Kiyoko has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom by the local mob. Boss Hasegawa wants the ledger of bribes Kitsune had stolen, but how can they buy Kiyoko’s freedom when that book had been stolen from the thief? Usagi, Yukichi and Kitsune try to bluff their way with Boss Hasegawa, but their scheme is uncovered when the real thief tries to sell the book to the big boss in IDW’s Usagi Yojimbo #24, written, drawn and lettered by Stan Sakai, and colored by Hi-Fi Design.
Ask a longtime Usagi Yojimbo reader where you should start, and the common answer you’ll get is that you can start just about anywhere, but you should start at the first issue of a storyline. But here we are, 242 issues (or so) into the series as a whole, 24 issues into the current volume, on the third issue of the “Ransom” story arc, and I don’t think a new reader would feel very lost jumping on here.
Let’s look at the first two pages of the comic: The first page is a splash: An anthropomorphic fox lady is running down a street at night, followed by two rabbit men. She says, “Hurry, Usagi … Yukichi! We have got to rescue Kiyoko before Boss Hasegawa kills her!” Well, we now know the names of two of the three characters, and they’re looking to rescue someone named Kiyoko. Why do they need to? The second page has the fox lady continue, “It is because I stole his ledger of bribes that he is holding her for ransom! But the ledger had been stolen from us! It is because of my thieving ways that Kiyoko was kidnapped! I swear to the gods that, if we rescue Kiyoko safely — I will give up my life of crime.”
Reading these pages, how much more exposition do you need? Sure, there’s more to learn about the characters, their history, their relationships to one another, but right now, for the purposes of getting caught up to what’s going on in this issue, a new reader has everything they need.
And that’s part of the joy of Usagi Yojimbo: As a saga it’s got loads of depth, characters with rich backstories and long-term storylines that are given space to develop over the course of hundreds of issues. But on an issue-by-issue basis, it remains as readable and approachable as it ever has.
Yes, Kiyoko ends the issue safely returned to her friend Kitsune. Yes, Usagi and Yukichi fight some bad guys with swords. Of course that’s what happens. The pleasure in reading an issue like this is the delightful surprise in seeing how the rescue happens, if it can even be called a rescue. It’s seeing the peculiar custom of tying small cords to swords to keep them from being drawn (for about half a second), or the way Sakai draws Boss Hasegawa, who’s got a great face for sneering and shouting. It’s the surprise of seeing a twist on a samurai duel that hasn’t been done before.
For all its walking us through familiar beats and expected endings, Usagi Yojimbo remains a source of comfort, of expert cartooning and anthropomorphic samurai action. At the end of the day, Kitsune is still going to pick your pocket and explain that it doesn’t count if she gives it back and that all’s forgiven. Usagi will do the right thing and continue on the wanderer’s road. We’ll learn a little something about feudal Japan, and it’ll be enjoyable fun.
