Rating: 
Summary: Excellent story, so-so artwork
Review: PLOT SYNOPSIS:
Ronin begins in feudal Japan, when a samurai's master is killed by Agat, the demon who has been his archenemy for years. Forced to become a disgraced ronin to avenge his master's death, the samurai finally confronts and slays the demon, but at a terrible price. Leap to the 21st century, where the Aquarius Project and its biotechnological wonders are the last saving grace for a New York that has become a festering corpse. A telepath named Billy Callas becomes the focal point for the renewed battle between the ronin and the demon, a battle which will take on horrific proportions as the violence and corruption brought on by the enemies' resurrection spreads. Who will survive?Ronin is everything I expect from Frank Miller-a solid, hard-hitting story that deftly mixes action, intriguing characters, intelligent dialogue, and some biting social commentary. My only complaint is the artwork, which I've always felt was very crude and amateurish-looking. The cover artwork and character designs are very good but overall everything just looks like storyboard-quality drawings that were colored instead of finished artwork, especially anything that features Aquarius and its products. This is a purely subjective gripe, however, and should not disuade you from dropping what you're doing and immediately buying this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent story, so-so artwork
Review: PLOT SYNOPSIS:
Ronin begins in feudal Japan, when a samurai's master is killed by Agat, the demon who has been his archenemy for years. Forced to become a disgraced ronin to avenge his master's death, the samurai finally confronts and slays the demon, but at a terrible price. Leap to the 21st century, where the Aquarius Project and its biotechnological wonders are the last saving grace for a New York that has become a festering corpse. A telepath named Billy Callas becomes the focal point for the renewed battle between the ronin and the demon, a battle which will take on horrific proportions as the violence and corruption brought on by the enemies' resurrection spreads. Who will survive? Ronin is everything I expect from Frank Miller-a solid, hard-hitting story that deftly mixes action, intriguing characters, intelligent dialogue, and some biting social commentary. My only complaint is the artwork, which I've always felt was very crude and amateurish-looking. The cover artwork and character designs are very good but overall everything just looks like storyboard-quality drawings that were colored instead of finished artwork, especially anything that features Aquarius and its products. This is a purely subjective gripe, however, and should not disuade you from dropping what you're doing and immediately buying this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Miller's Overlooked Classic!
Review: Probably the most unappreciated of Miller's work, "Ronin" is nevertheless one of his greatest achievements. It was originally shunned by many because of its wild combination of art styles and overall departure from Miller's typical work, but it is this uniqueness that makes it so memorable. Miller creates a convincing, if unrelentingly brutal, vision of the future, and fills it with strong characters you'll never forget. The story unravels in a fascinating way, as the reader realizes that nothing in the story is what it appears to be. I won't spoil it for you--just read the thing. You don't even have to be a Miller buff to enjoy it--any fan of good science fiction will find this one hard to put down
Rating:
Summary: Miller's Overlooked Classic!
Review: Probably the most unappreciated of Miller's work, "Ronin" is nevertheless one of his greatest achievements. It was originally shunned by many because of its wild combination of art styles and overall departure from Miller's typical work, but it is this uniqueness that makes it so memorable. Miller creates a convincing, if unrelentingly brutal, vision of the future, and fills it with strong characters you'll never forget. The story unravels in a fascinating way, as the reader realizes that nothing in the story is what it appears to be. I won't spoil it for you--just read the thing. You don't even have to be a Miller buff to enjoy it--any fan of good science fiction will find this one hard to put down
Rating: 
Summary: Great Art, Weaker Story
Review: Since it's Frank Miller, you know this graphic novel looks awesome, and you can pretty much count on a dark moodiness too. The book starts with samurai in feudal Japan failing his master and becoming ronin (wandering and masterless) before a climactic encounter with the demon who slew his master. Then the book flashes forward to a dystopian 21st-century New York where the streets are rubble ruled by gangs, and ghouls rule beneath the streets. The ronin and demon's story is carried on in the context of a a giant corporation involved in bio-technology. It gets a little complicated and somewhat cheezy after that, but it's still worth checking out.
Rating:
Summary: Great art, so-so story
Review: The # of 5-star reviews for Ronin demonstrates a problem with the comic-book field i.e. there's such a dearth of great writing that good, competent writing is over-hailed. Frank Miller is a terrific artist, and he plots well, and writes good crime fiction. But c'mon, Ronin's story isn't really that great...doesn't deserve all of the hype. IMHO, only a few graphic novels like Sandman or Watchmen are actually worthy of all of their accolades.
Rating:
Summary: "...the uniquely stylish art is what makes this shine..."
Review: The first chapter was incredible. It got a little mediocre after that. I blame myself and not the artist. I read it twice to get it all (and enjoyed it a bit more after the second read) but I still think the motives of many characters and the ending in general is a bit confusing.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting - hard to take it in.
Review: The first chapter was incredible. It got a little mediocre after that. I blame myself and not the artist. I read it twice to get it all (and enjoyed it a bit more after the second read) but I still think the motives of many characters and the ending in general is a bit confusing.
Rating:
Summary: Bionic Sci Fi Ninja
Review: This is one of Frank Miller's first graphic novels before the Dark Knight in 1986. It's about a ninja who's gets his arms and legs removed in battle. His limbs are bionically replaced. The cartooning is excellent and reads just like a storyboard for a movie. There are a lot of scenes with no dialogue. The Will Eisner influence is there with the heavy shadows fast action. I wish Miller's art didn't take such a decline in recent years. I would bring back Klaus Janson for inking on any of his future projects.
Rating:
Summary: Bionic Sci Fi Ninja
Review: This is one of Frank Miller's first graphic novels before the Dark Knight in 1986. It's about a ninja who's gets his arms and legs removed in battle. His limbs are bionically replaced. The cartooning is excellent and reads just like a storyboard for a movie. There are a lot of scenes with no dialogue. The Will Eisner influence is there with the heavy shadows fast action. I wish Miller's art didn't take such a decline in recent years. I would bring back Klaus Janson for inking on any of his future projects.
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