Usagi Yojimbo #139

usagi-yojimbo-139-coverUsagi‘s wanderings lead him to cross paths with an old friend when he comes upon Inspector Ishida fending off an attack by an entire band of ruffians.

After helping his old friend dispatch the last of the killers Uasgi learns Ishida is transporting a prisoner, one of two brothers who lead this nefarious band, to justice. Usagi agrees to accompany him and the two warriors and their prisoner set off for their destination only to be waylaid by the weather when they must make a stop at an inn.

It’s here Ishida and Usagi run into an assortment of characters including the inn keeper, who despite closing the establishment can’t turn a blind eye to weary travelers in bad weather, a pompous aristocrat who fancies himself a poet and his bodyguard, and a humble paper dealer and his family.

The storm outside, the prisoner, and the odd mix of personalities under one roof is a good set-up for a murder mystery. I won’t tell you who is killed, or why, but I will say I’m definitely looking forward to picking up the next issue.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]