Senso is on its 5th issue, so we are right before closing out this story arc with #6. Only just jumping onto this series has proved to be worth the read. Usagi is addicting for several reasons. The first includes the art by Stan Sakai. The battle scenes make every issue worth it all. Remember the aliens are still coming down in their ships. Usagi along with the love of his life, Tomoe, escaped the aliens but many have failed for to overcome this vicious villains. The aliens aren’t your typical aliens and this is where I first fall in love with the art. They are octopus-like creatures and honestly octopus on land scares the hell out of me. Now some clans must unite in order to accomplish a common goal of taking down this beasts. Buichi Kubo runs into the Komori Ninjas and the second reason why the art pops out. Each clan is a specific animal. So the different samurai, the aliens, and my favorite so far, the Komori. They are a mix between bat and ninja. Watching their fight scenes unfold was so much fun. We haven’t had much air battle, so mixing it up aerial ninja really became the star of this issue.

This brings me the second reason of why this comic is so addicting; the actual story. I love when a comic is written and drawn by the same person. I think then the reader knows that the comic has come across exactly how the artist and the writer envisioned it. So just when you think there is no hope with these aliens, Komori and Kubo join up to be a great force against them. The plot doesn’t stay in one place for too long. It is a kingdom, and Sakai does a good balance of covering each battle then coming back home to following more personal stories or strategies from each ruler.

Now this runs out my third reason. The love between Usagi and Tomoe. These two are just too cute together and the stress of knowing whether they will end up together adds a personal touch to the overall story. The two are shown in a conversation about their relationship and where it stands. It seems like the timing is never perfect for these two or they are just holding back because when is timing ever perfect anyway.

Usagi Yojimbo includes a lot of things that I love about comics. The series has continued strong. I would suggest for any comic fan to pick up this series just to see what it is all about. It is always a good time to pick up a series in a story arc too, because for the most part, the reader can quickly catch up to the history of the comic.

Score: 4/5

Writer/Artist/Creator: Stan Sakai Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 12/3/14 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital