Most Popular Books by Stan Sakai

Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo is a popular all-ages graphic novel series that chronicles the action-packed wanderings of a ronin in feudal Japan ― as told with anthropomorphic animals. For the first ten years of his career, the battling bunny was published by Fantagraphics Books. This slipcase set collects that entire run (previously published as seven trade paperbacks). With over 1000 pages of story, this is the complete, definitive, early Usagi with plenty of extras for fans and collectors.

In the tradition of the celebrated collections The Art of Sin Cityand The Art of Hellboy, Dark Horse is proud to showcase the work of multi award-winning creator Stan Sakai in The Art of Usagi Yojimbo. The sold-out hardcover edition, timed to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the creation of Sakai''s signature character, Usagi Yojimbo, was met with an overwhelming response from thousands of fans around the world. This edition features scores of never-before-seen pieces, a long out-of-print twelve-page primer illustrating how Stan creates each of his Usagi stories, forty-eight full-color pages of Stan''s beautiful painted artwork, and more. Additionally, some of the biggest names in comics pay tribute to their favorite rabbit ronin in a fantastic gallery section, with pinups by Frank Miller, Geof Darrow, Jeff Smith, Sergio Aragonés, and Matt Wagner, among others!

Usagi continues his journey in serach of harmony.

Honoring the 35th anniversary of Stan Sakai''s award-winning series Usagi Yojimbo, this deluxe art collection includes hundreds of full-page cover pieces illustrated by Stan Sakai! From clashing swords with Lord Hikiji to standing alongside the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Usagi''s lively history is fully represented in this compendium of Stan''s greatest covers.

Adventure in feudal Japan waits for no one! In this fifth definitive Usagi Yojimbo compilation, rabbit ronin Miyamoto Usagi shares those adventures with several returning friends, including Inspector Ishida, sneak thief Kitsune, and bounty hunters Gen and Stray Dog. And Usagi''s most important friendship, with retainer Tomoe Ame, is spotlighted in the epic-length "Mother of Mountains," her origin "Tomoe''s Story," and the poignant tea ceremony tale "Chanoyu." Throughout, Stan Sakai''s award-winning combination of intriguing storytelling and deft line work constitute a master class in the comics form! Collects Usagi Yojimbo Volume Three #76-#93, Usagi Yojimbo Color Special #1-#3, and more!

Usagi and his friend Inspector Ishida join forces once again as they embark on a mission to track down and uncover the importance of a foreign book that''s been at the root of many problems across the land. The daring duo, desperate to solve the mystery and restore peace, are forced to undertake unusual measures as well as enlist the help of a few surprising sources to get the information they require. Will Usagi and Ishida come out victorious or will this mystery prove too much for them to solve? Collecting a complete story arc in one place, this is the perfect jumping-on point for any fans--new or old! Collects Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden issues #1-#7.

One of the most critically acclaimed and beloved adventure comics! This volume in the definitive Usagi Yojimbo Saga series includes the storylines “Bridge of Tears,” in which a new love tempts the rabbit ronin to abandon his wandering lifestyle; “The Darkness and the Soul,” revealing at last the origin of the demon Jei; and “Sparrows,” featuring Jei’s terrifying return, as well as Usagi’s travels with bounty hunter Gen. Includes the landmark Usagi Yojimbo #100, a celebratory “roast” issue by several of the best writers and artists in comics, including Frank Miller, Matt Wagner, Jeff Smith, Sergio Aragonés, along with a color cover gallery from the original series comics! Stan Sakai’s evocative artwork and gripping tales continue to enthrall readers of all ages. Collects the Usagi Yojimbo volumes Bridge of Tears, Return of the Black Soul, and Fox Hunt!

Follow Miyamoto Usagi in his epic trek along the warrior''s path, beginning with over 600 pages of Usagi''s essential adventures. In this first volume, Usagi protects a village from a band of assassins, reluctantly engages in a duel for blood money, hunts a gangster who has stolen his swords, and more!

Usagi Yojimbo returns to Dark Horse with this graphic novel! Following the events of “The Green Dragon,” Usagi and Yukichi are still in the snowy mountaintops of Northern Japan. They are led to the hut of a strange woman hermit who allows them to spend the night. Meanwhile, the maniacal Jei and his familiar, Keiko, are on Usagi’s trail, and they stumble upon a bandit lair and subdue the band of cutthroats and thieves. Stan Sakai brings his beloved rabbit ronin series back to Dark Horse—featuring full color by colorist team HiFi! This limited-edition hardcover with dust jacket also includes a tip-in sheet with a unique image signed by Stan Sakai! Collects Usagi Yojimbo: Ice and Snow #1–#5.

