Thursday, February 12, 2009

The Rabbit Ronin turns twenty-five!



Hailed across the world for his unparalleled storytelling, comics auteur Stan Sakai sets the bar even higher with Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai -- writing, hand-painting, and lettering a thrilling original story.

Yokai are the monsters, demons, and spirits of Japanese folklore, such as the shape-changing kitsune, the obakeneko demon cats, and the evil oni ogres. Usagi faces all these and more when a desperate woman begs for his help in finding her kidnapped husband. Tracing the abducted man to an old castle, Usagi finds the ruins haunted by creatures of Japanese legend, and discovers that they are amassing for a great raid on the countryside! Fortunately, Usagi is joined by Sasuke the Demon Queller, who fights for the same cause, but things aren’t always as they seem, especially when dealing with the supernatural!

“Longtime Usagi Yojimbo designer Cary Grazzini and I were tossing around ideas for Usagi’s 25th anniversary,” said editor Diana Schutz, “and Cary commented that he would love to see Stan hand-paint an original story. Fans don’t often get to see Usagi in color, much less painted by Stan himself, so the standalone graphic novel seemed a perfect way to celebrate this special anniversary. And painted color will bring the fantastical creatures of Yokai to outstanding life!”

With beautiful watercolor art and story by the masterful Stan Sakai, this new mass-market hardcover graphic novel is a perfect introduction to the beloved samurai rabbit and a must-own for any Usagi fan!

Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai arrives on shelves this November!

No comments: