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Samurai Errant

Editor : Julie "Stew" Bozza (juliebozza@outlook.com)

"There was SAMURAI ERRANT, an Australian Banzai zine. As a word of caution, there was adult material in the zines."

According to editor Julie Bozza, there were only five issues of Samurai Errant although "I was really sorry that issue 5 had to be the last!" The zines are out of print, and copies (paper or digital) are no longer available.

You can find Julie's Buckaroo Banzai stories at the Archive of our Own and I've linked to the individual stories below.

Samurai Errant 1 (1988)

Table of Contents

 

• Buckaroo's First Recruit by Stew
  Rawhide is alone and bored, bar-tending in Chicago when in walks Buckaroo...
  
  
• And Emerged a Better Man by Bepo
  Perfect Tommy is thrown out of Cambridge, so what else is there to do but join the Foreign Legion?
  
  
• Pool Party by Arcane Annie
  In which Flyboy Johnson receives an offer he really shouldn't refuse.
  
  
• Hopes and Dreams by Stew
  Alone with Buckaroo on a mission to Cuba, Rawhide reflects on his feelings for his best friend.
  
  
• Going Errant by Stew
  Buckaroo and the Cavaliers drop into the 13th century and have tea with King Pellinore and Oolong.
  
  
• Buckaroo Gets a Cold by Stew
  Is Buckaroo Banzai only human after all…? "Who gave the boss a cold, Reno?"
  
  
• Auda by Stew
  Buckaroo and Reno are on a mission in Arabia.
  
  
• Banzai Limericks by Arcane Annie
  "A woman called Penny, quite glamorous
  Caused a scene in a bar that was clamorous..."
  
  
• Pictures Don't Lie by Stew
  Perfect Tommy wants to know the story behind Reno’s remark about his first wife.
  
  
• Lines by Downtown
  A celebration of the best lines in the film.
  
  
• From "World Watch One" by Downtown
  Info on the filming locations gleaned from the "World Watch One" newsletter.
  
  
• Teo Torriatte by Stew
  Big Norse is stricken with grief - and fury - when she hears that Rawhide has been killed.
  
  
• 'Find the Jetcar' Said the President A Buckaroo Banzai Thriller by Tim Howe
  A Banzai adventure in comic book form.
  
  
• The Laboratory Test by Downtown
  Buckaroo undertakes a science experiment after a challenge from Reno...
  
  
• Irregular Happenings Down Under by the Oz BBIs
  Join Arcane Annie, Buckskin Brenda, Downtown, Faux Pas, Question Mark, Stew, Squash and Tolkien as they rid Australia of the last insidious nest of Red Lectroids on behalf of Buckaroo.
  
  
• Oh Give Me A Home, Where the Cantaloupes Roam by Anne Murphy
  The funniest solution ever to the watermelon mystery.
  
  
• The Vampyre Morgan by Stew
  Morgan concentrates his seductive charms on Buckaroo and the wary Rawhide. Meanwhile, unconcerned, Perfect Tommy makes his best move on Billy's fiance Felicia.
  
  
• Moments by Downtown
  The Hong Kong Cavaliers gather for a farewell party. One of their members has decided to move on to a more independent career.
  
  
• Living Many Secret Lives Among You by Stew
  Buckaroo finds something disturbingly familiar about the dark figure leading him through the sordid streets of New York.
  
  
• The Andersson Report (leaked to an expectant public by Arcane Annie)
  Learn the truth behind the Penny Paradox.
  
  
• Broken Leg Blues by Stew
  Rawhide, incapacitated and irritable, tries to solve the age-old cat-up-a-tree problem.

 

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Samurai Errant 2 (1989)

 

Table of Contents

• Stone Cold Crazy by Arcane Annie
  On the bus to school, Buckaroo's study is interrupted by a kid playing an energetic version of the Magnificent Seven.
  
  
• When Numbers Get Serious by Stew and Arcane Annie
  Buckaroo is bringing "someone special" home from Oxford...but his best friend Rawhide reacts in ways unexpected.
  
  
• That Demned Elusive Buckaroo by Tolchin
  "They seek him here, they seek him there,
  Those Death-Dwarves seek him everywhere..."
  
  
• Tommy and the Octopus by Downtown
  "'You can't bring that thing in here!' screamed Mrs Johnson."
  
  
• Press Clippings File by Arcane Annie
  A UPA/Reuter report filed from West Berlin.
  
