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YOJIMBOS, RABBITS, AND LEGENDS: STAN
SAKAI
by Jennifer Contino (The Pulse)
Usagi
Yojimbo made the comics scene in 1984, in a short
story by Stan Sakai, when black and white comics weren't that
big a market and creators working on non-costumed-hero-types
weren't making a zillion dollars. However, something about
the samurai warrior rabbit caught on with the comics buying
masses and 19 years and three publishers later, the comic
adventures of Usagi Yojimbo are still going
strong. Much like its creator Sakai, the series shows no signs
of slowing down or stopping anytime soon.
THE PULSE: What keeps you making comics? Why - after
so many years - are you still excited about creating comics?
STAN SAKAI: I've been doing Usagi
for more than 18 years and am still enthused with the character.
Usagi was first published about the time
the Ninja Turtles made their debut, before
the big black & white boom of the '80' and is one of the
very few independent comics from that time to last to today.
There are still so many more stories I have to tell. It seems
that one plot line generates a couple more. I guess, like
myself, the character keeps growing.
THE PULSE: What was your comics life changing event
- when did you realize that people actually COULD make a living
creating comics? How did this realization spark you on to
create your own series?
SAKAI: I've been reading comics almost all
my life and for many years believed that they just appeared
magically on the shelves. This was in the early '60's and
there was no comics fandom to speak of. I got together with
a few friends, including Dennis Fujitake and Gary Kato who
were making their own comic books. That was a revelation -
people actually write and draw this stuff. Both Dennis and
Gary are now professional artists, even doing comics for awhile.
The first name I associated with comics was Stan Lee and
it's such a thrill to have been working with him for the last
17 years lettering the Spider-Man Sunday
strips. One thing that is almost unique to our profession
is that we get to meet our heroes and they are so accessible
at signings and conventions. I am friends with or have worked
with so many of the people whose work I've admired (and envied).
THE PULSE: What is Usagi Yojimbo?
SAKAI: Usagi is a masterless samurai rabbit
wandering the landscape of 17th century Japan. It is a time
of turmoil since the Tokugawa Shogunate has recently come
into power and the age of civil wars had just ended. I try
to as much research as I can into the history, politics, culture
and folklore of the period. The stories run the gamut from
humorous to very dramatic. I even did a series of stories
based on whodunit mysteries. Max Allan Collins wrote the introduction
to that collection.
I've already done about 130 issues from three publishers,
and that's not counting short stories. They've been collected
in 15 trade paperbacks so far, all of which are continuously
in print. One thing I am proud of is the caliber of people
who have written introductions to these books - Will Eisner,
Stan Lee, Paul Dini, Lynn Johnston, Alexandro Jodorowsky,
and others.
Usagi started off as a secondary character in the Nilson
Groundthumper storyline. However, when I started
to flesh out the character I found him much more appealing,
with a lot more potential so I focused on the rabbit ronin.
THE PULSE: What were some of the inspirations for
Usagi Yojimbo?
SAKAI: I grew up watching those old chambara
or sword fighting movies of Japan by Kurosawa or Inagaki and
others. A lot of that goes into my storytelling. The character
of Usagi is loosely based on Eiji's Yoshikawa's book Musashi,
the exploits of a samurai that has come to be regarded as
the epitome of what a true samurai should be.
THE PULSE: Had you always read adventures of Miyamoto
Musashi? What was it about this historical figure that influences
so many creators both in and out of the realm of comics?
SAKAI: I first saw one of the many movies
based on Yoshikawa's book, this one starring Nakamura Kinnosuke.
I later saw The Samurai Trilogy starring
Toshiro Mifune. This one is the best known of the movie adaptations.
It was much later that I actually read the books. As I said,
Musashi was the ideal of what a samurai should be - a master
swordsman, philosopher, painter, sculptor - but he also had
a lot of human flaws. I think the flaws are what makes his
story particularly interesting.
THE PULSE: What are some of the biggest challenges
to creating a fantasy series with roots in history, tradition,
and even culture?
SAKAI: Actually, basing a fantasy world
on a existing culture is easier than creating one from new
cloth. The groundwork has already been laid so it's just a
matter of seeing how much you can stretch the boundaries.
THE PULSE: Besides Usagi, a few other characters
are based on historical figures. Who was the inspiration for
Tomoe and Lord Hikiji?
SAKAI: Tomoe was inspired by Tomoe Gozen
who lived during the Gempei Wars, Japan's civil war. She was
famed for her beauty as well as her skill with the naginata,
the curved bladed spear. The historical Tomoe was married
to Lord Kiso Yoshinaka who conquered Kyoto, the capital at
the time, and set himself up as shogun. He was driven out
by his older brother. When Kiso was surrounded, he committed
seppuku, a warrior's suicide, but refused to let Tomoe die
with him because to have a woman die with him would lessen
his stature as a warrior. So she attacked the opposing army,
killed a general and went on to become a nun.
Lord Hikiji is based on Date Masamune, one
of the most powerful figures of 17th century Japan. His ambition
was to become shogun himself, though he never succeeded. He
was one of the most advanced leaders of his age, even sending
the first delegation to the Western World.
THE PULSE: What other historical or pop culture figures
found their way into Usagi Yojimbo so far?
SAKAI: Lone Goat and Kid is, of course,
a parody of Lone Wolf and Cub. My blind swordspig,
Zato-Ino is based on Zato-Ichi the star of 27 movies and a
TV series. Even an incarnation of Godzilla has appeared in
an early Usagi story.
