There is a Netflix show right now. It's about Usagi's descendant, who hunts yokai. It's not very good and doesn't capture the feel of the comics at all.
As a huge fan of the comics it felt like such a betrayal. The comics won awards for introducing realistic history, they could be dark and brutal. Then after almost 40 years all we get is a wacky sci fi kids show.
Context matters, methinks. TMNT's cartoon may not reflect the source material very well, but it came out very early in the comic's life and massively boosted the brand's popularity, so two broad takes on the same concept are now relatively harmonious with one another. Usagi Yojimbo gets a radically different child-friendly reimagining decades into publication that's also its first relatively mainstream adaptation? Hell've a lot more difficult to reconcile the gulf or please longtime fans.
One can only imagine where we'd be if the planned early 90s cartoon came to fruition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usagi_Yojimbo
>A project for an animated television series, Space Usagi, was cancelled following the failure of Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars.[34] However, Space Usagi was one of the action figures produced under the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line.
Guess rabbits just weren't in that year.
I guess that's another pointer. The turtles were everywhere. And 90% of it was brilliant! Usagi usually being a back up character in those media. I guess most people assume it was a spin off.
I'm surprised no-one has mentioned this yet, but from what I've heard, the key to TMNT's original success was its title/premise. My understanding is that before releasing issue #1, Eastman and Laird put out advertisements in comic-related publications, and in distributors' catalogues, and an unprecedented number of people saw the ridiculous title, thought "what the hell?", and ordered it. I believe this created the initial hype that led to the interest in creating the animated series, which of course turned it into a fully-fledged worldwide pop-culture phenomenon (again, partly fuelled by the title and premise, which at the time were very novel).
Wow, this is a really great point. I'm not sure why I didn't think of this before. One of the reasons I loved Yojimbo \*was\* because it had a more serious feel despite the cute animal approach.
Only thing I can think of is that the TMNT are more relatable. You can view them as you and your friends or you and your family fighting crime. 4 distinct personalities to latch on to as well, plus it's based in NYC so it's a familiar setting.
Usagi is a lone ronin just wandering around saving/helping people in Feudal Japan. I've only read the first 3 books and have really enjoyed them so far. Have really enjoyed the short story form of the writing. Plus that hippo 'friend/frenemy' of his. Some funny and some emotional stories as well.
TMNT always had more of that "cool surfer dude" image. While Usagi Yojimbo told more serious samurai stories. So it's pretty obvious that TMNT would be the comic series to get the cartoons, the merch, and the movies. Usagi Yojimbo is more of a cult classic among Amerimanga fans.
Amerimanga usually refers to manga styled comics made in the Western World putside of Japan. Some people call is OEL manga - Original English Manga. But I've always called it Amerimanga.
There is actually a lot of interesting history around Amerimanga. And there are a lot of cheap titles to collect. The Netflix series "Warrior Nun" is based around the character Warrior Nun Areala from Ben Dunn's series "Ninja High School."
The truth is, most Amerimanga really isn't all that great. Ben Dunn's stuff really isn't that great. I always liked Fred Perry's stuff, Gold Digger is still being released. Tokyopop put out a lot of stuff in the 2000s.
I wouldn't search for work categorized as "Amerimanga", it's mostly trash, I also wouldn't call Usagi Yojimbo "Amerimanga" either.
That said, you have some pretty cool works done in the west that have a style similar to manga and are also good or at the very least decent:
- Monstress
- Anything by Peach Momoko.
- Most things by Daniel Warren Johson.
- Scott Pilgrim (plus whatever has made the creator after).
I could say Cerebus is close to some manga style, but after the first 100 issues it becomes divisive and Dave Sim introduces some pretty awful philosophies, it's not for everyone.
Usagi Yojimbo might be a well respected name in comic book circles, but it hasn't had much pop-culture relevance outside of that. It's like how a comic book guy will gush for hours about Jeff Smith's Bone, but nobody else has heard of it.
