Fans of Lone Wolf & Cub will love Stan Sakai's anthropomorphic spoof, "Lone Goat & Kid," the concluding story of the fifth collection of Usagi Yojimbo stories.

Yagi, a disgraced samurai now finding work as an assassin, travels with his wagonbound offspring, Gorogoro, taking what jobs he can within his own inscrutible code of honor. He may have met his match, however, when he's hired to kill the ronin Miyamoto Usagi; the people paying his wage want to remove Yagi's thorn from their side, and they believe Usagi has the skill to do it. Of course, Usagi doesn't count on the sneaky assistance provided to his dad by the wily kid Gorogoro....

Also of note in this collection are "A Kite Story," which gives Usagi a supporting role behind the tireless labors of a 17th-century Japanese kitemaker, and "The Way of the Samurai," which contrasts two types of honor in the prospects of an aging warrior. Other tales are "Blood Wings," featuring ninja bats, and "Frost and Fire," in which a sword, forbidden love and base greed come into play.

For a samurai rabbit, Usagi gets around, starring in stories that are both serious and amusing. Sakai's characterization is spot-on, and I am eager to continue exploring Usagi's world.

by Tom Knapp
Rambles.NET
4 March 2006