This seventh volume includes “Traitors of the Earth,” in which Usagi faces the undead, “A Town Called Hell,” wherein Usagi is caught between two competing gang lords, “Those Who Tread on the Scorpion’s Tail,” which pits Usagi against the notorious Red Scorpions, and more! Collects Usagi Yojimbo Volume Three #117–#138 and the Free Comic Book Day 2009 story “One Dark and Stormy Night.” “One of the longest running series in comics, the quality of the narrative still remains undeniably high.”—Paste Magazine

For years, as Miyamoto Usagi has wandered the countryside, an unseen, malevolent entity has been tracing his steps. Thought dead since the events of Grasscutter, the demon Jei - the Black Soul - has been inhabiting the body of the swordswoman Inazuma, intent on destroying the evil he claims to see in Usagi!

Dark Horse presents the quintessential companion to The Usagi Yojimbo Saga series--Usagi Yojimbo Saga: Legends! This volume collects some of the rabbit ronin''s most exhilarating and colorful stories, including Senso, Yokai, and the long out of print Space Usagi! In these breathtaking pages, Usagi takes on a myriad of opponents, including dinosaurs, aliens, and demons, but never loses sight of the warrior''s code: truth, honor, loyalty, and sacrifice. • By comics master Stan Sakai! • Includes stories not included in The Usagi Yojimbo Saga, including Space Usagi, which has long been out of print! • Complete your set--this is the essential companion to The Usagi Yojimbo Saga! • 540 beautiful pages, including a breathtaking color section! "I don''t think there''s much that I could write about Stan Sakai''s masterwork series that hasn''t been said . . . you are going to fall in love with this world, with this storyteller who will keep you guessing and enthralled." --Fanbase Press "This is the definition of a timeless work of art." --Multiversity Comics "[Stan''s] work seems both effortless and worked over; he is a true master of comics." --Multiversity Comics

The rabbit ronin faces a menace from Mars in this extraordinary story from multiple Eisner award-winning creator Stan Sakai! Fifteen years in his future, Miyamoto Usagi fights with Lord Noriyuki''s Geishu clan, in an all-out war against the treacherous Lord Hikiji. In the fury of the final battle, a mysterious metal rocket crash-lands from the heavens, shattering both armies and igniting a new, more devastating conflict. It will take all the considerable fortitude, ingenuity, and heroism that Usagi and his loved ones can muster to combat the fearsome extraterrestrial war machines and halt the alien invasion. In the end, not everyone will survive to tell the tale.

New challenges await the rabbit ronin in the fourth volume of this enduring saga, featuring new original cover art by Stan Sakai! Miyamoto Usagi’s past returns as he fights alongside his former teacher and struggles with the knowledge that his traveling companion Jotaro is his son! The Neko ninja and fan-favorite character Sasuké the Demon Queller reappear, and a manga classic is paid tribute in Lone Goat and Kid! Collects Usagi Yojimbo Volume Three #53-#75, a color cover gallery, and the color short story “A Lesson in Courtesy.”

"This Gallery Edition reproduces Stan Sakai''s artwork for Usagi Yojimbo in full color and at original size. This first volume comprises the first ten years of Sakai and Usagi''s evolution, spanning from the earliest, unpublished Usagi story in the early eighties to the second Usagi Yojimbo series [in] the early nineties."--About this edition (CIP galley)

Collects the entire "The Hidden" arc in a limited edition, a numbered hardcover signed by the master himself, Stan Sakai! Usagi and his friend Inspector Ishida join forces once again as they embark on a mission to track down and uncover the importance of a foreign book that''s been at the root of many problems across the land. The daring duo, desperate to solve the mystery and restore peace, are forced to undertake unusual measures as well as enlist the help of a few surprising sources to get the information they require. Will Usagi and Ishida come out victorious or will this mystery prove too much for them to solve? Collecting a complete story arc in one place, this is the perfect jumping-on point for any fans--new or old! Collects Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden issues #1-#7.

One of the most critically acclaimed, longest running, and beloved adventure comics! The eighth volume in Stan Sakai''s prestige Usagi Saga collection includes three major storylines: ''''Two Hundred Jizo,'''' in which Usagi and Inspector Ishida team up to solve a double murder; ''''Thieves and Spies,'''' where Usagi joins forces with a thief and a samurai to thwart a black-market Ginseng trade; and ''''The Hell Screen,'''' a thrilling tale that finds Usagi working alongside his natural enemy—a kappa—to cast out a violent renegade of the same species. Stan Sakai’s evocative artwork and gripping tales continue to enthrall readers of all ages. Collects issues #139–#158 of Usagi Yojimbo Volume 3, "The Artist" and "Buntori" from Usagi Yojimbo Color Special #5, and the bonus story "Sukanku."