Does he eat pizza? Does he have siblings? Is he radical?
I joke but a big reason TMNT is so popular is because of how young you can be and still enjoy their material. By the time most people are old enough to enjoy Usagi there is a lot of competition for their attention. In the TMNT starting age group, not so much.
That's the thing. Despite the crossovers, the two audiences don't necessarily mix. TMNT lends itself to silly kid friendly action storytelling. Usagi is mostly serious epic Japanese history and folklore stories told with cartoon animals. I read it when I was a kid and didn't give a crap about it. I gave it another chance like 5 years ago and was hooked.
>but why did the TMNT win
Because the creators were themselves interested in developing the cartoon,it had an long run and the advertisement was pure insanity,not even mentioning the movie that recouped 20 times it's budget.
In my opinion the closest thing to Usagi is Samurai Jack and you can really see some striking...similarities.
Samurai Jack is a cult classic, but never really took off in a huge way, because it was attempting something a bit more mature, but as animation it was relegated to children's networks, who didn't necessarily latch onto it the way they did their pokemons and digimons.
Is that the comparison you're drawing with Usagi Yojimbo? Comics are also sometimes considered a children's medium, and starring a talking bunny probably doesn't help.
I mean what really helped TMNT was being transformed into an series for children,as they are a way bigger demographic that consumes cartoons.Those children eventually became adults that still loved the series and watched it with their children now.
It's nothing wrong with an series to be popular in one genre,but you can't expect a certain show to be into an mainstream genre.
Surprised this hasn't been said yet but Usagi Yojimbo is also tricky to read. It has jumped publishers a few times so collecting the entire thing in order in the same volume styles is tricky or even downright impossible. I remember reading "volume 1" years ago only the be confused and learn I had picked up DARK HORSE volume 1 when the REAL volume 1 was from Fantagraphics.
It’s been heavily streamlined over the past decade. Now there’s two things: Fantagraphics two-volume box set, nine volumes from Dark Horse.
It was different was it was a hodgepodge of hardcovers and trades from three publishers, most of them being unavailable.
Sonic the Hedgehog, Transformers, G.I. Joe, *Star Trek.*
There's a fair amount of them, but they're pretty much all licensed properties.
Hell, TMNT has been at multiple publishers, hasn't it?
Yeah but the difference is each time the series moves it essentially reboots (even if some elements are kept). The writers and artists of the Skybound Transformers are different than the IDW Transformers. I could also grab a Skybound Transformers comic and not need to know anything about the IDW run.
The same is not true of Usagi.
All it requires is a quick search on Amazon or Instocktrades and a few minutes of inquisitive reading. Why is that difficult? It’s no different than researching which print variation of The Dark Knight you want to own.
I don't want to do research to know how to read a comic. If I see volume 1 I shouldn't need someone to tell me "oh actually the REAL volume 1 is this other one at another publisher."
This kind of sounds like it would be a bigger deal in a world where google didn't exist and people didn't use it super casually for even minor and inconsequential affairs.
Like, if you've ever pulled up IMDB to see who that actor is you're sure you recognize you're probably not that above running this kind of search on an upcoming media purchase.
TMNT “wins” over almost literally every franchise created (comic book or anything else) in the last 50 or so years with very few exceptions so it’s definitely not a slight against Usagi Yojimbo to be less famous.
Usagi Yojimbo is one man’s labor of love where TMNT was, pretty quickly, handed off to a large team that was able to capitalize on the absolutely inspired high concept/team name.
The comic has always been successful. However, the concept doesn't translate well to cartoons intended for a younger age demographic.
Stan tried to make "Space Usagi" but he didn't go through with taking the project further after Larry Hama's "Bucky O' Hare" did not meet expectations.
By summer 1991 when Stan Sakai was developing Space Usagi, Larry Hama's Bucky O' Hare was being heavily marketed as the next TMNT. After the release of TMNT 2 and The Technodrome playset in spring 1991, Turtlemania peaked and began to go into a decline. At the same time similar concepts were being developed for children's toys and TV.
