Stan Sakai's wife has passed away... [Archive]

11-25-2014, 08:34 PM

Not sure if this has been posted yet but Stan's wife passed away today:

Stan via his FB:
Sharon passed away at 9:00 this morning.

She died exactly the way she wanted to--at home, surrounded by her family. Matthew flew home from up north, where he is going to school, yesterday.

Thank you all so much for your love, prayers and supportPlease keep Stan and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

ObiWanFan4life

11-25-2014, 08:47 PM

RIP Mrs. Sakai, at least she died peacefully with her family. :cry:

TurtleTitan97

11-25-2014, 08:52 PM

How sad. :( RIP

THGhost

11-25-2014, 09:36 PM

Very sad indeed. R.I.P. :(

TheMasterTurtle

11-25-2014, 09:47 PM

Such a shame, R.I.P.

CyberCubed

11-25-2014, 09:55 PM

Damn, I remember reading about his wife's condition for months and thought she had recovered. Very sad. :(

pingclang

11-25-2014, 10:27 PM

I've been following his updates on Facebook. Its wild how strong he was during such a trial. At least his wife's at rest, finally.

Shark_Blade

11-25-2014, 11:07 PM

*usagi weeps*

plastroncafe

11-25-2014, 11:42 PM

I was lucky enough to get to speak to her a few years ago at the SDCC.
She was very kind. I'm sorry to hear of her passing.

TheCanadiandrome

11-25-2014, 11:49 PM

R.I.P! So ver sad :( :(

The Turtle Terminator

11-26-2014, 01:48 AM

R.I.P. She'll be in my thoughts and prayers.

Mayhem

11-26-2014, 03:28 AM

So sad... I was fortunate to meet Sharon a couple of times at shows, and I was fortunate to show both her and Stan around London for a day. Her smile and energy lit up any room. This is very sad day indeed :(

snake

11-26-2014, 04:09 AM

Oh man. I really hope he doesn't get depressed.

neatoman

11-26-2014, 09:21 AM

I hope Stan's OK, I heard his grandson also passed away a few years ago.

Bry

11-26-2014, 10:05 AM

Never had a chance to meet her or Stan, but I consider him one of my all-time creative heroes and a huge inspiration, and I've heard many wonderful things about her and them together. He's shown a remarkable amount of strength during all this. I hope he has a lot of support coping with this loss. It's so unfair that he's had to endure so much hardship recently.

Sofistocat

11-26-2014, 10:29 AM

I hope Stan's OK, I heard his grandson also passed away a few years ago.

It as a few months ago...

-----

Stan has one of the biggest hearts in the business. Sharon was his source of strength and he always kept her close to his heart. Condolences to his family fro the Drome family... many prayers

Zachatello00

11-26-2014, 10:29 AM

Please keep Stan and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Can do. Sad news.

Jephael

11-26-2014, 10:34 AM

So sorry to hear of his loss. I was always fond of the Usagi characters, especially after their depiction in the 4Kids series.

miru

11-26-2014, 10:35 AM

May you find much hope, Stan.

Lou 500

11-26-2014, 11:33 AM

Poor Stan. I wish him and his family well during this tremendously difficult time.

Chris

11-26-2014, 11:40 AM

R.I.P.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Stan and the family.

neatoman

11-26-2014, 12:06 PM

It as a few months ago...

Oh... Yeah that has to be hard on him...:cry:

funatic

11-26-2014, 04:51 PM

This is deeply saddening. :tcry: I'm amazed he can carry on with Usagi while going through all this, but in another sense I'm sure his comics are good therapy. I wonder if the bleak and drastic events of Usagi: Senso are relative to the loss he's been experiencing in his personal life? I met him for the first time last summer at BCC and he was the nicest guy despite everything. I hope it's smooth sailing for him and his family from here on out, they never deserved this tragic fate.

BlindFaith

11-26-2014, 05:23 PM

Oh, I'm sorry to hear this :tsad:

Condolences...

Jester

11-26-2014, 06:21 PM

Sucks.
Thoughts and prayers go out to Stan and his family.

Bry

11-26-2014, 08:17 PM

I wonder if the bleak and drastic events of Usagi: Senso are relative to the loss he's been experiencing in his personal life?

I hadn't really considered it, but... that makes a lot of sense. If so, I really hope it's been helpful for him to put his experiences and emotions into his art. I took a moment and considered how much he's been through this year and just started tearing up - and I've never met the man. It's deeply unfair.

