Usagi Yojimbo Reaches 200th Issue

Rabbits in the backyard aren't quite good at defending themselves. Of course, none of them are very well trained in the way of the sword like a certain samurai rabbit. A certain samurai rabbit named Usagi Yojimbo. The feisty rabbit is so proficient that he's coming up on his 200th issue...in a manner of speaking.

Dark Horse's Usagi Yojimbo #1 will be the 200th issue of the series (stay with the numbering here). It's a fitting accomplishment for creator Stan Sakai, the 2011 Cultural Ambassador by the Japanese American National Museum.

The rabbit ronin celebrates with a special story perfect for new readers, “200 Buddhas”! With a ruthless gang terrorizing his small town, a humble stonecutter receives a vision and sets out to carve two hundred stone figures. Just as he has finished the 199th, a long-eared stranger comes to his door seeking shelter from the rain.

What's more is that Sakai's work is on display at the Japanese American National Museum, the largest museum in the United States dedicated to sharing the experience of Americans of Japanese ancestry. The JANM is located in Los Angeles, and the Year of the Rabbit exhibit closes its doors October 30, 2011. Check out the site at www.janm.org/exhibits/stansakai.

Usagi Yojimbo #141 is on sale now. Full press release after the jump.

USAGI YOJIMBO REACHES 200TH ISSUE!
STAN SAKAI HONORED WITH YEAR OF THE RABBIT EXHIBIT!

October 25, MILWAUKIE, OR—Earlier this year, Usagi Yojimbo creator Stan Sakai was named the 2011 Cultural Ambassador by the Japanese American National Museum. Shortly thereafter, the JANM opened their Year of the Rabbit exhibit—the most comprehensive collection of Sakai’s work to date.

Stan Sakai has won several Eisner Awards and has received over twenty Eisner Award nominations. Prior to Dark Horse’s long run on the series, there were thirty-eight Fantagraphics issues, sixteen Mirage issues, a summer special, and four color specials. Dark Horse’s Usagi Yojimbo #141 marks the landmark two hundredth overall issue of master storyteller Stan Sakai’s beloved series, and the rabbit ronin celebrates with a special story perfect for new readers, “200 Buddhas”! With a ruthless gang terrorizing his small town, a humble stonecutter receives a vision and sets out to carve two hundred stone figures. Just as he has finished the 199th, a long-eared stranger comes to his door seeking shelter from the rain!

“In a perfect world, everyone would read Usagi Yojimbo.”
—Greg McElhatton, Comic Book Resources

The Japanese American National Museum is the largest museum in the United States dedicated to sharing the experience of Americans of Japanese ancestry. The founding of the museum is a story of high hopes, remarkable achievements, frustration, and, ultimately, success. The JANM is located in Los Angeles, and the Year of the Rabbit exhibit closes its doors October 30, 2011 - http://www.janm.org/exhibits/stansakai/

Usagi Yojimbo #141 is on sale October 26, 2011!