Playmates developed a line of action figures based on the movie "The Toxic Avenger" called "Toxic Crusaders." A children's show was also created to promote the line. The basis for making it was "kids love radioactive mutants, let's give 'em some more." It was a miscalculation, children are more discerning about their radioactive mutants.
TMNT had two competing toylines and shows. Fred Wolf was producing Toxic Crusaders while Playmates made the toys. TMNT was essentially competing with itself. Hasbro's Bucky toyline and cartoon was well regarded by people who saw it and got the toys, but it turns out that talking animal adventures are not the main selling point to children.
Kid appeal characters with expressive personalities test really well. The character introduced in 1991 to fill that niche was Sonic the Hedgehog. He captured the attentions of youngsters who were getting a little bored with TMNT. The rest of the new franchises went on to be victims of the console wars.
Usagi Yojimbo isn't a famous multimedia property because "Space Usagi" didn't become a thing.
Space Usagi didn't become a thing because Bucky O' Hare underperfomed.
Bucky O' Hare underperformed because it was part of a series of decisions by Hasbro, Playmates, and several TV production studios to compete with TMNT that resulted in all companies involved playing themselves.
All these companies played themselves because they were trying to find the next big thing to keep up with fourth generation gaming consoles. Unfortunately, SEGA created a mascot that filled the animal adventurer with attitude niche everyone else was trying to duplicate.
Personally I'm glad Usagi stayed as a creator owned ongoing instead of a multimedia 90's franchise that would just be part of today's memberries.
Agreed! Usagi is a must buy for me. Just purchased the latest sketch book as well. Love that long eared ronin. Would love a show that adapter the comics
It's quite popular among comic book readers. But unlike the TMNT, Usagi didn't get a lot of affiliated media. Little to none adaptations, toys, etc. TMNT had like 3 live action movies, a cartoon, toys (which were very popular), video games and so on. Usagi just did not. Even Hellboy has had more affiliated media that helps supports sales of the comic. At this point, Usagi is a commercial success because of the direction Darkhorse and Fantagraphix took in the early 2000's: print trade paperbacks, get them into public libraries, scholastic orders, etc. After that things just slow down. Bone by Jeff Smith had this happen too.
Usagi Yojimbo really empahizes Japense history and culture in a detailed manner but in a on the surface ridiculous format, its both to high and low brow to have to have too much appeal.
Interesting question! You’d think with his association with tmnt he’d be a hit, but alas not. I think he just didn’t have much exposure. Also the comics are sometimes viewed as kids comics when in reality they are not. Dont get me wrong, I love Usagi! Met Stan Sakai a bunch of times and he’s a hell of guy. But when my best friend got into comics last year and was looking for recommendations, I suggested Usagi Yojimbo. hesaid no because it looked too cartoony and for kids. Mind you, he knew of the character because of tmnt too! I thought for sure he’d like it because he loves samurai history because he’s half Japanese and his dad has stories from his time growing up in Japan about samurais. But no, he didn’t want to give the comic a chance.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had a title that could not be ignored....anyone could read the title, and know what to get. To the average non comic fan, what is a Usagi Yojimbo?
Complete agree. Usagi is a classic. However, people outside comics just don’t see it. They see a rabbit and stop from giving it a shot. It’s so good, I was just reading the recent issues last night. Nothing else like it, really
It's hard to break-out in comic books if you're not a super hero type. Like the only example I can think off if Walking Dead.
Also I think most people don't know Usagi Yojimbo is his own character, at least when I was a kid I thought he was part of the TMNT universe, like a rival katana user they made up for Leo.
