Usagi Yojimbo first appeared in Albedo Anthropomorphics #2, published by Independent in 1984. That places it in the Copper Age.
Why this issue matters
Stan Sakai's samurai rabbit debuted a few months after TMNT #1 and from a smaller press still. The print run was 2,000 copies, stated on the inside cover, against 3,000 for the Turtles, which is why high grade copies are scarcer on the CGC census despite decades of demand. One of the most valuable Copper Age books there is.
Key facts
Albedo Anthropomorphics #2
- Character: Usagi Yojimbo
- Publisher: Independent
- Cover year: 1984
- Era: Copper Age
Before you buy or sell one
- Check it is a first print, not a facsimile or reprint. Newsstand and direct editions are priced differently too.
- Condition decides most of the value. Whether grading is worth it depends on the copy.
Other first appearances from 1984
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TMNT #1, 1984
- Nightwing Tales of the Teen Titans #44, 1984
More Independent firsts from the Copper Age
- The Crow Caliber Presents #1, 1989
- Tank Girl Deadline #1, 1988
- Bone Bone #1, 1991
- Sandman (Gaiman) Sandman #1, 1989
- Akira Akira #1, 1988
- Lone Wolf and Cub Lone Wolf and Cub #1, 1987
Got a copy?
I buy key issues and whole collections across the UK, and I will tell you honestly whether what you have is the real first or a later printing. Send me photos of the cover and the indicia and I will come back with a straight answer, and a proper valuation if you want one.