Summary: Usagi goes back to his roots when he takes up the job of Yojimbo to escort a Lady to her father's home.
Plot: To be honest I really wish Stan had lead off this new volume with this story rather than the Sasuske story he went with. This entry feels a lot more new reader friendly in introducing Usagi's world and has a much better balance between action and a great bit of cultural insight which are the elements that are most central to Usagi. It's a simple tale to be sure, Usagi meets a fellow traveler on the road and gets drawn into her drama and it's certainly device Stan has used before but he does it so well that it doesn't feel repetitive or dull in the least.
Art: Unlike the demon puppets in the last story the zombies at the start of this story are visually much more set off from the regular characters which is definitely more satisfying. My favorite part however was seeing Usagi back in his armor, it was ultimately shown to be a dream sequence but still it was a great nod and once again provided a nice look at Usagi's origins making it visually a much better entry than the preceding story. 
Grade:10/10

Summary: After her source was murdered Lois and Montoya find Superman waiting outside and Lois is less than pleased. 
Plot: Rucka continues to kill it with his Lois Lane crime thriller in this latest chapter. There aren't any big reveals in the mystery of who is killing reporters to keep the President's secrets but the way Rucka handled how Lois confronted her husband(Superman) for needlessly nosing into her investigation more than made up for the lack of forward progression. Their conversation felt truly fresh and real, like an argument an actual couple would have which was a great dynamic for them both. Lois Lane under Rucka's pen is smart, strong and tough and his Superman is fallible with out feeling weak which is a tough line to walk. To top it all off I loved the twist ending with Lois accidentally walking in on her son Jon in the shower mistaking him for his father; again its such a natural thing and I'm excited to see what role Jon will have going forward.
Art: While I like the way Perkins creates a sense of mood his human figures are a little samey, especially his women. There was a scene here where I honestly couldn't tell Rene Montoya and Lois Lane apart which is pretty egregious.
Grade:8/10

Summary: With the aid of the homeless man the Mongrel King makes his way into the city on a quest for...food and booze. 
Plot: Through out the issue I kept waiting for Lemire to flip the switch and start some fun deconstruction of the sword and sorcery genre but other than a single comment about "what evil overlord could oppress others like this?" when viewing a homeless shanty town there wasn't any knowing reflection to be had. Other than that and the slight bit of humor about the barbarian's language sounding Austrian, pointing to Arnie's connection to Conan, the issue was pretty dull.
Art: On the flip side I think this might be some of Deodato's best work. Sure, the barbarian is over the top musclebound but the expressions on the characters faces as they fail to understand each other is just perfect. I'm going to hang on for one more issue, but only just for another shot at some amazing art. 
Grade:6/10