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IMO, Usagi Yojimbo is an excellent comic that is worth your money in either issue or graphic novel format: the digest-sized GNs are beautifully designed and produced, but the issues provide additional information in appendices on Sakai's extensive research for the story.
For financial reasons, I haven't bought it in a few years but in the eight years that I did, I found it to be a dramatic, humorous and informative story that succeeded in progressing beyond its origins in the post-TMNT anthropomorphics boom as well as its Kurosawa, and Kojima and Koike (Lone Wolf and Cub, Samurai Executioner) influences to become a success in its own right.
Sakai infused the story with detail of life in feudal Japan, but retained a balance between the rigid structure of its setting and his observations of human (sic) nature. It had, and still has, AFAIK, an extended cast of characters, and the relationships between the characters encourages the reader to explore them further, both in previous and continuing stories.
Of the GNs that are still in print I'd suggest Book 2, Samurai as an excellent introduction to both Usagi and his world; Book 1 reprints the early stories from Albedo and Critters, but Book 2 collects the first issues of the UY series. Book 4, The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy is also an example of the extended storyline in which Sakai excels, but is unfortunately out-of-print.
I'd heartily recommend UY, but my only reservation is that its use of anthropomorphics is both its strength and its weakness: visually the art is dynamic and expressive, but it can sometimes detract from the emotional impact of the stories. |
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