The rabbit ronin''s classic adventure in space—now in color and with a bonus issue-long story! Featuring Stan Sakai''s emotive artwork and expert lettering, with colors by Emi Fujii. With a new introduction from Stan Sakai, and also collecting the Space Usagi: Yokai Hunter one-shot comic! As the general of Lord Shirohoshi''s space fleet, it''s Usagi''s responsibility to keep the lord and his heir safe. Now tasked with the education and protection of the lord''s heir, Usagi must remain vigilant at all times to protect the heir from a murderous plot and an unexpected betrayal. Collects Space Usagi: Death and Honor #1u00ad–#3 and Space Usagi: Yokai Hunter.

One of the most critically acclaimed, longest running, and beloved adventure comics! This seventh volume includes the stories "Traitors of the Earth," in which Miyamoto Usagi faces the undead; "A Town Called Hell," which sees Usagi caught in the crossfire between two competing lords; "Those Who Tread on the Scorpion''s Tail," where Usagi takes on the notorious Red Scorpions—and more! 600 pages of emotive and thrilling samurai action! Stan Sakai’s evocative artwork and gripping tales continue to enthrall readers of all ages. Collects Usagi Yojimbo Volume Three #117–#138, the Free Comic Book Day 2009 short story "One Dark and Stormy Night," and the color short story “Cut the Plum.”

The adventures of Stan Sakai''s beloved Miyamoto Usagi hit an early peak in this new deluxe compilation! Volume Two features the rabbit ronin''s first encounters with the Lord of Owls, Inspector Ishida, and more, and is highlighted by the Eisner Award-winning Grasscutter, a grand tale assembling nearly all the series'' characters in a struggle over the grasscutting sword of Japanese legend, with the fate of the nation in the balance! This omnibus collects Usagi Yojimbo Book 11: Seasons, Usagi Yojimbo Book 12: Grasscutter, and Usagi Yojimbo Book 13: Grey Shadows.

Experience the rabbit action epic that might have been! More than just a precursor to Stan Sakai''s beloved Usagi Yojimbo, his tales of medieval unwits Nilson and Hermy are every bit as funny, exciting, and beautifully illustrated as the saga of the familiar rabbit ronin! Collecting Nilson and Hermy''s complete exploits! * Collects every Nilson story, plus rarely seen extra art! * Newly scanned from Sakai''s original art and colored by Usagi colorist Tom Luth! * Don''t miss Nilson and Hermy in November''s Dark Horse Presents #30! "Stan Sakai is a master."—Alejandro Jodorowsky "Stan Sakai is one of the few artists working in comics who completely understand the medium."—Jeff Smith

While journeying over mountains, into valleys, through towns and farmlands, and along rugged coasts, searching for harmony, Usagi faces a unique cast of characters: a village of seaweed farmers, an innocent noodle peddler, a demon-possessed woman, a relentless clan of bat ninja, an assassins'' guild, a mysterious medicine peddler, and Inazuma, a secretive female samurai. More than once Usagi finds himself in great danger — but it''s all in a day''s work when you walk the thin line on the brink of life and death. * Usagi Yojimbo: The Brink of Life and Death 2nd edition features completely remastered art and a look inside Stan Sakai''s research and influences with new story notes! Includes an introduction by writer Kurt Busiek.

Chibi Usagi and his adorable, childlike friends must fight the evil Salamander King to save a village of innocents! Stan Sakai’s enduring rabbit samurai is reimagined as a “chibi world” character in these adorable collaborations with Julie Sakai and colorist Emi Fujii! Enter a world of cute characters and captivating adventures with Chibi Usagi and friends! Join along as Chibi Tomoe, Chibi Gen, and even the terrifying Jei face new challenges with familiar themes in this expanded collection that includes the original graphic novel Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis, plus the comic-length Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Teenie Titans, with short stories “Chibi Usagi and the Big Bad Jei,” “Chibi Usagi and the Goblin of Adachi Plain,” and “Chibi Tomoe and the Zo Ninja!” This special expanded edition also collects Stan Sakai’s color Chibi Usagi pinups that ran as Usagi Yojimbo comic book back covers, with a bonus pinup section collecting rare images and fun pages from the whole Chibi Usagi team!

Stan Sakai wraps up the new "Ice and Snow" miniseries with a single-issue epilogue story. Recovering from their battles with Jei, his henchmen, and an angry yokai, Usagi and his newly-found cousin Yukichi continue their journey across Japan. Usagi Yojimbo returns to Dark Horse with new color comics and an exciting new story arc!