And as an aside, Senso has been really excellent. Though Usagi always is. The man's track record is incredible.

raphmike

11-26-2014, 09:51 PM

wow sorry about stan's loss and all her family in my prayer. rip :(

funatic

11-27-2014, 03:25 AM

And as an aside, Senso has been really excellent. Though Usagi always is. The man's track record is incredible.

At first I found it a bit melodramatic and thought it was throwing away characters for shock value and little else, but when I started to look at it in this context of reflecting what he's been through recently it really hit home. We've known and loved these characters for decades and they always seemed safe from harm, but Senso is reminding us that life can throw us devastating twists, and no one, good or evil, is immune from a sudden death. I wonder if Tomoe will survive the series :(

neatoman

11-27-2014, 09:25 AM

I have not kept up with recent Usagi comics (I would describe myself as very casual fan of the character), so I can't really comment on any themes or alike. Is it good? Do you think Stan would retire after all this?

marcelangelo

11-27-2014, 10:06 AM

I hadn't really considered it, but... that makes a lot of sense. If so, I really hope it's been helpful for him to put his experiences and emotions into his art. I took a moment and considered how much he's been through this year and just started tearing up - and I've never met the man. It's deeply unfair.

And as an aside, Senso has been really excellent. Though Usagi always is. The man's track record is incredible.

the idea for usagi:senso has been in stans head for more than ten years.he posted it on a 'whats in store for usagis future' tableau on the uy website back then...having said that I am sure there is ALWAYS a cartoonists life flowing into his work..

Do you think Stan would retire after all this?

-I don't think stan would EVER retire from creating comics...especially NOW with so much emotional turmoil on his path...

funatic

11-27-2014, 11:59 PM

I don't think stan would EVER retire from creating comics...especially NOW with so much emotional turmoil on his path...

Agreed. Comics to cope. He still seems thrilled to work with Usagi and the fans undying adoration for the series must be a driving light in darker times. I wouldn't be surprised if he surpasses Dave Sim's 300 issue count on Cerebus someday. Between the 3 main volumes, space usagi, specials, and senso, he's around 220 issues as it is...

Bry

11-28-2014, 08:28 AM

the idea for usagi:senso has been in stans head for more than ten years.he posted it on a 'whats in store for usagis future' tableau on the uy website back then...having said that I am sure there is ALWAYS a cartoonists life flowing into his work..

Right, of course. But it's always possible that his current mindframe played a role in the execution of it. Maybe not - based on his online posts, he seems to be very even-keeled with his emotions - but I've definitely felt a real harshness and pain to Senso that I've found very impacting.

Do you think Stan would retire after all this?

-I don't think stan would EVER retire from creating comics...especially NOW with so much emotional turmoil on his path...

For purely selfish reasons... I really hope he wouldn't. I hope that creating comics is a helpful outlet for him right now. But he should do whatever helps him emotionally at this time.

Davetello

11-28-2014, 09:34 AM

Haven't read the Usagi comics but I liked the portrayal of the character in 4kids.

R.I.P. Sharon Sakai.

CyberCubed

11-28-2014, 10:53 AM

Davetello

11-28-2014, 11:18 AM

Usagi Yojimbo has been running since 1985 as one long continuous comic. Its like the manga/anime of American comics. Its hard to believe Stan also writes and draws every single Usgai comic, unlike other American comics where different writers and artists come in with different issues.

Stan should have started Usagi in Japan instead of America. He would have gotten an anime adaption for Usagi and it would have been the next Dragonball or Naruto if it started there.

Don't get me wrong, his stuff looks brilliant. The idea of a ronin in feudal Japan is obviously very intriguing, but it's overwhelming and hard to know where to start.

I'm pretty sure I heard that a new Usagi comic just started.

Btw, the graphic novel "Ronin" is fantastic as well, and one of Eastman and Laird's inspirations for the TMNT.

CyberCubed

11-28-2014, 11:32 AM

Don't get me wrong, his stuff looks brilliant. The idea of a ronin in feudal Japan is obviously very intriguing, but it's overwhelming and hard to know where to start.

I'm pretty sure I heard that a new Usagi comic just started.

Btw, the graphic novel "Ronin" is fantastic as well, and one of Eastman and Laird's inspirations for the TMNT.

Dark Horse releases collections of the entire comic, you don't have to track down individual issues.

