A Rabbit And Turtles In A Crossover That Cuts

Unleashed from the East, and from the depths of the sewers, Usagi Yojimbo and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are about to cross each other's paths in IDW Publishing's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo (MAY170382) written and drawn by Stan Sakai! Read about it in this interview with Sakai that was conducted by Turtles creator Kevin Eastman!

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Kevin Eastman: I 'm curious, what was the inspiration — spark if you will — that made you decide to jump  in and pursue a career as a cartoonist?

Stan Sakai: I grew up reading comic books. For me, they appeared magically on the shelves every week, and I never thought  about the people who  created them.  I met some like-minded friends  in junior high and we started talking about the writers and artists and their different  styles. That was when the light bulb clicked on for me and I  wanted to become one of those guys that created comics.

Kevin Eastman: For me, Jack Kirby and his character Kamandi is the creator and creation that locked it in for me. Was there one specific artist or character you gravitated to?

Stan Sakai: For me, it was Steve Ditko during his Spider-Man and Dr. Strange tenure. Kirby had the raw power, but Ditko had a grace and a unique twist to his art.

Kevin Eastman: There have been many different TMNT Universes over the years. Any specific challenges you had to overcome for a story placed in the IDW TMNT comic universe?

Stan Sakai: There are nuances to the characters that I did not know, such as these Turtles don't have tails.  However, editor  Bobby Curnow has been guiding me along nicely. Basically, these are not theTurtles that Usagi had met before. New relationships have to be established and suspicions overcome. Michelangelo is the only one of them who speaks Japanese, so I  had to figure a way around that so they could all communicate.  Leo has always been my favorite and there is a fight scene between him and Usagi that I had a lot of fun drawing.  There is one panel that is particularly nice — a double-double page spread. Four pages, when connected together, comprise one long spread with all the Turtles and Usagi against the villain Jei and his men, during an earthquake no less.

Kevin Eastman: The incredible and truly inspiring volume of stories you've taken Usagi through over three (plus) decades has been a wonderful journey for all of us to ride along with you. Any upcoming adventures you have in mind you can tease us with?

Stan Sakai: I'm continuing with Usagi and slowly introducing foreigners and the concept of a new religion into his world.  Other than that, there are the usual samurai action, monsters from folklore and stories revolving around Japanese culture and history. I've had a blast reuniting the TMNT and Usagi again. Besides the comic, they will be featured in a three-part episode arc in Nickelodeon's Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in July.