4 out of 5

Any new Usagi issue is a treat.  That’s the amazingness on which we have been fortunate enough to rely for over 200 issues from one man: Stan Sakai.  And as awesome as that is, it’s an especially special treat when we see an Usagi multi-part story appear.  Stan’s ability to have delivered years of groovy one-shots notwithstanding, I am always eager to see what he does when he gives himself an issue or more to stretch out.

With The Body in the Library, that stretching out is sort of just that: this is a familiar Usagi-structured tale, with a crime and a convict, and a last minute reversal that peaks with an Usagi-led clash of swords.  There’s the sense that this could have been compressed: some finger-pointing back and forth is a bit too clearly herring-bait.  But: that would have spared us some good reason for letting the story breathe: our seasoned supporting cast.  Inspector Ishida, Kitsune and Kiyoko all appear, and though extra panels are definitely dedicated to letting these characters strut their stuff, the expanded setup also proves to make them feel less like cameos than their ought to in one shots.

We also get the lovely, as usual, Sakai nuance of “acting” details – loved Usagi navigating in and out of his kimono sleeves when sensing he’s being followed – and that extra page space also gives us some nice, expansive action sequences.