4 out of 5

For the most part, there is never a *bad* Usagi story.  There are occasions where Stan will strike on a story that’s too derivative of something he’s already done, but by following the golden rule of drawing / writing stories he’d want to read, Sakai has kept the world of Yojimbo uncomplicated and yet rewarding for years, slowly but surely dotting his creation with an impressive history of experiences and well-developed side characters.  In this case, stern ninja outcast Chizu is played against the playful thief Kitsune, both desiring to thieve a certain treaty for fastly different reasons, with our man Yojimbo of course caught in the cross-fire, honorable as ever as he tries to
help both aquaintances / friends walk away satisfied.  No one but Stan writes these kinds of stories with such breeziness where the pages and story and action fly by with a few distilled moments of exposition but you never feel like you haven’t gotten your moneys worth.  It’s all deceptively simple seeming, but it’s a skill of compression that’s always come natural to the creator and just been more and more solidifed over the years.

And that doesn’t mean that every Usagi story is a *great* story either.  ‘Kunoichi’ is a nice return from a break (47 Ronin plus Senso) to the ongoing, and it sort of has that celebratory feel, being a “fun” story comically playing Kitsune off of Chizu or vice versa.  Because of this, the cause for their interactions feels occasionally forced.  Sakai also might be experimenting with his art here, as it feels just a tad looser.  Some of the busier panels (in terms of number of characters and things happening) seem almost sketched, instead of the practiced but fluid linework we normally see.  Minor quibbles over all, as it IS something to celebrate, getting back to a monthly.  And the new cover design (Cary Grazzini) is great.