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SPACE USAGI TPB
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Dark Horse Comics
Writer/Artist: Stan Sakai
Editors: Kim Thompson, Michael Dooney, Jamie S. Rich, Chris Warner & Suzanne Taylor
Price: $17.95 US/$26.95 CAN |
I've become a big fan of Usagi Yojimbo of late, but before I dive into the back trades of that series (expect to see those reviews soon), I took a look at a side project, Space Usagi, which looks at a long-distant descendant of Usagi, still a warrior in the future. This trade actually collects three Space Usagi miniseries, as well as a couple one-off stories in different specials, but it reads well as one big chronicle of a character, and in fact seems as open if not moreso to future stories than the feudal samurai era character that Sakai has followed for so long. The Usagi of Space Usagi is similar to his ancestor in many ways, including having a code of honor, incredible prowess with weapons and a temperament that supports the extremes of humble pacifism and berserker rage, but there are a few interesting twists as well, and Space Usagi is much more than a goof on the original character, it's a standalone concept that is just as entertaining as the main story it spun off from.
Probably the biggest difference between Space Usagi and, er, "non-Space" Usagi is that this version of the character is not a ronin. His lord isn't dead, just his father, and he serves as one of the most-honored warriors of a powerful clan, rather than a wandering samurai for hire. In the first story, "Death and Honor," this puts Usagi into the role of protector of the young heir to the clan when it comes under attack from outsiders with help on the inside. The blend reads like a cross of Star Wars and Usagi Yojimbo, and in fact it's clear in some specific instances that Sakai was influenced by the Star Wars saga in some of his choices, including a Darth Vader/Emperor style relationship between the lead villains.
Which is not to say that Space Usagi shows any undue influence to George Lucas's trilogy. Mostly, Space Usagi is awash in the elements of space opera, just as Star Wars was, which means that the notion of how starships travel faster-than-light, the physics of their weaponry and other such science aspects are left mostly unexplored in favor of a swashbuckling style. Ray guns, spacesuits and floating fortresses are there not because the science explains them, but because they're cool pulp settings. Heck, Sakai mentions in the introduction that wanting Usagi to fight dinosaurs is no small reason why Space Usagi even exists, so reading a pulp sensibility into the book isn't hard.
Pulp era science-fiction often had a tendency toward melodrama, though, and Sakai very much steers clear of that in the Space Usagi tales. There is drama to be had, including the tragic fate of one of Usagi's allies and the dilemma he faces in the first story over his growing affection for someone he can't have, but most of it is just as powerful and effective as the bond between Jotaro and Usagi in the main book or other dramatic stories that Sakai has told. There is one element in the third story where Usagi distrusts a friend far too quickly for what feels like artificial (and mostly unnecessary) tension, but in general, this has the same skilled writing and interesting characters as Usagi Yojimbo. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Usagi and his young charge Prince Kiyoshi, which is a nice subtle and layered relationship between an experienced (though still somewhat young) warrior and a worthy (though also young) leader. Sakai's take on the relationship is not lord and vassal, bodyguard and principle, father figure and son or siblings, but instead incorporates elements of all of these into a strong central relationship that drives the first miniseries in particular.
Space Usagi began in 1992, so it was created at a time when Stan Sakai had already mastered his fluid style. What you'll find in these pages is effortless background detail, stunning action sequences and exceptionally readable storytelling. Sakai also nicely melds space opera conceits with the realm of feudal samurai culture, most notably in Usagi's armor and in the gorgeous design for White Star Castle, the star of the caper-esque second miniseries in the book. Rather than simply transplanting the melee sensibilities of Usagi into space, Sakai adapts and includes some terrific gun battles and starship fights as well, and we should all be very glad that Sakai wanted to draw dinosaurs, because he does it very well.
This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
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