THE PULSE: What kind of research do you do before
beginning a story line?
SAKAI: The amount of research varies with
each story, of course. I'm currently working on one that revolves
around sumi-e, ink painting. I'm looking into how the ink
sticks and brushes are made, what tools are used, how the
brush is held, and anything else associated with the art.
Most of the research will not appear in the story so I include
notes and a bibliography at the end of stories.
Believe me, the readers watch that the research is right.
The story Demon Mask involved Usagi playing
a game of Go. I got that game confused with Go-Moku, a game
I played as a kid and which we called Go. They both use the
same game board and pieces but the strategies are different.
I heard about that mistake in e-mails from as far away as
Germany. I bought a couple of books on Go, looked up the American
Go Association, went to a tournament, talked to some players,
and corrected that mistake when it was reprinted in the trade
collection.
The research is what got UY Book 12: Grasscutter
a 2002 American Library Association Award.
It had also won an Eisner and a Spanish Haxtur Award,
and was used as a text book in Japanese history classes at
the University of Portland.
THE PULSE: What was the strangest thing that ever
inspired you to create a story?
SAKAI: I was given a story by Sergio Aragones.
I letter his book Groo the Wanderer and he
had to drop off pages one night. He drove two hours out to
my house but forgot exactly where I live. He walked up and
down my street whistling show tunes at two in the morning
to lure me out. Anyway during the drive out, he plotted out
two stories, neither of which he could use - an Usagi
story and a concept for a Terminator III
movie. He gave me the Usagi story which I
changed quite a bit and it became Broken Ritual.
He did receive credit for it, by the way.
THE PULSE: How did Usagi Yojimbo become a part of
the TMNT franchise? How did you come to work with Kevin Eastman
and Peter Laird?
SAKAI: Usagi and the Turtles
were published at about the same time, maybe a month apart.
There were only a few black and white books at that time so
we were drawn together. A couple of years later the Turtles'
merchandising really took off. Peter and I were sitting together
at a San Diego Con and he just turned to me and asked, "Do
you want a toy?" How could I turn that down? The people
who worked on the TV cartoon happened to be fans of Usagi
and they put him in two episodes of the show. He was also
supposed to make a cameo as a ten foot banner in one of their
movies but had to be edited out. I think that banner is still
hanging in the Mirage offices.
After I left Fantagraphics I took Usagi
and Space Usagi to Peter and Kevin's Mirage
Studios. I went to Dark Horse after
Mirage shut down their publications division.
THE PULSE: When Usagi first appeared in Albedo #
2 what was the comics scene like? How were black and white
titles regarded?
SAKAI: In 1984 when Albedo #2
was published, the black and white boom had not yet happened
and we could not give away the comics at San Diego. The next
year they were going for outrages prices, even today. A copy
sold on e-bay just a few months ago for about $700. They generally
fetch about $400-600. A big difference from 18 years ago.
THE PULSE: After the action figure and explosion
of the TMNTs, how do you think that change things for black
and white comics?
SAKAI: A black and white flood deluged the
comic stores. Everyone wanted to be the Ninja Turtles - both
in concept and merchandising. Of course, most of them were
terrible, which is why just a couple of them are still around.
When I was in high school there were fanzines, which were
a kind of training ground for comic creators. Now, anyone
with a few hundred dollars can publish their own comics and
call himself a professional.
THE PULSE: Usagi is almost 20 years old with 2004
being his official 20th anniversary since Albedo # 2, what
plans do you have to celebrate?
SAKAI: I haven't discussed it in detail
with my editor yet but there are plans for a couple of projects.
Perhaps a coffee table type book and a mini-series. We are
also talking to more licensees for some general public-type
projects.
THE PULSE: What's coming up for Usagi in 2003?
SAKAI: I've just started a "father
and son" story arc in which Usagi travels with Jotaro
his son. Jotaro, however, does not know that Usagi is his
father. I get to reveal a bit more about their characters
before Jotaro goes off to study swordsmanship with Katsuichi,
Usagi's old teacher. During this arc they meet up with some
of Usagi's acquaintances such as the Lone Goat, the Neko Ninja
clan, and Kitsune the thief. There will also be a three-issue
story which will be my tribute to those giant Japanese movie
monsters. The arc ends with Usagi having to make the decision
of whether to tell Jotaro the truth or continue having him
believe someone else is his father.
THE PULSE: Whatever happened to Space Usagi? I remember
a year ago at Mid Ohio Convention you mentioned perhaps plans
for another miniseries. Are those still in the works? Will
we see Space Usagi again?
SAKAI: Space Usagi is a descendant of the
original Usagi. That character came about because I like to
draw dinosaurs. I figured there were two ways to bring my
two favorite things together: I could have a prehistoric Usagi
adventure or have a futuristic Usagi who has an adventure
on a prehistoric planet. The latter had much more possibilities.
A one line description of it would be, Star Wars
with feudal Japanese funny animals.
Anyway, there is another Space Usagi story
I have planned that will bring his story to an end. I have
a publisher for it, however I just can't seem to find the
time to write and draw it. I'm having too much fun with the
original Usagi.
THE PULSE: What other projects are you working on?
SAKAI: I've worked with other characters
in the past - Simpsons, Grendel,
Star Wars - but right now I'm just concentrating
on the Father & Son arc. Dark
Horse has two Usagi collections
scheduled for 2003. The Shrouded Moon will
be out in January and Duel at Kitanoji should
be out in August. Dark Horse is also interested
in a Nilson Groundthumper collection and
I want to do a new story for that.
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