Usagi Yojimbo Book 5: Lone Goat and Kid (Bk. 5) [Paperback]

Stan Sakai (Author), Stan Lee (Introduction)

Book Description

Usagi faces Ninja bats and the "Lone Goat and Kid." "Frost and Fire" and "The Way of the Samurai" provide psychological drama, and "A Kite Story" is a fascinating look at the life and work of a 17th century Japanese kite maker.

This fifth volume collects the epic-length "Blood Wings," in which Usagi battles a fearsome clan of ninja bats, while "Lone Goat and Kid" offers a cunning and affectionate parody of the famous "Lone Wolf and Cub" manga while doubling as one of Usagi's most dramatic and heartfelt adventures. "Frost and Fire" and "The Way of the Samurai" provide the psychological drama of this volume, which is rounded out by one of the most unique Usagi tales ever, "A Kite Story," which doubles as a fascinating look at the daily life and work of a 17th century Japanese kite maker, dramatically showcasing the thoroughness of Sakai's research and his skills as a storyteller. Featuring a foreword by the legendary Stan Lee! Black-and-white comics throughout

Editorial Reviews

Review

These bittersweet adventure stories offer entertaining reading, especially for young Asian-Americans who feel excluded from mainstream juvenile literature. (Los Angeles Times )

I’ve just finished the fourth Usagi Yojimbo trade and the fifth is sitting next to me... If you’re like me, throw away your preconceptions about anthropomorphic comics and get on board. As a fan of samurai fiction (to the point of having a Seven Samurai tattoo) and comics, I can’t recommend Stan Sakai’s beautifully drawn, note-perfect reinvention of the genre highly enough. (Kevin Church - BeaucoupKevin.com )

About the Author

Stan Sakai is a third-generation Japanese American and multiple Eisner-Award-winning cartoonist, creator of the popular and long-running Usagi Yojimbo comic book. Born in Japan, he grew up in Hawaii and lives in Pasadena, CA.

Stan Lee is the co-creator of many of the Marvel Comics iconic heroes, including Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, Daredevil, Thor, Doctor Strange, Nick Fury, and the X-Men. His movie and television work includes cameo roles in most of the Marvel Comics movies, co-creating and hosting the TV reality show Who Wants to Be a Superhero?, and voice work on many of the Marvel animated series, including Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, and Super Hero Squad Show.

Product Details

• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (August 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156097088X
• ISBN-13: 978-1560970880
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #401,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A rare "inbetween" installment, June 14, 2008

By 

shaxper (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Usagi Yojimbo Book 5: Lone Goat and Kid (Bk. 5) (Paperback)

Usagi Yojimbo is the kind of quality work that transcends time, genres, demographics, and even age groups. It crafts a delicate and beautiful balance between honor and savagery, cute innocence and dark brutality, simple heart-warming stories and multi-part epics that shape a dense continuity. Whether or not you've ever been a fan of feudal Japanese culture, furry anthro characters, or independent, non-superhero comics, Usagi Yojimbo is a comic that can't help but impress even the harshest critic.

There's no such thing as a bad Usagi installment, but Book 5 of the Miyamoto Usagi saga is probably among the weaker of the volumes. It comes right after The Dragon Bellows Conspiracy, a beautifully crafted and masterfully executed 7 part epic that no doubt left creator Stan Sakai a bit drained by its conclusion. As a result, while Book 5 includes some fun Usagi adventures, it pales in comparison to what came before it, as well as what will follow.

Worth noting in this volume is "A Kite Story," the first of several memorable stories in which carefully researched history takes the center stage. Here, Sakai salutes the ancient Japanese art of box kite making. Usagi's presence in this adventure is actually secondary to the primarily educational story. This is a very daring and surprisingly successful approach to storytelling.

Also fondly remembered is "Lone Goat and Kid," a homage to the legendary "Lone Wolf and Cub" manga. For fans of the original series, this adventure does not have much to offer, but if you are unfamiliar with the original material, you will no doubt find this story as thoroughly entertaining as I did. Sakai truly infuses the richness of those characters into this story with little lost in the translation.

Finally, "Blood Wings" and "The Way of the Samurai" both play an important part in the long term continuity of Usagi Yojimbo, though neither story particularly stunned me. Still, there is no such thing as a bad Usagi story.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the best, but still not bad., March 11, 2003

By 

Othniel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Usagi Yojimbo Book 5: Lone Goat and Kid (Bk. 5) (Paperback)

I wouldn't say that this is Stan Sakai's best Usagi book, but it is still head and shoulders above just about any other comic.

Though it is titled "Lone Goat and Kid" (a nice reference to that classic samurai manga "Lone Wolf and Cub"), they don't appear "on-screen" until the last story. The most of the stories are stand-alones, which is unusual in UY comics. The stories that revolve around the kite festival are quite enjoyable. Sakai is very interesting even when his main characters don't appear in a chapter because he is explaining something technical like how kites are made or how swords are fashioned (see UY 9 "Daisho").

The "Blood-Wings" story is interesting, but the Komori Ninja have never been as compelling to me as the Neko Ninja. (Though they aren't as bad as the Mogura Ninja.)

"Lone Goat and Kid" is something of a let down when you get there, if one is familiar with Lone Wolf and Cub. If not, then it's a nice, average Usagi tale in a book that is full of them.

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book, June 18, 2008

By 

Nikki Caudill "Samurai lover" (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Usagi Yojimbo Book 5: Lone Goat and Kid (Bk. 5) (Paperback)

This is a wonderful story that just goes to show that true literature can be told through a comic book.
I had never taken a comic or graphic novel seriously until I found Usagi.
A must read!!