Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday post, I highlight the next volume of the epic Usagi Yojimbo series by Stan Sakai, Ten Thousand Plums, which should be another exceptional entry in this amazing comic series.
Fans of this blog will be more than familiar for my love of the exceptional Usagi Yojimbo series by Stan Sakai. A particularly awesome comic that has been running since 1984, the Usagi Yojimbo stories follows a rabbit ronin as he faces all manner of foes in an alternate version of feudal Japan populated with anthropomorphic animals. Thanks to its clever stories, great use of Japanese culture, complex characters and stunning artwork, the Usagi Yojimbo series has long been a favourite of mine and I currently have every single volume of it sitting proudly on my shelf.
Needless to say, getting the any new volumes of Usagi Yojimbo is a major priority for me each year, and I am always excited when I find out when the next comic is dropping. As such, I was very, very happy to recently find out that the 41st volume of the series, Ten Thousand Plums, is set for release later this year. This volume is particularly exciting for me, as we’d usually only get one volume a year and I was worried that the 40th volume of the series, The Crow, which I had a blast with earlier this year, was going to be me only Usagi Yojimbo hit of the year (barring one of my many re-reads, such as for volume 15: Grasscutter II). However, it looks like this is one of the blessed years where we get more than one volume, and this new entry sounds pretty damn cool.
Currently set for release in late November 2025, Ten Thousand Plums will see the protagonists visit a beautiful valley, filled with thousands of plum trees, only to encounter mysterious deaths, suspicion and other dark occurrences. I am already very intrigued by this comic’s unique new plot, and I cannot wait to see how it unfolds.
Plot Synopsis:
Murder and arson are plaguing the valley of ten thousand plums.
The trees within the valley of ten thousand plums are beautiful to behold. But the umeboshi, or pickled plums, made in the local village are renowned for their strong medicinal properties, and a favorite of the Shogun. As a series of deadly events grip the valley with fear, the Shogun’s samurai strongman is immediately suspicious when Usagi, Yukichi, and Gen are found wandering among the prized foliage…can their appearance be a mere coincidence?
A new adventure starring Usagi Yojimbo by legendary creator Stan Sakai, with beautiful color work by HiFi Colour Design.
Now this sounds like it is going to be a particularly cool Usagi Yojimbo story that will allow Sakai to really show off both his artistic talent and ability to craft great, mystery filled narratives. Mysterious events around an intriguing location with a connection to a specific Japanese product (in this case, pickled plums) will allow Sakai to really dive into historical practices, and I cannot wait to see what cool narrative emerges. At the same time, having Usagi and his companions become involved with the interests of the Shogun really increases the stakes of the plot, and may have some interesting long-term implications for the simple wanders.
While I think the story of Ten Thousand Plums is going to be amazing, one of the things that I am very much looking forward to for this new volume is the exceptional artwork. Sakai always excels at painting breathtaking landscape shots as the background for his stories, especially as he really showcases the beautiful Japanese wilderness, or the iconic feudal towns. It sounds like we will be in a for a real artistic treat in Ten Thousand Plums, as the entire narrative will be set to the background of thousand of flowering plum trees. The multitude of trees and their blossoms is going to look so impressive when drawn by Sakai, and I cannot wait to see how it frames every single panel, especially now that the volumes are in colour. Throw in Sakai’s usual brilliant artwork around combat, towns and unique characters, and this upcoming volume is going to be a real visual treat, and I can see this being one of Sakai’s more visually ambitious volumes.
Look, I was always going to be grabbing the new Usagi Yojimbo volume the second it came out, but hearing about Ten Thousand Plums’ impressive plot has made me even more eager for it. Stan Sakai’s next volume sounds so damn cool, and I cannot wait to get my hands on even more Usagi Yojimbo comic-awesomeness this year. As such, Ten Thousand Plums is now one of my most anticipated releases coming out later this year, and I already now it will be one of the best comics I read this year.
The Unseen Library 