Ronin
Writer: Frank Miller
Artists: Frank Miller (Artist) with Lynn Varley (Colorist)
A brilliant story that is both simple, yet simultaneously complex! Alongside TDKR, RONIN brings me back to the Miller I love!!!!
Ranking: 5 stars
When it comes to divided opinions on certain, comic book writers, there has probably been none as intensely polarized in recent years than those towards Frank Miller. As evidenced in my tearing apart of HOLY TERROR (which was my 75th review by the way), the quality of Miller's comics has declined significantly since the start of the new millennium, with works like BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN, ALL-STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, and of course the aforementioned HOLY TERROR being filled to the brim with unnecessary ramblings, unpleasant violence, sexism, and even racism. Despite that, Miller still remains one of my favorite writers in the comic industry as the majority of his earlier works were not only innovative and well-written, but also allowed comics to be taken seriously as a literary medium. BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS alongside WATCHMEN provided a engaging superhero story with realism and social commentary, and still remains as one of my Top 5 comics of all-time (WATCHMEN gets this honor to!). BATMAN: YEAR ONE helped modernize the dark knight's origins, his work on Daredevil helped establish key elements that make up the character's mythos, 300 explored the psychology of a warrior behind it's over-the-top action, and SIN CITY so far as I've read, is an excellent homage to noir crime fiction. However, there is another work of Miller's that also helped him gain recognition, but is lesser known to some readers, known as RONIN. Written just before the masterpiece that was TDKR, RONIN is a graphic novel that focuses on a rogue samurai (a Ronin in Japanese terminology) attempting to regain his honor by slaying a demon that killed his master. While stories focused on samurai have dominated Japanese literature, Miller takes a spin on the formula by having the character's battle take place in the late 21st century. Basically the premise of RONIN is a rogue samurai battling a demon in a post-apocalyptic future. While the concept is definitely silly (maybe even a little stupid), Miller unexpectedly creates an innovating story around it that may be his best work besides TDKR. The comic focuses around an unnamed samurai from 13th century Japan, who is bound by obligation to serve his master Lord Ozaki. Ozaki however, is soon murdered by a demon known as Agat, robbing the samurai of both his master and his honor. Determined to regain his honor by avenging his master, the samurai travels the land as a Ronin (a dishonored samurai without a master), eventually facing Agat in mortal combat. Unable to defeat the demon however, the Ronin sacrifices his life by impaling himself with his master's mystical sword, simultaneously stabbing Agat from behind. But the wounded Agat places a curse on the Ronin, trapping both their souls inside Ozaki's sword. The story then shifts eight centuries later into the not-too distant future, where New York City has become a soulless metropolis, decaying from warring factions and corruption. The central power of this post-apocalyptic land is the binary computer company Aquarius, dominated by an artificial intelligence known as Virgo. Everything changes for this corrupt society however, when a maintenance worker for Virgo named Billy Challas (a limbless telekinetic) becomes the reincarnation of the Ronin, combined with both the ancient skills of the samurai, as well as the advanced binary technology of the future. The Ronin's mortal nemesis Agat is also revived however, taking possession of one Aquarius's top CEO's. With complete access to Virgo and Aquarius's tech, Agat plans to convert the binary technology into weapons of significant destruction, placing an already desolated world in greater danger. The Ronin must once again fight against his eternal nemesis, not only to regain his honor, but potentially that of mankind itself. RONIN brought me back to a similar experience that THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS provided me. While the concept and plot are fairly straightforward and easy to comprehend, it has deep and complex themes built around it that provide commentary on issues such as honor, duty, corruption, and virtue. This is exactly the type of story that I feel Miller's talents shine best in, and while TDKR will forever be my personal favorite, RONIN easily makes a suitable contender. Although the concept of a samurai in the future is undoubtably stupid, Miller uses it to create a story both simple, yet complex at the same time, creating a unexpectedly compelling narrative throughout. The plot is fairly straightforward and easy for readers to follow. A samurai and his enemy are reincarnated into a post-apocalyptic future, forcing the samurai to simultaneously battle both his eternal foe and a corrupt technologically advanced civilization. Like THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS (which focused on an elderly Batman coming out of retirement to fight crime in Gotham one last time), the premise is simple and easy for the reader to grasp, allowing them to easily form a connection with the story and characters. This provides an advantage for Miller to easily incorporate complex themes and social commentary into the plot while still remaining in context with the overall story. TDKR perfectly portrayed this by having talking heads of reporters scattered throughout the book, debating the ethics on Batman's vigilante activities. Not only did it create an idea of how the public would respond to vigilantism, but it fit into the overall story as the commentary followed the events of the plot and Batman's actions. RONIN takes a similar yet different approach into creating social commentary on corruption in society. Instead of providing commentary through news media like TDKR did, RONIN focuses deeply on themes of corruption, virtue, and honor as a means of driving it's plot. The theme of honor in particular, is essential establishing and driving the plot and characters when I reflect on this book. As the Ronin based around Japanese samurai, he is bound by honor, which is the most important value in Japanese society. Honor to the Japanese, is to fulfill one's obligations to others, and for a samurai, is often to protect and serve their master. Failing to meet their duties is to dishonor not only their master, but themselves as well. Bringing shame to an individual is one is one of