Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 1: The Ronin Kindle & comiXology

Let's start with the caveats: I'm not 12, not even close. Stupid? Possibly, but I do have a Masters in Math. I have been reading comics for years (and years and years). I love reading comics, stopped when I was 14, started again when I was 20, and haven't stopped since. When I first came across Usagi Yojimbo, while I was browsing in the comic book shop, I was thinking: hmmm Disney! Talking animals, with swords? Really? And just Black and White? Ok, It looks cute, but who cares? But I bought a couple (they were cheap, and the drawing really was good) and the next weekend rushed back to the shop, and purchased the rest that were available. And I haven't stopped buying them since. The art is beautiful (yes I studied art as well, though I don't do comics). Simple, in line, but not execution. Elegant comes to mind. Beautifully rendered, with more detail than at first seems apparent. And oh so effective. The writing is too (oh, and I write). No fluff, no hyperbole, just very well written. As I said: effective. The stories envoke the magic of Feudal Japan, and those great movies from the 50's and 60's. Stan obviously loves them, and me? I just fell in love with it, and discovered something else: they really do get better. The Short stories are fun, but as Stan started to grapple with the characters and his ideas, and he start pushing his story lies, those extended arcs? They're even better, worth every cent, every second. After 30 years, I still wait, with that little flutter of anticipation, the next episodes of Stan's continuing masterpiece.So now I'm re-purchasing on Kindle/comiXology, to read on my iPad. No disappointment here. The lines stand out, and they look just fantastic.Ok, some people don't see it. Tough! I still laugh when I see that age range! I'm not stopping reading it yet. Keep going Stan, I know a lot of people love what you're doing, and have for years (and years and years) :0)

Many years ago, I discovered Stan Sakai's creation of the anthropomorphic rabbit ronin and his novel concept of retelling traditional Japanese legends and folk tales using Usagi as the protagonist. At that time, there were only a half dozen collected volumes, and I greedily devoured them all.The art is excellent, and the many of the stories are different from standard western fare.I recently repurchased the book to read to my son, figuring that since he loves animals, Usagi and his friends would be a good fit for bed time reading. It worked - kind of... The stories are bit more violent than I remembered, and while they are not too graphic (no teen or adult would have any problem here), they're not ideal for reading to my son.In short: great eastern stories in graphic format, but not necessarily for children.

I have read most of the original TMNT comics, and watched most of the versions of the cartoons, so I had some familiarity with Usagi Yojimbo, but had never read any of the comics, well my first foray into Usagi was not a disappointment. I greatly enjoyed it. It is drawn well and has much excitement with some humor too. If you love ninja turtles, chances are, you will love this ninja rabbit. I plan on getting at least the next two volumes.

Some people claim this book is slow. I absolutely love it and it's exactly what made me fall in love with Stan Sakai's stories and sucked me into the world of this samurai rabbit. As a lover of history, graphic novels and Japanese culture, it could not be more on point and it is something I would emphatically share with my older tween.

Fantastic artwork, action, lighthearted scenes mixed with good dramatic elements kept me reading and unfortunately surged right through the book, but that is in noway a negative. I kept wanting more and I ordered the second and third books as well as the Space Usagi collection. Its deep and violent enough to not be cheesy, yet very accessible for readers of any age. The violence is there as I said but, it is fairly tame thanks the monochrome art and while it has some violence, it only comes after someone crosses Usagi, he is honorable (as is the way of the samurai) and gives them a chance to leave before he dispatches the villains. To the parents that are on the fence about purchasing these books for their kids: I would say go for it, it is not overly violent and there is no gore.

Arrived a day early, some scratches, rips, and puncture marks on the cover. However, the price was unbeatable, so I just imagine they're sword slashes and that makes me smile. Happy to have this classic volume in my collection. A+ experience!

Usagi is a great samurai who is a even better swordsman. Stan Sakai is absolutely the best book writer of all time. I really love his books, they are great and I love them I read them and enjoy them more than I thought I would.

It was my first Usagi trip and i loved it. The storytelling is marvelous and magical, it always keeps you wanting more and more and the Japanese samurai feel is all over it in a masterful way. The art is grandious as well and you can stare at the pages for hours looking at the details and the story each panel tells. Highly recommended to everyone, specially if you like comics, graphic novels, etc... This is a great book and a great series!

I really enjoy Stanly Sakai's and his drawings of Usagi Yojimbo.

This was on my husbands "to read list" he is heavily into his graphic novels and really enjoyed it,

As expected,excelent

"Usagi Yojimbo" (Kaninchen-Leibwächter) ist der seltene Fall eines Comics, der oft ernste und brutale Geschichten durch eine komische, anthropomorphe Alternativwelt aufbereitet. Alle Protagonisten sind Tiere, Kaninchen, Stiere, Schweine, Füchse und so weiter, aber sie handeln wie Menschen; keineswegs ist dies ein Kindercomic, denn die erzählten Geschichten sind zwar ab und an komisch, meist aber doch recht ernsthaft - ich würde sagen, die Geschichte von "Lone Wolf and Cub" erzählt in einem "Bone"-Zeichenstil. Es fließt viel Blut und Körperteile werden abgeschnitten, und es werden oft genug die dunklen Seiten der menschlichen Psyche dargestellt. Dabei ist das ganze trotzdem sehr unterhaltsam und hängt seinen offensichtlichen Anspruch aber nicht an die große Glocke.Die 10 Episoden in diesem Band sind nicht direkt zusammenhängend, allerdings geht bereits hier ein roter Faden durch die Episoden. Ich bin sehr gespannt, wie sich die Geschichte um den Kaninchen-Samurai Usagi Miyamoto weiterentwickelt.Eine qualitativ sehr hochwertige Aufmachung mit dickem Papier und sehr guter Bindung, sattem Schwarzweiß-Druck und einem stabilen Einband steht leider der Mangel eines Vor- oder Nachwortes gegenüber. Da so ein Vorwort immer einen netten Einblick in das Werk liefert, wäre dies noch ein echtes Goodie gewesen.Wer "Bone" oder "Lone Wolf and Cub" mochte, wird aller Wahrscheinlichkeit nach auch "Usagi Yojimbo" mögen. Aber auch alle anderen sollten einen Blick auf diese außergewöhnliche Comicreihe werfen.

per chiunque abbia voglia di un pò del caro vecchio giappone feudale e dei samurai che lo popolavano è certamente una lettura che soddisfa questo desiderio. non fatevi frenare dal fatto che i protagonisti siano animali: l'autore, Sakai; gestisce la cosa ottimamente e il risultato è più che piacevole riuscendo a coinvolgere il lettore con storie anche molto brevi. super-consigliato!!!