Dark Horse and Dogu Publishing have announced the trade release of Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow for January 2025. Collecting the limited series of the same name, the book is written and drawn by Stan Sakai, with colours by Hi-Fi Colour Design – and come complete with a painted cover by Sakai. It is scheduled to hit bookstores January 7, 2025 and comic shops January 8, with a retail price of $24.99.
A limited edition $59.99 hardcover will release alongside the trade paperback, featuring a dust jacket, signed tip-in sheet, and a ribbon book marker.
According to the Dark Horse press release:
“The return of comics legend Usagi Yojimbo, featuring fan-favorite characters Gen and Stray Dog, is now collected for readers in Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow. Dogu Publishing and Dark Horse Comics present Stan Sakai’s continuing adventures of Miyamoto Usagi, the rabbit ronin, as he travels across 17th century Japan with his cousin, Yukichi.”
Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow is currently being serialised as a five-issue limited series – having begun in April 2024, it is scheduled to complete in August. It is being published to coincide with the rabbit ronin’s 40th anniversary celebration year.
The plot summary for the book:
“Usagi and Yukichi have finally made it out of the frozen mountains, only to come across a merchant being attacked by brigands. They rescue the supposed merchant only to discover much later that he is really a criminal with a huge bounty on his head! With bounty hunters like Gen and Stray Dog, and unscrupulous bandits all fighting for a huge reward, Usagi will have to be smart if he and Yukichi are going to make it out of this mess alive!”
Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow will be the second main series collection since Stan Sakai returned to Dark Horse and established his Dogu Publishing imprint in 2022 – the first of which (volume 39: Ice and Snow) is scheduled for release September 11, 2024.
