, but other wise I really love the depth the color brings to the book.
Grade:9/10
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Mar 26, 2020 21:00:01 GMT -5
I was rereading this issue in preparation for #2 which comes out today and I thought of something that I didn't before...Kenichi is a brown rabbit. I can't remember from any of the previous color specials, but was he always brown or is it new? I always thought he was white like Usagi. I'd always naturally assumed all the rabbits in Usagi's world were white, but I swear I recall being shocked by Kenichi being brown once before. Perhaps in the color specials? |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 27, 2020 5:47:57 GMT -5
I was rereading this issue in preparation for #2 which comes out today and I thought of something that I didn't before...Kenichi is a brown rabbit. I can't remember from any of the previous color specials, but was he always brown or is it new? I always thought he was white like Usagi. I'd always naturally assumed all the rabbits in Usagi's world were white, but I swear I recall being shocked by Kenichi being brown once before. Perhaps in the color specials? Yeah, I looked it up after and he was brown there too. I think that's one of the few drawbacks to coloring these older issues for older readers like us, we've had all these years of imagining what colors these characters and world might be and the poor colorist can't read our minds so there are bound to be conflicts. Still, it's a fun project and I'm looking forward to seeing more. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Mar 27, 2020 8:15:18 GMT -5
I'd always naturally assumed all the rabbits in Usagi's world were white, but I swear I recall being shocked by Kenichi being brown once before. Perhaps in the color specials? I think that's one of the few drawbacks to coloring these older issues for older readers like us, we've had all these years of imagining what colors these characters and world might be and the poor colorist can't read our minds so there are bound to be conflicts. Oh, it's still not as jarring as when I learned how Gen was pronounced 😂 |
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