The collections are called "Books" and they collect around 7 Usagi issues into one. They're up to Book 27 now, you can buy them all on amazon or anywhere.

marcelangelo

11-28-2014, 11:50 AM

not to blow your shell, cubedm but they are actually already up to book 28:the red scorpion.these collected books are released annually and usually collect a string of 5 or 6 issues plus a few short stories that stan published elsewhere for example...
june is usually the month of publication of such a new book and you can get it in trade paperback format or chose the limited hardcover versions released simultanuesly(they each come with a signed and sketched plate inside)

but if you really wanna check out usagi then I can suggest you a great new publication by dark horse comics: the usagi yojimbo saga books..they collect all the material that came out by dark horse(I think a saga book contains 3 tpbs...) the first of those has JUST come out and has a super price...

but I should mention that each single usagi yojimbo issue is written extremely reader-friendly and smart.

about your notion:
Stan should have started Usagi in Japan instead of America

stan has told many a time that NO ONE from outside of japan does make any big impression on the japanese market.that includes usagi who has a 30 year life span already and is really well researched(a great thing about usagis comics is also that you learn a lot of the culture and the people of that era in japanese history but it doesn't feel forced at all...) but apart from a few dedicated fans usagi is as well a gajin as ronald mcdonald,)

great comics.unbelievably well written characters and stories.LOVE them so much.
they first appeard in the fanzine albedo#2 in 1984...

CyberCubed

11-28-2014, 11:52 AM

o
stan has told many a time that NO ONE from outside of japan does make any big impression on the japanese market.that includes usagi who has a 30 year life span already and is really well researched(a great thing about usagis comics is also that you learn a lot of the culture and the people of that era in japanese history but it doesn't feel forced at all...) but apart from a few dedicated fans usagi is as well a gajin as ronald mcdonald,)

great comics.unbelievably well written characters and stories.LOVE them so much.
they first appeard in the fanzine albedo#2 in 1984...

I meant if Stan lived in Japan and started Usagi there.

Davetello

11-28-2014, 12:59 PM

Dark Horse releases collections of the entire comic, you don't have to track down individual issues.

The collections are called "Books" and they collect around 7 Usagi issues into one. They're up to Book 27 now, you can buy them all on amazon or anywhere.

Thanks mate, will look into that.

CyberCubed

11-28-2014, 01:03 PM

Davetello

11-28-2014, 01:07 PM

I actually only got into Usagi around....2003 or so? That's now a decade ago, but considering Usagi started in 1984 I got into it almost 20 years after it started and caught up.

Thank god for collections. I never would have been able to track down each individual comic.

I heard that it's a pretty intense comic, full of adult themes. Is that right?

I see it on Amazon. I might look at comixology as well.

CyberCubed

11-28-2014, 01:35 PM

I heard that it's a pretty intense comic, full of adult themes. Is that right?

I see it on Amazon. I might look at comixology as well.

Its all about Japanese feudal samurai life. If you've ever watched anything dealing with ancient Japan, samurai's, ninja's, and themes of betrayal, loyalty, honor....stuff like that is what it consists of.

Also Usagi himself being such a likeable character is what carries the book. I love how honor bound he is and how he's loyal to all his friends. It really is the perfect Japanese samurai story just with talking animals.

Davetello

11-28-2014, 01:39 PM

Its all about Japanese feudal samurai life. If you've ever watched anything dealing with ancient Japan, samurai's, ninja's, and themes of betrayal, loyalty, honor....stuff like that is what it consists of.

Also Usagi himself being such a likeable character is what carries the book. I love how honor bound he is and how he's loyal to all his friends. It really is the perfect Japanese samurai story just with talking animals.

Thanks - I was worried it would be geared more towards kids. I will certainly give it a look then.

I see it has just over 200 episodes minus tie-ins - that seems very manageable, especially given it's been going for thirty years.

CyberCubed

11-28-2014, 01:49 PM

Thanks - I was worried it would be geared more towards kids. I will certainly give it a look then.

I see it has just over 200 episodes minus tie-ins - that seems very manageable, especially given it's been going for thirty years.

Its not for kids at all, Usagi slashes and kills enemies with his swords. People die in virtually every issue. There's constant themes of betrayal or people killing each other to seize power in the region, etc.

The series never gets too dark but its not light either. It really strikes the perfect balance. Its sort of similar in tone to the early Mirage TMNT comics.