Back when Usagi Yojimbo was being published it was the 80s and it started out in a scifi magazine explicitly for furries, and by 89, when the TMNT were in full on kids mode making toys and cartoons, Usagi was still doing the dark manga samurai film thing, not to mention the crossovers with TMNT meant there was rights issues in place preventing an Usagi cartoon by anyone else
It's been over for like twenty years or something, hasn't it?
And yeah, if we're comparing to TMNT specifically then it's definitely the cartoon that made them into a cultural force. The Eastman and Laird run was a cult favorite but it was not what you would call a household name before some executive bought the merchandising rights.
Palladium Books got the rights to make the RPG just at the beginnin (or maybe just before) of the TMNT mania, it even had Eastman/Laird original/exclusive artwork inside, so as a young RPG fan, I could play in a contemporary setting with a new & fresh system. It is what kept TMNT relevant to me & my circle of friends for more than the typical year or two of most childhood fads.
Tying TMNT into a RPG setting gave them more lasting power.
Ironically, I got given a Usagi Yojimbo compilation as a gift from an auntie who had no idea what TMNT was. She lived in a small country town with only one, small Children's craft & toy shop, & this was the only *mutant animal* comic they had. I cherish that comic!
I have had to stop the Usagi book from being stolen at parties twice, (once invaught them walking out the front door with it, the second time, firiend advised that a completely random party crasher just passed something from my gaming room window to someone outside, so i ran after them & got them as they were getting into a car & got ut back) which isn't a lot, but as an item of choice to be stolen at a house party over the years, it seems too often. So it it is now no longer on display & in a box with other random stuff
For me it's completely the other way around. The cartoon had made the Ninja Turtles much more kids friendly and silly, even now with the IDW series being more serious there are always elements that are silly, because they became part of the lore due to the cartoon. Plus, the Ninja Turtles are teenagers and in many stories they look the part.
Usagi on the other hand is such a compelling series and in its best moments is very humane and deep, to the point you forget the character are animals
I didn't think of it as an insult on Usagi. For sure everyone has different experiences. I think the version of the original comics of the Ninja Turtles nowadays is among the least known by most general audiences. They have become kids character (not that there's anything wrong with it).
It never had a cartoon.. I always wondered why not
There is a Netflix show right now. It's about Usagi's descendant, who hunts yokai. It's not very good and doesn't capture the feel of the comics at all.
As a huge fan of the comics it felt like such a betrayal. The comics won awards for introducing realistic history, they could be dark and brutal. Then after almost 40 years all we get is a wacky sci fi kids show.
Isn’t that basically what happened with TMNT? Dark comics to pizza loving carton with vibrant colors
Context matters, methinks. TMNT's cartoon may not reflect the source material very well, but it came out very early in the comic's life and massively boosted the brand's popularity, so two broad takes on the same concept are now relatively harmonious with one another. Usagi Yojimbo gets a radically different child-friendly reimagining decades into publication that's also its first relatively mainstream adaptation? Hell've a lot more difficult to reconcile the gulf or please longtime fans. One can only imagine where we'd be if the planned early 90s cartoon came to fruition.
Exactly. But E and L sold out and let it happen 😭
Yeah, I only managed 1.5 episodes
I binged the first season when I was down with Covid… I watched the second season out of loyalty to the first season…. It wasn’t good.
So disappointed in that show.
Firt season was fun, second one was less fun.
I respect this kind of review.
Imagine if the blue eyed samurai guys worked on a Usagi show :O
I turned it off after a couple minutes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usagi_Yojimbo >A project for an animated television series, Space Usagi, was cancelled following the failure of Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars.[34] However, Space Usagi was one of the action figures produced under the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line. Guess rabbits just weren't in that year.
I was today years old when I learnt Bucky O’Hare was a failure
i collected the contiunity comics, i watched the cartoon.. had some toys, and a nintendo game. I did my part.
I guess that's another pointer. The turtles were everywhere. And 90% of it was brilliant! Usagi usually being a back up character in those media. I guess most people assume it was a spin off.
