by Stan Sakai
Were you ever reading Lone Wolf and Cub and thought, “You know, this would be better if we lost the cub and made everyone an anthropomorphic animal?”
Well, you’re in luck. Usagi Yojimbo slices his way across the page in this collection from the long-running series. Samurai legends are always good fodder for comics, but Stan Sakai deserves every bit of praise for creating something niche (what if the samurai was a rabbit) and turning it into a fan favorite. Follow Usagi as he fights slavers to free a village, hunts alongside bounty hunters, and falls in love with an escaped princess. The black and white pages and simple panel construction make this book feel like the manga of old while the stories remain timeless. Published in 1998 by Dark Horse Comics, the series is a must-read for anyone craving the need to carry the blade of a samurai.