Davetello

11-28-2014, 01:50 PM

Its not for kids at all, Usagi slashes and kills enemies with his swords. People die in virtually every issue. There's constant themes of betrayal or people killing each other to seize power in the region, etc.

The series never gets too dark but its not light either. It really strikes the perfect balance. Its sort of similar in tone to the early Mirage TMNT comics.

Thanks - will certainly be looking at them now. Going offline soon but thanks for the interesting discussion, as always.

Apologies if this debate seems a bit classless in this particular thread. Probably not an appropriate thread to discuss Sakai's work - it should be all for his wife. Apologies.

Mayhem

11-28-2014, 03:16 PM

Stan is a legend, and someone I'm fortunate and privileged to call my friend. I honestly think it's way more likely he'll stop doing Usagi when he runs out of his favourite ink rather than retire because he doesn't want to it any more, or because of these tragedies in life. The man really is the nicest, most humble man in comics.

Thank god for collections. I never would have been able to track down each individual comic.
I did, but then again I started properly reading the comic in the mid 90s, and used eBay around 1999/2000 to get most of the back issues I was missing. Today I own a first print of every single individual issue, all the hardcover collections (28 in total), the Fantagraphics SE, this new Dark Horse Saga. This includes Senso, the 9 Space Usagi comics, every single issue of Albedo volume #1, every single Critters issue (50), and much more.

All from a samurai rabbit I first encountered via the late 80s computer game (NOT the original TMNT cartoon), and happened to get into properly because I spotted an issue in my local store one day and remembered the game.

Shark_Blade

11-29-2014, 12:25 AM

Btw the Usagi comic on Darkhorse app needs update. There's missing comics.

John Pannozzi

07-15-2016, 01:02 PM

Old news, but Stan has since been remarried to a woman named Julie Fuiji:

http://registry.theknot.com/stan-sakai-julie-fujii-october-2015/12270988

CyberCubed

07-15-2016, 01:06 PM

Old news, but Stan has since been remarried to a woman named Julie Fuiji:

http://registry.theknot.com/stan-sakai-julie-fujii-october-2015/12270988

Stan remarried? At his age? Weird.

Andrew NDB

07-15-2016, 01:07 PM

Old news, but Stan has since been remarried to a woman named Julie Fuiji:

http://registry.theknot.com/stan-sakai-julie-fujii-october-2015/12270988

Wow.

http://emifujiiphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/17-451-post/Sakai-Fujii_0159-685x1024.jpg

Previous wife:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/imgsrv/social_post/0/0/1/sakais.jpg

CyberCubed

07-15-2016, 01:09 PM

Why do people get married in their 60's? I mean at that point of your life you're so limp you can't do much and kids are out of the question.

plastroncafe

07-15-2016, 01:10 PM

Oh Yay! Good for him!
And good for her!

That man is a damn delight!

neatoman

07-15-2016, 01:13 PM

Why do people get married in their 60's? I mean at that point of your life you're so limp you can't do much and kids are out of the question.

... Because they make each other happy and want to be together?

CyberCubed

07-15-2016, 01:16 PM

... Because they make each other happy and want to be together?

You don't have to get married to do that. At that age the wife is likely a gold digger who is looking to steal and inherit the mans money after he passes away. Why do you think young women marry old men? They're gold diggers.

IndigoErth

07-15-2016, 01:17 PM

Stan remarried? At his age? Weird.
I dunno, plenty of widows remarry at some point. Some people can't see themselves being with anyone else, while some others still want and need that companionship with somebody. They might not be young, but could still enjoy twenty or thirty years together.

At that age the wife is likely a gold digger who is looking to steal and inherit the mans money after he passes away. Why do you think young women marry old men? They're gold diggers.
Wow.

See what I said about the companionship part. Women are human, too, and some people like the symbolism of being married to a partner.

Shark_Blade

07-15-2016, 02:06 PM

That's great for them.Why do people get married in their 60's? I mean at that point of your life you're so limp you can't do much and kids are out of the question.
You don't have to get married to do that. At that age the wife is likely a gold digger who is looking to steal and inherit the mans money after he passes away. Why do you think young women marry old men? They're gold diggers.
Are you married yet? Doesn't sound like it.

If it makes them happy so be it. Stop accusing people blindly without proof.

