It was a way for Christians to display their faith during a time when their religion was outlawed. It looks and reflects like a regular mirror but, when a light is shone on it in a particular way, it reflects a crucifixion scene. He still makes nickel-plated mirrors by hand, and showed us a secret mirror. It was inspired in part by my recent trip to Kyoto where I visited the work studio of a traditional mirror maker, a designated cultural asset. It will introduce the Hidden Christians of Japan and will eventually lead to an epic I’ve had in mind for a while. Usagi Yojimbo is known to cross many genres and this is due to the freedom I have for creating a story when I am inspired by daily life, my travels, research, or past experiences.įor example, Usagi Yojimbo is switching to mini-series format starting with a brand new #1 issue in March for a seven part story arc. Stan Sakai: Since I write, draw, and letter Usagi Yojimbo along with owning the Intellectual Property, I can virtually do whatever I like storywise. I&T Today: Where do you generally get your inspiration from? Google I/O: The Most Anticipated Tech Event of 2023 The next issue cover featured the first Usagi Yojimbo story.

I submitted a Nilson Groundthumper story which was published in Albedo #1. It was through friends in the industry that I heard of someone in Seattle, Washington that wanted to publish a comic and was looking for short stories. I did freelance artwork in Hawaii and when I moved up to California. Stan Sakai: I grew up reading comics–both Western and Japanese comics–and, with an art degree in drawing and painting, it was natural that I got into the field. Innovation & Tech Today: How did you originally get into creating comics? In this exclusive interview, Sakai discusses his inspirations and advice for the comic book creators of the future.

Sakai has been working on the series for over thirty years, and has seen his creation evolve over time from the original comics to the upcoming animated series. Creator of the iconic Usagi Yojimbo comic series, Stan Sakai was an ideal choice for our spring issue’s special feature on comic book creators.

Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai