I have never read an issue of Usagi Yojimbo before, but I got sucked in by the shiny number one emblazoned upon the front cover and a burgeoning need to discover just why a friend of mine had been raving about the series for years. So I opened the review copy, put my feet up and settled down to read a comic I knew next to nothing about.

Before we go any further, I feel it’s important to note that as I have never read any Usagi Yojimbo before I am utterly unqualified to judge this comic against previous stories featuring Stan Sakai‘s anthromorphic rabbit samurai. Therefore my judgement on this comic may not line up with those who have had long term exposure to the story. So that said, I really enjoyed this issue. The art may be an almost simplistic black and white, but it’s crisp, clean and easy to read, which is imperative for a black and what comic.

The story opens on some largely unremarkable characters for the most part, but you will still find yourself caring enough about them for the relatively brief period of time you’ll be with them.

I can’t tell you if this is a good introduction to the character, but I can tell you I enjoyed this enough to come back for more.

Story: Stan Sakai Art: Stan Sakai
Story: 8.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review