Prowler

07-15-2016, 02:09 PM

CyberCubed does it again :lol:

I can totally imagine CC divorcing his wife once she hits 40 and he finds out she ain't "hot" anymore :P

thundermaster612

07-15-2016, 03:35 PM

CyberCubed does it again :lol:

I can totally imagine CC divorcing his wife once she hits 40 and he finds out she ain't "hot" anymore :P

He probably already has divorced her so he can pursue a relationship with Melissa Whateverherlastnameis

Andrew NDB

07-15-2016, 04:50 PM

Yeah, marriage can sort of be sh*tty. It doesn't make it easier or any better with the person you're with... it just makes it tougher to sever all ties. Believe me, I know.

That said, apparently I'm getting married again in October.

CyberCubed

07-15-2016, 05:21 PM

I think losing a wife to cancer, etc. would make it harder to remarry than if you just got divorced with someone. Just doesn't feel right if you lose your wife to illness and then marry some new younger woman. IMO.

plastroncafe

07-15-2016, 11:52 PM

Guess that all depends on who initiated the divorce in the first place.
I know quite a few divorced people whose lives would have been easier had they been widowed/widowered.

CyberCubed

07-15-2016, 11:59 PM

I don't trust that new young wife of Stan Sakai's, he better be careful.

https://totsofablackgirl.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/wpid-1159_goldinger_art_black.png

http://www.evanmarckatz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/3104796-xsmall.jpg

She looks like she's only in her 40's and Stan is now in his 60's. I'd hate to see such a sweet and innocent man like Stan get taken advantage of by a young cougar.

Prowler

07-16-2016, 12:00 AM

Guess that all depends on who initiated the divorce in the first place.
I know quite a few divorced people whose lives would have been easier had they been widowed/widowered.
Well those are probably people whose spouses were either big cheaters or big abusers.

Btw, are American divorce rates as high as they say? If so, what makes them so high in the country?

EDIT: CyberCubed, I think you're being a little sexist there.

MsMarvelDuckie

07-16-2016, 08:04 PM

A LITTLE?! Try a LOT. He apparently has no idea what married life is like, or much experience with relationships either, for that matter. Not all women who marry a more mature man are gold-diggers, and for that matter, he used the term cougar wrong- it's an OLDER woman chasing after younger men. Though if she's over 50, I believe she is termed a snow leopard.

Cubed, I don't want to sound overly preachy, but have you ever considered that your somewhat objectified views of women MIGHT be why you are not in a relationship yourself? Just an observation. I've been married for over 16 years myself- to the SAME man- and honestly can't see myself with anyone else should anything happen to him. (And believe me, that possibility definitely exists with his health issues.) However, I also can't see myself entirely alone should he leave the picture, either, so I'm sort of stuck in an uncomfortable spot there. It's much harder to lose someone than most people seem to think, especially when you KNOW it's coming at some point, but there is little you can do about it beyond try to delay the inevitable.

Divorce on the other hand, is only such a big issue because so many people marry for the wrong reasons or when they are not REALLY ready for it. And yes, the rates ARE as high as they say, for precisely those reasons. Add children and property into the mix, and it becomes a legal headache for everyone involved.

sdp

07-16-2016, 09:04 PM

If you don't want to sound overly preachy then you should probably not hit submit on most of your posts.

TMNTChris1980

07-16-2016, 09:14 PM

This is the worst thread. This is this guys personal life. Seriously, not cool.

MsMarvelDuckie

07-16-2016, 10:18 PM

If you don't want to sound overly preachy then you should probably not hit submit on most of your posts.

Hey, if I see something that's obviously off of offensive, I'm going to say something about it, because I'm a pretty blunt and honest person and have no qualms about confronting difficult issues. Not everyone likes that, but I'm not going to change to please others. Deal with it.

sdp

07-16-2016, 10:33 PM

Where do I say I have a problem? I don't really care.
I'm merely stating a fact which is that you ]do want to sound overly preachy.

ToTheNines

07-16-2016, 11:04 PM

Cubed, I don't want to sound overly preachy, but have you ever considered that your somewhat objectified views of women MIGHT be why you are not in a relationship yourself? Just an observation.

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSFI8rpGxllknnQVnWcEhvAI1gUNRoY5 ADpxQvQdVZscQ5wEe9d-A

This is the worst thread. This is this guys personal life. Seriously, not cool.

Agreed. This is like tabloid level of trashy forum posting. We're better than this.