It might have been one of those "didn't meet shareholder expectations" failures rather than a financial failure
It was only successful, which is no measurement of success.
The heme tune was incredible
There's a newer Space Usagi by NECA as well. It looks super spiffy.
It’s fantastic. The “Year Of The Rabbit” four pack is insane too.
I think Stan Sakai wasn't as willing to allow his comic to become something different like Eastman and Laird.
I wonder if the concept is just too violent to show as a kids show without changing the concept enough that it isn't Usagi anymore
I'm surprised no-one has mentioned this yet, but from what I've heard, the key to TMNT's original success was its title/premise. My understanding is that before releasing issue #1, Eastman and Laird put out advertisements in comic-related publications, and in distributors' catalogues, and an unprecedented number of people saw the ridiculous title, thought "what the hell?", and ordered it. I believe this created the initial hype that led to the interest in creating the animated series, which of course turned it into a fully-fledged worldwide pop-culture phenomenon (again, partly fuelled by the title and premise, which at the time were very novel).
Yep, this is a key factor. If it was called Samurai Bunny things would be different. It might of got its own cartoon earlier.
Wow, this is a really great point. I'm not sure why I didn't think of this before. One of the reasons I loved Yojimbo \*was\* because it had a more serious feel despite the cute animal approach.
There were Samurai Pizza Cats! lol you might be onto something.
Only thing I can think of is that the TMNT are more relatable. You can view them as you and your friends or you and your family fighting crime. 4 distinct personalities to latch on to as well, plus it's based in NYC so it's a familiar setting. Usagi is a lone ronin just wandering around saving/helping people in Feudal Japan. I've only read the first 3 books and have really enjoyed them so far. Have really enjoyed the short story form of the writing. Plus that hippo 'friend/frenemy' of his. Some funny and some emotional stories as well.
TMNT always had more of that "cool surfer dude" image. While Usagi Yojimbo told more serious samurai stories. So it's pretty obvious that TMNT would be the comic series to get the cartoons, the merch, and the movies. Usagi Yojimbo is more of a cult classic among Amerimanga fans.
Amerimanga… never heard that term before Why the downvotes? Genuinely have never seen that phrase in my life lol
Amerimanga usually refers to manga styled comics made in the Western World putside of Japan. Some people call is OEL manga - Original English Manga. But I've always called it Amerimanga. There is actually a lot of interesting history around Amerimanga. And there are a lot of cheap titles to collect. The Netflix series "Warrior Nun" is based around the character Warrior Nun Areala from Ben Dunn's series "Ninja High School."
Very cool! Do you have any recommendations? I love Usagi Yojimbo and I've read some choice manga titles, mostly by Junji Ito and Naoki Urasawa.
The truth is, most Amerimanga really isn't all that great. Ben Dunn's stuff really isn't that great. I always liked Fred Perry's stuff, Gold Digger is still being released. Tokyopop put out a lot of stuff in the 2000s.
I wouldn't search for work categorized as "Amerimanga", it's mostly trash, I also wouldn't call Usagi Yojimbo "Amerimanga" either. That said, you have some pretty cool works done in the west that have a style similar to manga and are also good or at the very least decent: - Monstress - Anything by Peach Momoko. - Most things by Daniel Warren Johson. - Scott Pilgrim (plus whatever has made the creator after).
I could say Cerebus is close to some manga style, but after the first 100 issues it becomes divisive and Dave Sim introduces some pretty awful philosophies, it's not for everyone.
I think Usagi is popular - it’s been in print for decades, with many collected works across several publishers, and has an adaptation on Netflix.
Absolutely! But it's still a fair question from OP: why hasn't it been *more* popular like TMNT?
Usagi Yojimbo might be a well respected name in comic book circles, but it hasn't had much pop-culture relevance outside of that. It's like how a comic book guy will gush for hours about Jeff Smith's Bone, but nobody else has heard of it.
Agreed, but this only corroborates OP's point rather than explain it. The question is why it didn't achieve that relevance.