  
• A Yak Skin Built for Two by Stew
  Rawhide and Buckaroo are sewn into a yak skin as part of Pasha’s evil plans for them. Forced into such close proximity, with the strong probability of death awaiting them, one of them finally has to tell the truth about his feelings.
  
  
• Rawhide Was Somewhere Else... by Downtown
  The Institute just doesn't seem right one day--one of their number has vanaished.
  
  
• Perfect Fit by Dreamspinner
  Perfect Tommy endeavors to keep his perfect image in shape, despite having a rotten morning.
  
  
• The Most Disagreeable Week by Stew
  Rawhide and Reno are rescued from their thermos chest floating off the coast of Japan after sharing a week of despair.
  
  
• Sabbatical and The Rectification of Names by Arcane Annie
  Rawhide and Perfect Tommy each recount their adventures in Nepal.
  
  
• Find the Jet Car Said The President: A Buckaroo Banzai Thriller by Tim Howe
  the adventure continues...
  
  
• Banzai Limericks by Downton
  "I can tell you the number of trees
  Needed to print the TV Guide, you see..."
  
  
• Mrs. Rawhide by Buckskin Brenda
  On learning of Rawhide's death, Jenny McKern tells the story of their marriage and separation.
  
  
• Banzai Haiku by Stew
  (on behalf of Buckaroo)
  
  
• The Rocky Horror Banzai Show by Downtown
  Buckaroo and Peggy's Superthunderjetcar has a flat battery...but help is available from the castle down the road...or is it?
  
  
• A BBI's Dream by Tolchin
  We all dream of being called up to join the Hong Kong Cavaliers...
  
  
• Snake in the Grass by Arcane Annie
  There's wildlife loose in the Institute, and everyone knows who to blame.
  
  
• Banzai Nova Police by Downtown
  Filk song lyrics in honour of the editor's favourite band.
  
  
• Extra Long Distance by Downtown
  John Parker left Buckaroo with a telephone that can place a call to somewhere beyond this world...
  
  
• A Perfect Ending by Ratbag
  BBI Tasy has had a rotten day, mainly because Perfect Tommy neglected to fill the Saab with gas.
  
  
• Jason by Tolchin
  Perfect Tommy has been allowed to drive the bus, with unhappy results. Until Rawhide spots something on the road that Tommy almost ran over...
  
  
• Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You by Arcane Annie and Stew--BBI Kira recountsher and Tommy's adventures, as they try to do something about what they believe in despite controversy from both within and outside the Institute.
  
  
• Tear Drops by Stew
  Tommy asks Reno for help with some poetry he's writing...

 

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Samurai Errant 3 (1989)

Table of Contents

• Ginger and the Brat by Stew
  The 14 year-old Buckaroo is on his way home when he runs into the local school bully.
  
  
• Kindred Souls by Tolchin
  Hanoi Xan is the curse of Buckaroo's life... but he finds the truest of friends while fighting against him.
  
  
• Faerie Tale by L.J. Whorfin
  Mourning Peggy, Buckaroo wanders through the Institute gardens and into another world.
  
  
• Growth and Rebirth by Berkana
  A soldier of fortune in Latin America is betrayed by her fellow mercenaries.
  
  
• Debugging by Stew
  Rawhide, uh, gets it on with another member of the Institute.
  
  
• Find the Jetcar Said The President--A Buckaroo Banzai Thriller by Tim Howe.
  
  
• Sidhe-Devil by L.J. Whorfin
  Perfect Tommy is freezing his butt off monitoring the weather in Ireland when...there is a soft rustle of movement nearby...
  
  
• A State of Mind by Stew
  Rawhide takes advantage of an offer of employment at CSIRO in Canberra, Australia to get out of a rut--and finds that the Institute does not hold a monopoly on mad scientists.
  
  
• One from the Archives by Lady Whorfin
  A letter to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, on the subject of hair coloration.
  
  
• Let Us Cling Together by Tim Howe
  more comix stuff!
  
  
• Climb Every Mountain by Wookie
  New Jersey comes to on the side of a Bolivian mountain and finds his companions have vanished.
  
  
• Let's Rock and Roll! by Buckskin Brenda
  Mrs. Rawhide is slowly fitting into the Banzai Institute, until Buckaroo corners her...
  
  
• A Slight Case of Nerves by Downtown
  Pinky knew he wouldn't even be in this situation, if it wasn't for the blonde juvenile...
  
  
• The Tibetan Connection by Buckskin Brenda
  The mystery of Pecos explained.
  
  
• Roll Call of the Dead by Stew
  There’s one aspect of his job that Reno can’t bear.
  
