Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics and Dogu Publishing, we are pleased to announce the next “Usagi Yojimbo” series by writer/artist Stan Sakai, “Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow.” Arriving just in time for the 40th anniversary of Usagi’s first appearance next year, the five-part, full color series will see the samurai rabbit and his cousin Yukichi encounter a merchant with a massive price on his head, sending them colliding with bounty hunters Gen and Stray Dog.
Issue #1 will be released on April 4, 2024, and retail for $4.99 with a main cover (above) by Sakai and colorist Emi Fujii, and a variant by Japanese artist Arita Mitsuhiro (The Pokémon Trading Card Game, Final Fantasy XI.) In the meantime, issues #4 and 5 of Usagi and Yukichi’s current adventure, “Usagi Yojimbo: Ice and Snow,” will respectively arrive in comic book stores on January 10 and February 14, while the hardcover and paperback collections of that series will be released on September 11, 2024.
For more until then, check out the press release below:
Gen and Stray Dog are back in “Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow”
Celebrating Usagi Yojimbo’s 40th Anniversary, Usagi’s latest story arc is here, and it’s in full color!
MILWAUKIE, Ore., (December 20, 2023) — Usagi returns for a 40th Anniversary celebration in a new comic story arc featuring fan-favorite characters Gen and Stray Dog in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow. Dogu Publishing and Dark Horse Comics presents Stan Sakai’s continuing adventures of Miyamoto Usagi as the rabbit ronin travels through 17th century Japan with his cousin. The five-issue series features art and story by Sakai, with colors by Hi-Fi Colour Design.
This newest Usagi adventure sees Usagi and Yukichi finally making it out of the frozen mountains, where they come across a merchant being attacked by brigands. They rescue the supposed merchant only to discover much later that he is really a criminal with a huge bounty on his head! Of course, wherever there is a huge reward you will find bounty hunters Gen and Stray Dog… and other unscrupulous trackers.
Main cover art for the series is provided by Sakai, with colors by Emi Fujii, and variant covers by Arita Mitsuhiro. A second variant cover for issue #1 will be revealed soon – stay tuned!
Usagi and his cousin fight for survival when Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #1 (of 5) arrives in comic shops April 4, 2024. Pre-order the first issue today for $4.99.
