Usagi Yojimbo: Special Edition: The Special Edition Kindle & comiXology

I absolutely, positively LOVE Usagi Yojimbo. I have no idea how I first heard of him (I was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan, but I don't remember seeing him in the cartoon) but I bought the very first issue on a lark and have been a fan ever since.I've watched a few old samurai movies, including Yojimbo, Zatochi, and the one with seven samurai whose name I can't remember ( >:) ). The only two differences between those films and this is that this is a comic and the hero has long ears. Otherwise, this is the story of a ronin who wanders around and tries to do good, right wrongs, and just live his life. Stan Sakai has made a fully realized world. Granted, it's mostly based on Japanese history and folklore, but that's just a credit to him to take all that and make an engaging story with believable characters you either like or have endearing traits that help you grow to like them.Of course, you can't review a comic without mentioning the art, for better or worse. For this, it's definitely for better. Stan's style is 2D cartoony, but it's clear there's volume in the scene. It's black & white with no gray (except in the characters themselves :) ) but he makes it work, using the right amount of black to convey the time of day while using textures and line width to make all, or at least most, of the art interesting. Of course, good art means nothing if the publisher doesn't take care to present it well. It's presented well here :)Now, you're probably asking "Is the comic really worth $50?" and I admit that did give me pause (not "deduct a star" pause, but I didn't immediately click "Auto Deliver to Kindle"). If you're not sure, the 7 individual books that make up this Special Edition are available to borrow from the Comixology Unlimited service. The service is only $5.99 a month at the time of this writing and you get a month free so if you can read fast, you can tell whether you'd be willing to part with $50 for this tome."Why not just buy the separate volumes" you ask? At the time of this writing, it is a $1 cheaper to buy the 7 individual volumes. However, it seems like a few of them are part of a sale and cheaper than the other volumes for the time being. In any case, buy the 7 individual volumes and you lose out on the bonus features that help make this thing a 'Special' edition. There are early designs for Usagi, including when he was going to be a human, as well as 3 pages Stan drew before he refined the design. There's also a comic that shows the behind the scenes work Stan does to make each comic that's highly entertaining even if you don't care for behind the scenes stuff. There are 2 crossover comics with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the 7th individual volume has 1 but not the other) and a gallery for the individual issues and 7 individual volumes that collect the single issues. The best bonus feature, however, is an interview with Stan Sakai himself. In a few pages, he explains how he got into lettering, a little about how he created Usagi and his time at Mirage, his views on black & white vs color, and his attempts to market Usagi on TV and a toy line (Bucky O' Hare is not your friend in that regard). All those extra features are a great value in addition to having the first run of Usagi Yojimbo in one tome. It's a MASSIVE tome, even on the Kindle. So MAYBE, if you only have limited space and need to delete and re-download books often, THEN I'd recommend the 7 volumes. Otherwise, this is your best bet.Now for a quick personal story: I have Comixology Unlimited (good if you want to test run a series before buying) and borrowed all 7 volumes to see if I should buy this beast. At the time though, this wasn't available digitally. That was a bummer for me because, being the kind of guy who likes his stuff to match, I wanted this to match Dark Horse's line of Usagi Yojimbo Saga books (that's right, Usagi doesn't end here, just his run with Fantagraphics :) ). I waited and searched but with no luck, I decided to email Fantagraphics and ask if they were at least considering a digital release. I never got a reply but when I was online yesterday (that's right, I only bought it yesterday; that's how much I love this book), I saw a Comixology ad that had THIS BOOK AVAILABLE. I hemmed and hawed a little over the price but, really, this was what I wanted so I effectively ordered this as soon as I knew of its existence (and it apparently came the same day as another book I was waiting for was supposed to before it got postponed). I already read the individual volumes but I checked a few pages before diving into the bonus stuff to confirm that this was what I was hoping for.I do have a few quibbles (check the stars to see how much they matter :) ): We lose all but 2 of the introductions written by distinguished authors who love this series. It's disappointing but I applaud their decision to at least keep Stan Sakai's and Stan "The Man" Lee's intros (yes, Lee ends with "Excelsior"). I also wish the covers gallery had the covers have their own page EACH. Finally, the Kindle version (and Comixology version) are still split into 2 volumes despite it being one volume instead of the physical copy's two volumes in on slipcase. While all 3 are choices are disappointing, I'm less bothered by the last two. I'm sure it was more cost effective to just reuse the same files that made the physical copy for the digital version and in that case, I understand why the covers gallery aren't one a page. Whatever the costs savings was, we still get a world class book. On the other plus side, a 2nd cover gives you a visual clue as to WHEN you're in the 2nd half of the book. Silver linings, lemonade, all that jazz :)This is a great series with great action and wonderful heart, all wrapped in one furry hero. I highly recommend Usagi Yojimbo and I highly recommend collecting his first adventures with this volume.Note 1: For those who prefer physical books over digital, I highly recommend making an exception for this. At 1151 pages, it's exhausting just to look at the individual pages looking for a comic. Heck, buy both and have the digital be you travel copy :)Note 2: For those, despite my review, who'd rather get the 7 volumes, here they are:  Usagi Yojimbo (Collections) (7 Book Series)

So glad I read this. Looking forward to reading more. Would definitely recommend this especially digitally. Because a digital copy is way more responsibly priced. Nothing to do with the quality of the stories themselves. Because the stories are great. Especially the longer storylines.

I enjoy the transition of animals vs humans as subjects in the storyline. This is a similar style writing of "Animal Farm" written by George Orwell; animals being allegorically like humanity. Miyamoto Usage is a rabbit, an anthropomorphic figure who is similar to the mystifying samurai Miyamoto Musashi; which has always made for interesting stories and movies of ancient Japan. Overall the book is well laid out and written giving clarifications of Japanese words when used.