Does he eat pizza? Does he have siblings? Is he radical? I joke but a big reason TMNT is so popular is because of how young you can be and still enjoy their material. By the time most people are old enough to enjoy Usagi there is a lot of competition for their attention. In the TMNT starting age group, not so much.
That's the thing. Despite the crossovers, the two audiences don't necessarily mix. TMNT lends itself to silly kid friendly action storytelling. Usagi is mostly serious epic Japanese history and folklore stories told with cartoon animals. I read it when I was a kid and didn't give a crap about it. I gave it another chance like 5 years ago and was hooked.
The name. Had it been Hard Knock Rabbit Swordsman….shit now I wanna know more.
>but why did the TMNT win Because the creators were themselves interested in developing the cartoon,it had an long run and the advertisement was pure insanity,not even mentioning the movie that recouped 20 times it's budget. In my opinion the closest thing to Usagi is Samurai Jack and you can really see some striking...similarities.
Samurai Jack is a cult classic, but never really took off in a huge way, because it was attempting something a bit more mature, but as animation it was relegated to children's networks, who didn't necessarily latch onto it the way they did their pokemons and digimons. Is that the comparison you're drawing with Usagi Yojimbo? Comics are also sometimes considered a children's medium, and starring a talking bunny probably doesn't help.
I mean what really helped TMNT was being transformed into an series for children,as they are a way bigger demographic that consumes cartoons.Those children eventually became adults that still loved the series and watched it with their children now. It's nothing wrong with an series to be popular in one genre,but you can't expect a certain show to be into an mainstream genre.
Surprised this hasn't been said yet but Usagi Yojimbo is also tricky to read. It has jumped publishers a few times so collecting the entire thing in order in the same volume styles is tricky or even downright impossible. I remember reading "volume 1" years ago only the be confused and learn I had picked up DARK HORSE volume 1 when the REAL volume 1 was from Fantagraphics.
It’s been heavily streamlined over the past decade. Now there’s two things: Fantagraphics two-volume box set, nine volumes from Dark Horse. It was different was it was a hodgepodge of hardcovers and trades from three publishers, most of them being unavailable.
That still isn't easy. Can't think of another series I would need to go across multiple publishers to read all of.
Sonic the Hedgehog, Transformers, G.I. Joe, *Star Trek.* There's a fair amount of them, but they're pretty much all licensed properties. Hell, TMNT has been at multiple publishers, hasn't it?
Yeah but the difference is each time the series moves it essentially reboots (even if some elements are kept). The writers and artists of the Skybound Transformers are different than the IDW Transformers. I could also grab a Skybound Transformers comic and not need to know anything about the IDW run. The same is not true of Usagi.
All it requires is a quick search on Amazon or Instocktrades and a few minutes of inquisitive reading. Why is that difficult? It’s no different than researching which print variation of The Dark Knight you want to own.
I don't want to do research to know how to read a comic. If I see volume 1 I shouldn't need someone to tell me "oh actually the REAL volume 1 is this other one at another publisher."
This kind of sounds like it would be a bigger deal in a world where google didn't exist and people didn't use it super casually for even minor and inconsequential affairs. Like, if you've ever pulled up IMDB to see who that actor is you're sure you recognize you're probably not that above running this kind of search on an upcoming media purchase.
You sound astronomically lazy.
TMNT “wins” over almost literally every franchise created (comic book or anything else) in the last 50 or so years with very few exceptions so it’s definitely not a slight against Usagi Yojimbo to be less famous. Usagi Yojimbo is one man’s labor of love where TMNT was, pretty quickly, handed off to a large team that was able to capitalize on the absolutely inspired high concept/team name.
He pretty much has the highest kill count out of any comic character. It’s basically reading a more sophisticated Conan.
