A balanced diet of reading

Recently I was thinking about the comic books I read and considered how so many of them have a consistent tone or style - that is, I know what tone to expect in the Punisher, I know what style to expect in a Roger Langridge title. I found myself wishing there were at least one comic book in 2011 which delivered a wide range of tones, from serious to irreverent, from action to drama, from meticulous world-building to turning points, from intellectualism to bawdy humour. Boy, I'd love a comic book like that.

"Oh yeah." I recollected. "I'm already reading Usagi Yojimbo."

I've blogged about Usagi Yojimbo a few times already, but I feel like I can't stress enough just how fine this series - in no small part because it goes unmentioned by virtually every comic book review site & blog on the web. Here's a book which has survived three publishers, driven on by a single creator's vision, telling a variety of small stories which fit together into a larger ongoing story with no end in sight...but as much as readers claim they want self-contained stories, they never seem to prove it with numbers.

Camouflaged by the funny animal trappings, Usagi Yojimbo has shocked me:

Usagi Yojimbo has educated me:

Usagi Yojimbo has amazed me:

Usagi Yojimbo has made me somber:

Usagi Yojimbo has made me laugh:

Usagi Yojimbo has thrilled me:

Usagi Yojimbo has warmed my heart:

Usagi Yojimbo has kept me guessing:

Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai is a full course meal. I think you should treat yourself to a generous portion.