Summer’s well over and it already feels like Fall has come and gone – and Halloween is still a week away! That means December holiday shopping is just around the corner. If you haven’t noticed the holiday trimmings at your local mall yet, you will shortly.
But you’ve been good this year, haven’t you?
So, if you think it’s still too early to treat a loved one, how about treating yourself to a classic comic book that helped changed the comic book landscape here in North America, collected in a new hardcover format?
Treat yourself to the new Deluxe Edition of Frank Miller’s Ronin.
Ronin Deluxe Edition
Written and Illustrated by: Frank Miller
Published by: DC Comics
Back in the early 1980’s Frank Miller was doing wondrous work over at Marvel Comics, first as an admittedly run-of–the-mill illustrator – he was young and learning his craft, but he was also full of potential. The man had ideas. And comics are a great place for ideas, aren’t they? He had a great run writing the Daredevil comic book alongside illustrator David Mazzucchelli, reinvigorating the character in the “Born Again” storyline, now considered a classic. He helped to make Wolverine famous as both a co-writer and illustrator of a now famous four-issue miniseries.
But Miller was looking elsewhere, reading European comics and manga from Japan, which led to a pitch for new science fiction and fantasy series, set in both feudal Japan and the hardcore twenty-first century New York City and featuring a master less samurai – a ronin – reborn with one last chance to regain his honour and destroy the ancient demon that killed his master.
In a game-changing coup, DC Comics pulled Miller from Marvel Comics, promising to publish his new series without any editorial interference. With this single, successful maneuver, Ronin was published as six, double-sized issues, packaged on high-end paper and containing no ads through 1983-1984. Unprecedented.
Not only did it cement Miller’s evolving sense of storytelling and art style, incorporating manga influences and the grim and gritty feel of noir, it importantly altered the comic book landscape in North America, helping give publishing credence to graphic novels and titles such as The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, Sin City, and other titles that were not necessarily centered around superheroes.
If you haven’t read Ronin before, now’s your chance to pick it up in a beautiful hardcover format containing rarely seen promotional art, fold out pages and other special features, all at a lower cost than the Absolute Edition which was published a number of years ago.
Make the run to your local comic book shop today and treat yourself (or get a leg up on holiday shopping for loved ones) with the game-changing, brilliant Ronin Deluxe Edition hardcover!
