The Sakai Project, page 66 by Chris Samnee

Aside from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the undisputed godfather of the genre), no other indie, small press, funny animal, publication has enjoyed anywhere near this kind of longevity and success. I mean, where are Boris the Bear, the Pre-Teen Dirty-Gene Kung-Fu Kangaroos, the Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters, the Cold-Blooded Chameleon Commandos, or the Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils? Somewhere in my storage shed, I have an entire box of long forgotten funny animal parody comics. Usagi Yojimbo has outperformed and outlasted all of them. And keep in mind TMNT has done it with the aid of toys, cartoons, movies, video games, and tons of license merchandising. While Stan has done some limited licensing with the character, the true testament of the character’s popularity and resiliency are the roughly 300 comics that Stan has produced. Just think about that. In the history of comics, there have been thousands of titles that never even made it past issue #10. But this walking talking rabbit with a sword has appeared in 300 comics. Not bad for a one trick pony.

So now how do we segue from Stan Sakai to Chris Samnee? To start, I should confess that I am not particularly a big Samnee fan. In fact, the ONLY time I ever actively sought out a Samnee piece was when trying to find a gift piece for a friend. The first time I even heard the name Chris Samnee was at a hockey game years ago (pre-COVID) when Marcus showed me a pic on his phone of a piece he had just gotten. I think it was a Captain America cover or something like that. He asked me what I thought and I told him that it wasn’t really my cup of tea stylistically. That was pretty much the extent of the conversation and I probably never gave Samnee a second thought after that.

Before we get to this piece of art, we have to rewind a bit. Back in 2014 Dark Horse published THE SAKAI PROJECT (see Additional Images). It was described as a 30-year celebration of Stan’s Usagi Yojimbo character. In actuality, it was a benefit fundraiser for Stan and his wife Sharon who was, at the time, battling a serious illness. The book consisted of Usagi (or Usagi-related) drawings and paintings by almost 300 artists, with all the proceeds going to the Sakai’s. The book itself is gorgeous. Hardcover, 160 pages on hi-gloss paper. And the list of contributing artists is incredible (a real tribute to how loved and respected Stan is). Originally, all the artwork featured in the book was compiled when a small group of artists got the idea to have an art auction for the Sakai’s. It started with just a handful of donations. But once word got out it was for Stan and Sharon, the organizers were literally BOMBARDED with pieces. At some point the idea for a book was tossed around and that’s when Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson entered the picture and offered to print the book at their expense. Now I’m a little fuzzy on the chronology, so I’m not sure if the auctions were held before or after the book’s release. But long story short, I didn’t win a single piece from the auction. Thank goodness for second chances.

When this group of Usagi drawings popped up for sale, I immediately recognized them from the Dark Horse book. I assume the same collector won them from the original auction and finally decided it was time for other people to have them. Again, not really a big Samnee fan but I was really drawn to this one. Stylistically, he really didn’t take any creative liberties with the character. It’s pretty much Stan’s version just drawn by Chris. What really blows my mind about the drawing are the backgrounds. I mean, those trees are just INSANE!!!!! In lesser hands that could have become an inking mess. But Samnee executed it masterfully. I love the seemingly endless depth of that forest. Just sublime b&w work. I was actually disappointed to see it colored in the book (see Additional Images). But thank goodness for the original.

My thanks to Stan for his creation. To Chris Samnee for his brilliant interpretation. And as always, thanks to all of you who stopped by to take a look. I appreciate your time.