Stan Sakai
Artist / Creator
California, USA
Biography:
Stan Sakai was born in Kyoto, Japan, grew up in Hawaii, and now lives in Southern California with his wife, Sharon, and children, Hannah and Matthew. He received a Fine Arts degree from the University of Hawaii, and did further studies at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
His creation, Usagi Yojimbo, is the story of a samurai rabbit living in a feudal Japan populated by anthropomorphic animals. Usagi first appeared in Albedo Comics #2 in 1984. Since then, he has been on television as a guest of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, on clothing, toys, in comic books, games, and in a series of trade paperback collections. His books have been translated into ten languages, including Polish and Croatian.
In 1991, Stan created Space Usagi, the adventures of a descendant of the original Usagi, dealing with the samurai in a futuristic setting. Stan also serves as the letterer for Sergio Aragones' Groo the Wanderer comic books and the Spider-Man Sunday newspaper strip. He is the recipient of a number of awards, including a Parent's Choice Award, an Inkpot, multiple Eisners, two Spanish Haxturs, an American Library Association Award, and a National Cartoonists Society Comic Book Division Award. He has spoken at venues such as The College of William and Mary, The Connecticut Historical Society, the Japanese-American National Library, and the Japan Tower in Brussels.
Stan is published by Dark Horse Comics and Fantagraphics Books. There are twenty volumes of his collected works, all in print. The most recent, Usagi Yojimbo Book 19: Fathers and Sons, was published in July, 2005.
Stan enjoys traveling and has been exhibited internationally. When he was in Norway as a guest of the Raptus International Comics Festival in Bergen, one of the highlights was partaking of the local cuisine, such as the abundant seafood, moose, reindeer, and even sheep's head.
Convention Guest Appearances
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2024
Granite State Comicon 2024 - September 21-22, 2024 in Manchester, NH, USACancelled Appearance- Comicpalooza 2024 - May 24-26, 2024 in Houston, TX, USA
FACTS 2024 - April 6-7, 2024 in Gent, BelgiumCancelled Appearance- Emerald City Comic Con 2024 - February 29 - March 3, 2024 in Seattle, WA, USA 2023
- Singapore Comic Con 2023 - December 9-10, 2023 in Singapore
- Rose City Comic Con 2023 - September 22-24, 2023 in Portland, OR, USA 2020
- Amazing Comic Con Aloha 2020 - February 21-23, 2020 in Honolulu, HI, USA 2019
- Baltimore Comic-Con 2019 - October 18-20, 2019 in Baltimore, MD, USA
- FanExpo Canada 2019 - August 22-25, 2019 in Toronto, ON
- Comic-Con International: San Diego 2019 - July 18-21, 2019 in San Diego, CA, USA
- Heroes Convention 2019 - June 14-16, 2019 in Charlotte, NC, USA
- Comic Con Revolution Ontario 2019 - May 18-19, 2019 in Ontario, CA, USA
- San Diego Comic Fest 2019 - March 7-10, 2019 in San Diego, CA, USA 2018
- Rose City Comic Con 2018 - September 7-9, 2018 in Portland, OR, USA
- Comic Con Honolulu 2018 - August 3-5, 2018 in Honolulu, HI, USA
- Salón Internacional del Comic de Barcelona 2018 - April 12-15, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain
- Emerald City Comicon 2018 - March 1-4, 2018 in Seattle, WA, USA 2017
- Maui Comic Con 2017 - October 28-29, 2017 in Kahului, HI, USA
East Coast Comicon 2017 - April 29-30, 2017 in Secaucus, NJ, USACancelled Appearance- San Diego Comic Fest 2017 - February 17-20, 2017 in San Diego, CA, USA 2016
- Rose City Comic Con 2016 - September 10-11, 2016 in Portland, OR, USA
- Boston Comic Con 2016 - August 12-14, 2016 in Boston, MA, USA
- Phoenix Comicon 2016 - June 2-5, 2016 in Phoenix, AZ, USA
- San Diego Comic Fest 2016 - February 12-15, 2016 in San Diego, CA, USA 2015
- Bakersfield Comic-Con 2015 - November 22, 2015 in Bakersfield, CA, USA
- Lucca Comics and Games 2015 - October 29 - November 1, 2015 in Lucca, Italy
- Baltimore Comic-Con 2015 - September 25-27, 2015 in Baltimore, MD, USA
- Big Wow! ComicFest 2015 - April 18-19, 2015 in San Jose, CA, USA
- Planet Comicon Kansas City 2015 - March 13-15, 2015 in Kansas City, MO, USA 2014
- Boston Comic Con 2014 - August 8-10, 2014 in Boston, MA, USA
- Comic-Con International: San Diego 2014 - July 24-27, 2014 in San Diego, CA, USA
- Big Wow! ComicFest 2014 - May 17-18, 2014 in San Jose, CA, USA
- Emerald City Comicon 2014 - March 28-30, 2014 in Seattle, WA, USA 2013
- Gem City Comic Con 2013 - March 23-24, 2013 in Dayton, OH, USA 2012
- Katsucon 2012 - February 17-19, 2012 in National Harbor, MD, USA
- Animé Los Angeles 2012 - January 6-8, 2012 in Los Angeles, CA, USA 2011
- Long Beach Comic & Horror Con 2011 - October 29-30, 2011 in Long Beach, CA, USA
- Montreal Comiccon 2011 - September 17-18, 2011 in Montréal, QC
- Phoenix Comicon 2011 - May 26-29, 2011 in Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Boston Comic Con 2011 - April 30 - May 1, 2011 in Boston, MA, USA 2010
- Eurofurence 2010 - September 1-5, 2010 in Magdeburg, Germany 2009
- Kawaii Kon 2009 - April 10-12, 2009 in Honolulu, HI, USA 2008
- MegaCon 2008 - March 7-9, 2008 in Orlando, FL, USA 2006
- Kawaii Kon 2006 - April 14-16, 2006 in Honolulu, HI, USA
- I-Con 2006 - March 24-26, 2006 in Stony Brook, NY, USA 2005
- Anime Weekend Atlanta 2005 - September 23-25, 2005 in Atlanta, GA, USA
- Anime North 2005 - May 27-29, 2005 in Toronto, ON 2004
- Comic-Con International: San Diego 2004 - July 22-25, 2004 in San Diego, CA, USA
- Anthrocon 2004 - July 9-11, 2004 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Emerald City Comicon 2004 - February 29, 2004 in Seattle, WA, USA 2003
- Anime North 2003 - May 16-18, 2003 in Toronto, ON 2002
- AnimeIowa 2002 - August 23-25, 2002 in Cedar Rapids, IA, USA
- A-Kon 2002 - May 31 - June 2, 2002 in Dallas, TX, USA 2001
- FanimeCon 2001 - March 30 - April 1, 2001 in Santa Clara, CA, USA 2000
- FanimeCon 2000 - February 24-27, 2000 in Santa Clara, CA, USA 1999
- Baka!-Con 1999 - April 23-25, 1999 in Tukwila, WA, USA
53 confirmed guest appearances