the greatest sins in Japanese society, and regaining one's honor is usually only accomplished through attempting to correct their errors. This integral aspect of Japanese culture serves as a means for developing the Ronin's motivations, as he believes to have brought shame to himself by failing to save his master, and can only redeem himself by defeating his murderer Agat. This allows the reader to easily connect with the Ronin's character, as he is bound by his duties as a samurai, and desires to regain his honor through avenging his master. While honor and shame are primarily central to Japanese culture, these themes are also conveyed in the futuristic society. The New York in this comic is one dominated by corruption and poverty, with technology governing people's lives, and factions fighting each other for control. This lack of honor is also represented within the individual factions, which consist of different racial groups, Neo-Nazis, as well as cannibals, reflecting the feelings of hate and savagery that dominate the society. Honor heavily revolves around this interpretation of the future, as society has dishonored itself through corruption and barbarianism, and can only regain it's honor through correcting it's errors, just as the samurai does. This balance of simplicity and complexity is effective in keeping the reader easily engaged, while simultaneously introducing deep themes and commentary that surround the plot and characters. Careful writing such as this allows authors to take ludicrous ideas and create innovating and imaginative stories around them, which Miller shows no error in doing here. While my main praise for RONIN lies within it's balance of simple and complex storytelling, there are areas where the plot does feel confusing and somewhat hard to follow (though not greatly). This doesn't downgrade the book in my opinion, as whatever is present still serves to benefit the story, and is fairly easy to understand when thought carefully. So while this isn't necessarily a criticism in my eyes (as I'm patient and can take my time with confusing plot points (which is why I praise many of Grant Morrison's works)), it is something that I feel it's still worth mentioning as I feel that some readers may find it frustrating. For example, the first few pages of the book are set in feudal Japan, only to cut to a New York City with a giant green dome encompassing a large portion of the city. If one picked picked up this book without knowing the premise, they could be easily confused as this transition in setting takes place rather quickly. Another aspect that some may find confusing is that when the Ronin is first revived into Billy's body, he is unfamiliar with his surroundings, and cannot speak English. Halfway into the book however, he suddenly begins to recite the name of Aquarius security officer Casey, despite not meeting her throughout the book's run, and is later able to effectively communicate with others. While this can definitely be jarring at first, I feel that it also serves well to the story, as even though it's not explained clearly, it is heavily implied that the reason for this shift in the Ronin's behavior is because of a psychic connection between him and Billy, who had a crush on Casey before being possessed by the Ronin, causing Billy's consciousness to influence the Ronin's behavior. The reason I was able to get this impression was because it the idea was built up through the plot points, as well as through the character's dialogues and personalities. It's an effective form of storytelling that despite being initially off-putting, is able to convey emotions and ideas without the need for explanation or exposition, leaving them to be interpreted throughout the reader's connection to the story. It was because of this ability to decipher character's emotions and motivations without the need for much exposition, that made RONIN feel intelligent and deep as I was reading it. Another area that I feel that could potentially be overly complicated is a major plot twist that comes at the ending. I'm not going to spoil what exactly happens, but it is one that reveals that the events taking place are not how the reader originally perceived them. While this did have me scratching my head at first, the more I thought about it after I finished the comic, the more I felt it made sense within the context of the story. I felt that it elevated the story beyond what was originally perceived by the reader, making the weight and depth of the story and characters feel greater. This is why I feel it's unfair when people criticize plots for being confusing (I'm looking at you Grant Morrison critics!), as just because something is confusing doesn't automatically mean that it's poorly written. Sometimes it means that the story is just more complex and requires deeper thought and attention, and in my personal opinion, make the books feel more intelligently-crafted and innovating (kind of like William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, or Grant Morrison). So while the ending twist may be hard to comprehend at first, I feel that it works to the book's advantage by making the plot feel more fleshed-out and deep. All good books should end on a high note, and this plot twist allows RONIN to succeed in that area. RONIN is a prime example of a complex and intricate story being successfully built around a simplistic concept. The themes and character's were well-fleshed out and crafted, with motivations that were logical and believable, and the plot was highly compelling and easy to form a connection to, despite being a little to complicated in some areas. Even though the quality of Miller's writing has significantly waned in recent years, he still remains as one of comics greatest writers, and this comic is a perfect example for why. As much as TDKSA annoyed me with it's incomprehensible writing, or ASBAR made me laugh at it's atrociousness, or HOLY TERROR angered me to my core for its racist propaganda, my faith in Miller as a good writer has not been shaken because I know that he is capable of writing great stories, and RONIN is one that deserves to be placed on the same shelf as THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. It's Frank's ability to create stories that on the surface seem silly or superficial, but are eloquent and deep within the text that make his work unparalleled and deserving of recognition. His work should not be overlooked, and RONIN is one that succeeds in honoring his reputation as one of comic's greatest contributors. "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." -Leonardo da Vinci
