HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STAN SAKAI!

TODAY IS Stan Sakai’s birthday — and if you missed it, don’t worry, Usagi Yojimbo would forgive you.

There are folks in comics who draw samurai stories, and then there’s Stan, who lives them. HE DOES SO WITH Precision, patience, honor & consistency — 40+ years of telling one long, beautiful tale with a rabbit ronin and a cast of characters that somehow feel more human than most books with actual people in them.

If you’ve never read Usagi Yojimbo, do yourself a favor and pick one up. Doesn’t matter where you start — it’s one of those rare TITLES where every issue is a good issue. Black and white, no frills, just craftsmanship. The kind that makes other cartoonists sigh and say “man, I gotta get better.”

So here’s to Stan — A man with the soul of a poet and the sword of a master. Happy birthday, senseI!