Usagi Yojimbo #50

Reaching issue #50 is a genuine milestone, and Stan Sakai marks it with a cover that pulls no punches: a hulking, blue-furred bulldog samurai stands triumphant amid scattered barrels and baskets, while the rabbit ronin Usagi lies wounded on the ground below him, bloodied and surrounded by fallen swords. Sakai's linework — pencils and inks both his own — gives the scene a wonderfully tactile weight, every sandal strap and sword guard rendered with care. "The Shrouded Moon Part One" promises a story worthy of this landmark number from Dark Horse's Maverick imprint.