  
• One Hath Wounded Me by Stew
  If you didn't believe that the Kurgan had been hiding out as Rawhide, then you won't believe that the Kurgan beat the Highlander and won the Prize...or will you?
  
  
• Hoboken Crunch by Stew
  Buckaroo discovers a new Cause...the quest for the ultimate ice cream.

 

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Samurai Errant 4 (1990)

 

Table of Contents

• Shanghai'd by Berkana
  Buckaroo is due to speak at a conference, but Perfect Tommy insists on fulfilling an important quest first.
  
  
• The Missing Link by Stew
  A three-way relationship probably has triple the complications…
  
  
• The Banzai Saga by Tim Howe
  A recap of the Banzai adventures, with illustrations from the comics (as imagined by Tim Howe).
  
  
• Gatorbait by Shadowcat
  Buckaroo, Rawhide and Perfect Tommy are on a vacation to Dumpwater, Louisiana... or are they?
  
  
• Extracts From the Journal of a Lover by Berkana
  An interlude with Rawhide.
  
  
• Find the Jetcar Said the President--the Tragic Conclusion by Tim Howe
  The epic end to the comics!
  
  
• Eulogy by Arcane Annie
  Reflections on the death of Peggy Simpson Banzai... from an unexpected quarter.
  
  
• You're Keen on Bugs by Dreamspinner
  Rawhide has a reputation for liking insects...
  
  
• Death Destruction and Criminal Devastation by Berkana
  A sequel to "Growth and Rebirth" in issue #3.
  
  
• Ladies' Night by Dreamspinner
  Mrs Johnson bonds with Penny Priddy.
  
  
• The Death of Innocence by Stew
  Tommy reminds Reno of his promise to tell him about Reno’s second wife.
  
  
• The Bizarre Bazaar by Dreamspinner
  John Parker is curious about how the Institute celebrates the strange Earth custom of Christmas.
  
  
• The Oddest Couple by Downtown
  Reno and New Jersey are on a road trip to California.
  

(Thanks to Geoff Tilley for the Samurai Errant issue 4 images and table of contents for the first three issues.)

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Samurai Errant 5 (1996)

Table of Contents

• The Hidden Tomb by Wookie
  The Hong Kong Cavaliers' adventures take them to Cairo to solve the mystery of the hidden tomb...
  
  
• Florens by Stew
  Sixteen-year-old Rawhide and his big brother are finally heading back to the States – except right now they are stuck in Jedda due to the Suez Canal crisis. Which is when Rawhide first falls in love, with a woman who is as out of his league as the stars in the sky…
  
  
• John Parker Lied, Monkey Boy! by Akimbo
  Lord John Whorfin has been dealt with and the world has been saved - when to everyone's surprise a Red Lectroid shows up at the Institute's gates asking to speak to Buckaroo...
  
  
• Some Sort of Homecoming by Berkana
  Another part of the story that started with "Growth and Rebirth".
  
  
• Tad by Stew
  Tad is just an ordinary guy, but he’s befriended and loved by extraordinary people. He wishes he knew why, but then again he ain’t gonna argue!
  
  
• Buckaroo, You're an Idiot! by Akimbo
  Buckaroo announces that the Institute is accepting applications for the role of martial arts instructor. "That was when the trouble started, mused Rawhide."
  
  
• Holiday in Hell by Berkana
  Rawhide is travelling with Perfect Tommy - and is dismayed by many of his choices
  
  
• Reno's Journal: Mercy by Shadowcat
  Reno relates the stories of how Buckaroo came to meet and recruit some of the lesser known members of the Institute.
  
  
• A Short Note to Explain the Strange Goings On at the Banzai Institute by Berkana
  On Berkana's return to the Institute, she is surprised to find that the place isn't running as efficiently as it used to.
  
  
• Future History by Tim Howe
  A re-imagining of the film's story, somewhat skewed - in comic book form.
  
  
• Coffee and Conversation by Berkana
  It's four in the morning, and Rawhide is worried about Perfect Tommy.
  
  
• A Perfect Recruit by Stew
  Buckaroo is visiting an old friend of his father’s when he meets a provocative young man who seems to have only one thing on his mind. It’s soon clear that there’s far more to him than that, though.
  
  
• Tender Resignation by Akimbo
  The latest recruit to the Banzai Institute just can't stand the heat!
  
  

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This page was last updated on January 25th, 2020.
Maintained by Sean Murphy [figment@figmentfly.com]