The comic has always been successful. However, the concept doesn't translate well to cartoons intended for a younger age demographic. Stan tried to make "Space Usagi" but he didn't go through with taking the project further after Larry Hama's "Bucky O' Hare" did not meet expectations. By summer 1991 when Stan Sakai was developing Space Usagi, Larry Hama's Bucky O' Hare was being heavily marketed as the next TMNT. After the release of TMNT 2 and The Technodrome playset in spring 1991, Turtlemania peaked and began to go into a decline. At the same time similar concepts were being developed for children's toys and TV. Playmates developed a line of action figures based on the movie "The Toxic Avenger" called "Toxic Crusaders." A children's show was also created to promote the line. The basis for making it was "kids love radioactive mutants, let's give 'em some more." It was a miscalculation, children are more discerning about their radioactive mutants. TMNT had two competing toylines and shows. Fred Wolf was producing Toxic Crusaders while Playmates made the toys. TMNT was essentially competing with itself. Hasbro's Bucky toyline and cartoon was well regarded by people who saw it and got the toys, but it turns out that talking animal adventures are not the main selling point to children. Kid appeal characters with expressive personalities test really well. The character introduced in 1991 to fill that niche was Sonic the Hedgehog. He captured the attentions of youngsters who were getting a little bored with TMNT. The rest of the new franchises went on to be victims of the console wars. Usagi Yojimbo isn't a famous multimedia property because "Space Usagi" didn't become a thing. Space Usagi didn't become a thing because Bucky O' Hare underperfomed. Bucky O' Hare underperformed because it was part of a series of decisions by Hasbro, Playmates, and several TV production studios to compete with TMNT that resulted in all companies involved playing themselves. All these companies played themselves because they were trying to find the next big thing to keep up with fourth generation gaming consoles. Unfortunately, SEGA created a mascot that filled the animal adventurer with attitude niche everyone else was trying to duplicate. Personally I'm glad Usagi stayed as a creator owned ongoing instead of a multimedia 90's franchise that would just be part of today's memberries.
Agreed! Usagi is a must buy for me. Just purchased the latest sketch book as well. Love that long eared ronin. Would love a show that adapter the comics
For me, it's the art style. I've seen the covers plenty of times and it's just never connected with me. Sometimes it's just that simple
It's quite popular among comic book readers. But unlike the TMNT, Usagi didn't get a lot of affiliated media. Little to none adaptations, toys, etc. TMNT had like 3 live action movies, a cartoon, toys (which were very popular), video games and so on. Usagi just did not. Even Hellboy has had more affiliated media that helps supports sales of the comic. At this point, Usagi is a commercial success because of the direction Darkhorse and Fantagraphix took in the early 2000's: print trade paperbacks, get them into public libraries, scholastic orders, etc. After that things just slow down. Bone by Jeff Smith had this happen too.
Usagi Yojimbo really empahizes Japense history and culture in a detailed manner but in a on the surface ridiculous format, its both to high and low brow to have to have too much appeal.
Interesting question! You’d think with his association with tmnt he’d be a hit, but alas not. I think he just didn’t have much exposure. Also the comics are sometimes viewed as kids comics when in reality they are not. Dont get me wrong, I love Usagi! Met Stan Sakai a bunch of times and he’s a hell of guy. But when my best friend got into comics last year and was looking for recommendations, I suggested Usagi Yojimbo. hesaid no because it looked too cartoony and for kids. Mind you, he knew of the character because of tmnt too! I thought for sure he’d like it because he loves samurai history because he’s half Japanese and his dad has stories from his time growing up in Japan about samurais. But no, he didn’t want to give the comic a chance.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had a title that could not be ignored....anyone could read the title, and know what to get. To the average non comic fan, what is a Usagi Yojimbo?
I wonder how much the black and white hurt it as a comic over the years…
It’s in color now. But, it’s not a dealbreaker for me.
Not to be that guy...but Manga's B&W
…and you think Usagi Yojimbo is manga for some reason?
