After a long relationship with Dark Horse Comics, Usagi Yojimbo has a new home at IDW Publishing.
Coming this June, IDW celebrates with Usagi Yojimbo #1, a full color graphic novel library featuring all 35 years of Usagi Yojimbo history, and for the first time ever, Usagi Yojimbo comics in full color.
From the Press Release-
IDW Publishing is very pleased to announce that industry icon Stan Sakai will bring his critically acclaimed series Usagi Yojimbo to IDW beginning in June. For the first time ever, new monthly Usagi Yojimbo comic books will be published in full color, and IDW will curate a fully-colored graphic novel library of the complete Usagi Yojimbo ā all 35 years of its grand storytelling, plus new stories to come!
āIām delighted to work with IDW Publishing on the new Usagi Yojimbo color series. IDW is a creative company that brings a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and excitement to the table. The IDW family includes many beloved characters, including (of course) the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so it is a natural fit,ā says Stan Sakai. āFans, please look forward to this coming June as weāll be releasing IDW Usagi Yojimbo #1, action-packed and now fully colored.ā
Welcome to the world of Stan Sakaiās Usagi Yojimbo in June with the first thrilling chapter in an all-new three-part story! Set in the Edo period of Japan, this adventure sees Usagi embroiled in a puppet drama where the players are not quite what they seem.
Sakai adds, āBunraku (Japanese puppetry) captures many elements that make the world of Usagi Yojimbo unique: an adventure filled with Japanese culture, folklore, and history. It also features the return of a long-awaited fan favorite character and Yokai (Japanese supernatural creatures). Iād like to thank the readers for their continued support of Usagi, and if you havenāt read Usagi before, this is a great place to start.ā
Marking this milestone with a spectacular selection of covers, Usagi Yojimbo #1 includes a main cover by Stan Sakai, plus variants by Daniel Warren Johnson (Murder Falcon), Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and Walt Simonson (Ragnarƶk, The Mighty Thor).
Written and illustrated by Stan Sakai for over thirty years and published in over fourteen countries, Usagi Yojimbo is set in a unique world based on 17th century Japan. Miyamoto Usagi, who once served as the personal bodyguard for a Japanese warlord, now traverses this unique world ā a landscape populated by ghosts, dinosaurs, monsters, and warriors of all kinds ā as a ronin. In his many exciting adventures, the swordsrabbit hones his skills, saves villages, and often finds himself navigating the delicate affairs of national/political significance.
This looks like a fantastic deal for any Usagi Yojimbo fans. I’m really excited to see it come to full color, and I’m super excited for the variant issues for Usiagi Yojimbo #1! Dark Horse is a great comic publisher, but Usagi Yojimbo on IDW makes a ton of sense. And now maybe we’ll get a full TMNT/Yojimbo ongoing crossover series.
What do you think of the move for Usagi Yojimbo? Are there any new crossovers you hope to see? Let us know in the comments!