Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo will return in a new miniseries next March, featuring two different stories — “Ten Thousand Plums” and “Tabo.” That second story, in particular, has significant meaning for Sakai, as it pays tribute to his deceased brother.
“‘Tabo’ is very personal to me,” Sakai said. “It was written as a tribute to my younger brother, Kenneth, a month after he passed away and was inspired by his struggles during his last days. I cherish the time growing up with him in Hawaii. When she saw how deeply I felt about this story, Emi (Fujii) volunteered to color it as she knew Kenneth and his gentle spirit.”
The five-issue miniseries continues the adventures of Usagi and his cousin Yukichi:
This latest series contains two complete stories across five issues. Up first in “Ten Thousand Plums,” when Usagi, Yukichi, and Gen are found wandering in a huge field of the Shogun’s prized plum trees, one of the Shogun’s samurai strongmen becomes immediately suspicious. With a series of strange events gripping the local village with fear, can their appearance be a mere coincidence? Or maybe they will stop the cycle of tragedy. Find out with another gut-punch ending from Stan Sakai!
In the two-part “Tabo,” Usagi and Yukichi find themselves among a band of pilgrims in search of the miraculous goddess known as “The Mother.” The skeptical ronin’s doubts recede as the desperate plight of their new friends unfolds, revealing the obstacles that stand between them and salvation. Will the goddess Kannon come to Tabo’s rescue? Discover the answers in this captivating and highly-personal two-part tale!
The first issue will feature multiple variant covers, including this one by Mitsuhiro Arita:
Usagi Yojimbo: Ten Thousand Plums #1 will arrive in stores March 5. Along with the series announcement, Dogu Publishing, which is Sakai’s imprint at Dark Horse, also announced a new editor in chief. Justin Eisinger, a former editor at IDW and the co-writer of They Called Us Enemy with George Takei, will work with Sakai to enhance Dogu’s publishing capabilities.
“Working closely with Stan Sakai is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Eisinger said. “After a career working with so many different licensed properties and an assortment of creator-owned stories, it’s an absolute pleasure to spend every day focused solely on Usagi—which I tell the team every chance I get. Now keep an eye out for what we’ve got coming because we can’t wait to show off what’s cooking over here at Dogu.”