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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 27, 2020 19:02:19 GMT -5
Usagi Yojimbo #12
 Art and Story by Stan Sakai Colors by Tom Luth Summary: Mifune loyalist Kato gives Usagi he seemingly can't refuse with a plan to embarrass Lord Hikiji politically. Plot: While the over all plot of the issue is solid, and I'm sure that the story will be important to Usagi as a character when it concludes...I have to say that in terms of energy I thought it felt a little flat over all. I think in part that maybe my negative feelings stem from the fact in my heart of hearts I know just how huge this story should be for Usagi and so I have this giant expectation that truthfully just can't realistically be met. Expectations aside though I do think there is at least one technical issue that is more objective and that is the fact that not only didn't Stan make me buy into Usagi's brief turn to a heel here for a single second and that misstep killed the tension you knew should be there in the build up to the visit of Shogun's Emissary to Usagi's village. Instead of the plot being thick with you wondering whether Usagi would actually risk {Spoiler: Click to show}
his village's destruction in order to strike at Lord Hikiji you are left only wanting to speed read through the pages until the inevitable team up with Kenichi which kills the pacing of the issue. Art: Although Gen is the character I most often associate with my favorite Samurai actor, Toshiro Mifune, with the hard edged look Stan gave Usagi in his heel scenes made me instantly see Mifune and then I couldn't un-see it making me read Usagi's voice as Mifune's for the whole issue. That ability to instantly take you away and and capture your senses is what really makes Stan's art so special; it looks simple at first glance but the tiny details are just breath taking. Grade:6/10 |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Aug 27, 2020 20:37:09 GMT -5
I'm truly disappointed to see this earn a 6/10 with all the anticipation you were feeling about it. I'm also surprised to see Lord Hikiji's name being mentioned again, as I thought the entire point of the earlier Death of Lord Hikiji storyline was symbolic -- Usagi was done with the past and had moved on. Lord Hikiji was symbolically dead to him.
Really sorry this one let you down like this.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 29, 2020 15:23:51 GMT -5
I'm truly disappointed to see this earn a 6/10 with all the anticipation you were feeling about it. I'm also surprised to see Lord Hikiji's name being mentioned again, as I thought the entire point of the earlier Death of Lord Hikiji storyline was symbolic -- Usagi was done with the past and had moved on. Lord Hikiji was symbolically dead to him. Really sorry this one let you down like this. Usagi has moved on, he even mentions the impossibility of attacking Hikiji after he "reveals" that he was just pretending to go along with the scheme. It's part of what makes it disappointing, we've seen Usagi already move beyond the need for revenge {Spoiler: Click to show}
which was why Usagi's decision to sacrifice his village to strike a symbolic political victory on Hikiji wasn't believable in the least. On top of that, as you mentioned we already had this kind of plot played out already, back in issue #123, and this new version doesn't seem to be adding anything new. It just seems like a wasted opportunity, we've come back to his home village and there's so much Stan could have done with emotionally and it doesn't look like we will with it looking like we're getting an action driven conclusion {Spoiler: Click to show}
with Usagi and Kenichi saving the village and then having to rush to Mariko's aid after she stumbles into the scouts Usagi told Kato to post on the mountain pass. Could we get Kenici and Usagi bonding over rescuing her together(or in mourning for her death if they don't make it)? with Usagi and Kenichi saving the village and then having to rush to Mariko's aid after she stumbles into the scouts Usagi told Kato to post on the mountain pass. Could we get Kenici and Usagi bonding over rescuing her together(or in mourning for her death if they don't make it)? Maybe, but I don't think it would save the story in the long run. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Aug 29, 2020 16:20:14 GMT -5
Perhaps the story was intended more for new and casual on-and-off readers who missed "The Death of Lord Hikiji"? Stan is playing to a much larger audience now that he's with IDW.
I didn't click to see the spoilers, so I definitely don't know what I'm talking about, but I'm sorry to see your disappointment, and I suspect I'll have the same reaction once the reprint editions catch up with it.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 29, 2020 17:39:58 GMT -5
Perhaps the story was intended more for new and casual on-and-off readers who missed "The Death of Lord Hikiji"? Stan is playing to a much larger audience now that he's with IDW. I didn't click to see the spoilers, so I definitely don't know what I'm talking about, but I'm sorry to see your disappointment, and I suspect I'll have the same reaction once the reprint editions catch up with it. It's possible though I think there's gotta be a better way to balance the needs of new readers versus long term readers. As for a wider audience though I'm not sure that's so true, I just looked and other than the new #1 the issues at IDW have been doing around 7-8 thousand an issue and back at Dark Horse, the last series before it ended was The Hidden and that ranged from 5-6 thousand which isn't substantially less of an audience. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Aug 29, 2020 18:26:07 GMT -5
Perhaps the story was intended more for new and casual on-and-off readers who missed "The Death of Lord Hikiji"? Stan is playing to a much larger audience now that he's with IDW. I didn't click to see the spoilers, so I definitely don't know what I'm talking about, but I'm sorry to see your disappointment, and I suspect I'll have the same reaction once the reprint editions catch up with it. It's possible though I think there's gotta be a better way to balance the needs of new readers versus long term readers. As for a wider audience though I'm not sure that's so true, I just looked and other than the new #1 the issues at IDW have been doing around 7-8 thousand an issue and back at Dark Horse, the last series before it ended was The Hidden and that ranged from 5-6 thousand which isn't substantially less of an audience. I suspect The Hidden's numbers were only that high because of the renumbering. Usagi's numbers at Dark Horse had gotten pretty low in recent years. But the move to IDW occurred at the same point that Usagi gained a new level of wide appeal in mainstream culture, partially due to the move and partially due to new directions Stan Sakai's publicist son in law was exploring. There is no doubt in my mind that Usagi is far bigger in 2020 than he has ever been before in his 35 years of existence. |
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