The Fall 2024 Manga Guide

Ronin Rising

What's It About? 

The manga edition of the long-awaited sequel to the award-winning classic Ronin by Frank Miller

A cursed Ronin. Psychological manipulation by a sentient AI. A security commander turned savior. And a postapocalyptic biotech war in the demon-teeming pits of a twenty-first century New York inadvertently started by the once benevolent Aquarius Corporation.

Eisner Hall of Famer Frank Miller's Ronin is cited as the inspiration for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Samurai Jack. Now—40 years later—Miller, with the team Philip Tan and Daniel Henriques, returns to the world of Ronin, continuing his story for a new generation in Frank Miller's Ronin Rising.

With Philip Tan and Daniel Henriques providing pencils and inks for chapters 1, 2, 3, and 5 of the manga, and the masterful Frank Miller himself drawing chapters 4 and 6, Frank Miller's Ronin Rising is a visual feast, with skillfully executed battle sequences that seem to jump off the page.

Miller and his team continue the story of Ronin deftly and intentionally, drawing the reader into his postapocalyptic world as completely as he did in the original series run, published in 1983–84 by DC Comics, which is widely considered to be one of his most influential original works.

This affordable manga edition pays homage to Frank Miller's inspirations for the original Ronin, appealing to Frank Miller fans and manga readers alike.

Ronin Rising has a story by Frank Miller with art by Philip Tan and Daniel Henriques. This volume was lettered by John Workman. Published by Kana (October 8, 2024).

Is It Worth Reading?

While I have complicated feelings towards Frank Miller as a person, and as a comic book fan, I can't deny the massive amount of respect that I do feel like he is owed. This man has created some of the most iconic comic books of all time and is arguably responsible for some of the most well-known comic character beats for decades to come. Whether the man is being overly obtuse or incredibly direct, it feels like most of his stories have something insightful to say, but this might be one of his first titles I read that has me a bit stumped.

Ronin Rising feels like on paper it was tailor-made for me. We have a sci-fi action manga with samurai and demons that goes into some existentially heavy stuff with themes of rebirth and psychological manipulation at the hands of rogue AI. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous with Philip Tan and Daniel Henriques drawing four of the six manga chapters while Frank Miller himself draws the remaining two. The artwork in this book in a vacuum is absolutely gorgeous, whether it's the more simplified and exaggerated elements of Miller's style or the more detailed and sketchy style of the other two. I don't think there's really a story indicator for why the style shifts and in some ways, it's very jarring, but on its own, this comic is a visual feast for the eyes.

The problems crop up when we get into the formatting and execution. The way the text and speech bubbles are used throughout the book is a bit unorthodox as it's not always readily apparent who is speaking on each page. Conversations feel almost intentionally disjointed and the dialogue itself can swing between sophisticated one moment and rather juvenile another. I know that the original Ronin was a huge inspiration for other iconic franchises like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but this spiritual successor to that series feels like it struggles to actually be about something. The topics and setting that are utilized are interesting but it doesn't feel like they actually congeal in any type of meaningful way. By the time I reached the end, I was left more unfulfilled than I wanted to. Maybe it's worth a few rereads in order to fully grasp what is being communicated but as it stands now, unless you are a diehard Miller fan, then I don't think you're missing much from this.