Twenty-five years ago last month, a slightly forbidding bunny rabbit made his first appearance, in the pages of an unassuming comic book called Albedo. It was the second issue of that independent black-and-white title. The bunny, who was featured on the cover, wore traditional Japanese garb and sported a pair of swords, his ears tied in the trademark topknot of a samurai warrior. The comic book, published when Dark Horse was still just a glimmer in Mike Richardson’s eye, originally sold for a buck and a half. By all accounts, they could barely give it away. Now long out of print, it’s worth many hundreds of dollars on the collectors’ market.

Since then, Stan Sakai and his creation, Usagi Yojimbo, have weathered four different publishers, burrowing into the Dark Horse stable, finally, in 1996 with a three-issue Space Usagi series, followed by nine or ten issues, year in and year out, of the ongoing Usagi comic book -- for a total, now, of one hundred and twenty-five issues! That’s a singular accomplishment in and of itself in the history of comics, beating even Jack Kirby’s legendary run on Fantastic Four. But adding in the pre-Dark Horse Usagi comics brings that number up to almost two hundred issues -- so far! Not to mention The Art of Usagi Yojimbo as well as the twenty-three volumes of Usagi trade paperbacks and limited edition hardcovers, all of which have resulted in countless awards both here and abroad, including the prestigious National Cartoonists Society Award. Yeah, Stan Sakai loves comics.

Usagi isn’t in the movies or on Saturday morning TV -- except, that is, for guest appearances with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The rabbit ronin hasn’t spawned a line of designer clothing, multiple action figures, or other licensed products—though, at one time or another, there have been all of these. Stan Sakai doesn’t work in Hollywood, nor is he a rock star—except to his fans, who are legion and include such heavyweights as director John Landis, artist Geof Darrow, and writer Brian K. Vaughan. What Stan is is a hardworking cartoonist, a guy who is at the drawing board every single day, and has been for twenty-five years, crafting the tales of his samurai bunny in order to bring them to you, dear reader -- on time, every time --because Stan Sakai loves comics.

In casting about for a special project to mark the occasion of Usagi’s 25th anniversary, I asked the book’s designer, Cary Grazzini, what he -- the quintessential Usagi fan -- would like to see. Cary didn’t skip a beat before answering, “a full-color, painted graphic novel.” Stan agreed and set to work on Yokai, a 56-page standalone story in which Usagi encounters the monsters, spirits, and demons of Japanese folklore, all of which are gorgeously rendered in lush, vibrant watercolor. Rounding out the handsome 64-page hardcover is an interview with Stan about his creative process, conducted by assistant editor Brendan Wright, and excerpted from a much longer interview which you can read right now on the Dark Horse website, in the Usagi Yojimbo Zone . . . because we love comics, too!

Diana Schutz
Executive Editor