The bunny''s back! Originally printed in the long out-of-print Usagi Yojimbo #1 through 4, this volume features Usagi''s origins as a wandering rabbit warrior in feudal Japan, and introduces many members of the cast of characters. Brimming with exciting swordfights, authentic locales and costumes, drama and humor, this is some of Stan Sakai''s finest work. If you''re unfamiliar with this multiple Harvey and Eisner winning comic for all ages, then what rock have you been living under?! Get your history lesson right here.

Stan Sakai’s epic series continues in the third volume of the definitive Usagi Yojimbo compilations featuring brand new original cover art by Stan Sakai! Usagi faces a terrifying new foe who wears a demon mask, the Eisner-winning “Grasscutter” storyline receives a sequel, pickpocket Kitsune’s history is revealed, fan-favorite character Sasuké the Demon Queller makes his debut, and a beloved ally long thought dead returns! Collects Usagi Yojimbo Volume Three #31–#52, along with stories from Dark Horse Presents and more!

Circles features the graphic-novel-length epic title story, in which Usagi returns to his native village only to find everything very different indeed. (The discovery that his mentor, whom he thought dead, is actually alive and kicking is only the first of the shocks that await him.) "Circles" is an epic adventure, a love story, and one of the most affecting Usagi stories ever. In addition to the 80-page "Circles," this volume includes "The Bridge," "The Duel," and the hard-to-find "The Tangled Skein" from Critters #38. Jam-packed with lethal sword battles alternating with humor, horror, suspense and slapstick, this beautifully crafted and exciting volume (with an introduction by Jeff Smith) is both an excellent starting point for new readers, and an absolute necessity for Usagi completists.

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 daughter. Tracing the abducted girl deep into the forest, Usagi finds it 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 is also fighting to prevent the invasion, but things aren''t always as they seem — especially when dealing with the supernatural! * The rabbit ronin turned twenty-five, and Dark Horse celebrated with the first-ever Usagi Yojimbo original graphic novel, fully hand-painted, written, and lettered by creator Stan Sakai! * Completely self-contained story. * Usagi Yojimbo is a 2009 Eisner Award nominee for Best Continuing Series. First ever, full color, original story!

A premium collection demonstrating the effectiveness of the comics medium for telling the most personal of stories--the autobiography. Showcasing some of the first published autobiographical stories from living-legend artists, mainstream greats, and young "indie" up-and-comers! Featuring stories by Will Eisner, William Stout, Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, Stan Sakai, Sergio Aragonés, and many more of comics'' top talent!

In this thrilling volume, the rabbit ronin teams up with--and faces off against--a multitude of unexpected characters! First, bandits plunder a village threatened by flooding . . . but their reasons for pillaging will surprise even the most steadfast! Then, Usagi must work alongside his natural enemy--a Kappa--to cast out a violent renegade of the same species. Later, a Komori ninja must honor her debts when she and Usagi end up on opposing sides of a trade agreement gone wrong. Finally, Inspector Ishida returns to investigate a ghastly painting known only as the Hell Screen! Collects Usagi Yojimbo issues #152-#158.

"Celebrate Stan Sakai''s beloved rabbit ronin with the Second Edition collections of the comic saga featuring brand new original cover art by Stan Sakai"--

The Red Scorpion Gang has been terrorizing the countryside for months, with evidence of their ill deeds appearing everywhere the rabbit ronin turns! Usagi first crosses swords with the Scorpions as the gang extorts protection money from poor farmers, then must defend a temple from their attacks. But when Usagi is accused of being a member of the gang, he has no choice but to take the fight to the Red Scorpion himself! This volume also features the return of wily thief Kitsune and the mysterious Lord of Owls! Collects Usagi Yojimbo #132-#138! Featuring an introduction by George Takei!

The rabbit ronin’s wanderings find him caught between competing gang lords fighting for control of A Town Called Hell. With the help of master swordsman Kato, Usagi takes on one gangster, while the other stirs up even more trouble! Now, with Kato on his trail, Usagi continues his travels, confronting a nukekubi—a flying cannibal head—aiding a disgraced samurai seeking redemption, and even crossing paths with the demon Jei! All the while, Kato awaits a rematch and a return to Hell! Collects Usagi Yojimbo #124–#131. * Introduction by Geof Darrow (Shaolin Cowboy, Hard Boiled)! * 2012 Eisner nominee for Best Continuing Series!

During an intense famine, Usagi comes across a mother and son being accosted by bandits. After rescuing them, he escorts them on a treacherous journey to reunite with her husband, to an outlying mountain range rife with unpredictable weather and aggressive, starving animals! Just when Usagi thinks all of their troubles are behind them, he learns their hidden secret . . . A new one-issue story! "One of the most original, innovative, well-executed comic books anywhere to be found.u008au0097u009d , Stan Lee