Ronin Uprising by Frank Miller, Philip Tan and Daniel Henriques (graphic novel review).
‘Ronin Rising’ combines samurai-style combat with dystopian Science Fiction but, while the artwork is okay, the story doesn’t really make much sense. First, we’re introduced to some sort of AI in the prelude which, of course, looks a lot like a hot, naked woman assaulted by a computer. Then we meet another woman, this time the mother of a young child that inexplicably has the sword-fighting prowess of a seasoned warrior.
Geiger-esque biomechanical horrors present themselves as naked demons while delivering cryptic speeches about divinity and the future of mankind. There’s more fighting, more speeches and then everything wraps up neatly at the end when the child shows up at the right time and sings a song. Apparently.
Given Miller’s back catalogue, including such classics as ‘Sin City’ and ‘300’, the middling quality of this particular collection is a bit of a surprise. It’s not as if Philip Tan is a lightweight neither, with quite a few Marvel and DC credits to his name. But between them there’s the germ of a good idea here, but not enough to turn these six-and-a-bit chapters into anything more than a passable diversion.
The basic problem is that the AI-with-delusions-of-godhood storyline has been done many times before. If Miller and Tan were aiming to freshen things up by rolling in echoes of Japanese warrior culture, not much of that made it into the final cut. So, what we have instead is something that feels like ‘The Matrix’ but without the colour and the special effects. It’s a dystopian version of the world without the depth of ‘Blade Runner’ or the dry wit of ‘Judge Dread’. Similarly, while the mother-child relationship could bring something new to the table, that isn’t explored in any meaningful way, with the child and his powers arriving fully-formed right from the start.
So far as the artwork goes, Daniel Henriques does a reasonable job but the monochrome printing and pocketbook format aren’t helpful. This isn’t so different from other manga, which this comic book is deliberately copying, but so many of the images are gloomy shades of grey it’s sometimes hard to see the details. On top of that, a lot of the text is monologue rather than conversation and laboured monologue at that. I hesitate to use the word ‘boring’ but, frankly, I found myself skimming pages just to get to the end of the collection.
For under a tenner, there’s some entertainment here, but that’s about it. Nothing about ‘Ronin Rising’ stands out as exceptional despite the pedigree of the team behind it.
Neale Monks
May 2025
(pub: Abrams Books/Kana Manga, 2024. 288 page graphic novel small enlarged paperback. Price: £ 9.99 (UK), $12.99 (US), $16.99 (CAN). ISBN: 978-1-4197-7662-5)
check out website: www.abramsbooks.com