No, but it's still wildly successful
Great series and I was glad to see it return to Dark Horse Comics. I read it from the beginning.
It was. Back in the 90ies and early 2000nds, it was very popular. I remember seeing the TPB in English, front and center in every comic book store.
Storyline for some people and artwork for others. Not everyone is into interdemensional samurai bunnies. Or a more simple artwork.
He always felt too stiff and one dimensional.
The dude's a samurai. They weren't necessarily known for their flexibility and charming personalities.
You can write a compelling samurai story still though. I just didn’t feel like they were interested in him that way for some reason.
Marketing. The end!
TMNT has had a cartoon or movie in every decade since the 1980s. They were changed to be more marketable.
Because it’s so hard to pronounce.
Complete agree. Usagi is a classic. However, people outside comics just don’t see it. They see a rabbit and stop from giving it a shot. It’s so good, I was just reading the recent issues last night. Nothing else like it, really
There was a whole slate of ninja animals at that time period. Panda Khan, for one. I have no idea why TMNT went viral and the others did not.
It's hard to break-out in comic books if you're not a super hero type. Like the only example I can think off if Walking Dead. Also I think most people don't know Usagi Yojimbo is his own character, at least when I was a kid I thought he was part of the TMNT universe, like a rival katana user they made up for Leo.
Genndy Tarkovsky would make a killer series for him
It was. And it still rules but the 80s were different. Long live Sakai
Back when Usagi Yojimbo was being published it was the 80s and it started out in a scifi magazine explicitly for furries, and by 89, when the TMNT were in full on kids mode making toys and cartoons, Usagi was still doing the dark manga samurai film thing, not to mention the crossovers with TMNT meant there was rights issues in place preventing an Usagi cartoon by anyone else
It's been over for like twenty years or something, hasn't it? And yeah, if we're comparing to TMNT specifically then it's definitely the cartoon that made them into a cultural force. The Eastman and Laird run was a cult favorite but it was not what you would call a household name before some executive bought the merchandising rights.
Usagi Yojimbo is still going strong I believe. Or at least, there's still books to pre-order
Nope, it's one of the longest running independent series. It never stopped being released, unlike the TMNT.
And still written and drawn by the same guy. Pretty impressive
Dont forget the `TMNT & Other Strangeness` RPG by Palladium books!
I don't think I ever knew about that. How does it play into this?
Palladium Books got the rights to make the RPG just at the beginnin (or maybe just before) of the TMNT mania, it even had Eastman/Laird original/exclusive artwork inside, so as a young RPG fan, I could play in a contemporary setting with a new & fresh system. It is what kept TMNT relevant to me & my circle of friends for more than the typical year or two of most childhood fads. Tying TMNT into a RPG setting gave them more lasting power. Ironically, I got given a Usagi Yojimbo compilation as a gift from an auntie who had no idea what TMNT was. She lived in a small country town with only one, small Children's craft & toy shop, & this was the only *mutant animal* comic they had. I cherish that comic! I have had to stop the Usagi book from being stolen at parties twice, (once invaught them walking out the front door with it, the second time, firiend advised that a completely random party crasher just passed something from my gaming room window to someone outside, so i ran after them & got them as they were getting into a car & got ut back) which isn't a lot, but as an item of choice to be stolen at a house party over the years, it seems too often. So it it is now no longer on display & in a box with other random stuff
but it is
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For me it's completely the other way around. The cartoon had made the Ninja Turtles much more kids friendly and silly, even now with the IDW series being more serious there are always elements that are silly, because they became part of the lore due to the cartoon. Plus, the Ninja Turtles are teenagers and in many stories they look the part. Usagi on the other hand is such a compelling series and in its best moments is very humane and deep, to the point you forget the character are animals
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I didn't think of it as an insult on Usagi. For sure everyone has different experiences. I think the version of the original comics of the Ninja Turtles nowadays is among the least known by most general audiences. They have become kids character (not that there's anything wrong with it).