This Is the Best Sci-Fi Comic (& I Think You Should Read It)

While Frank Miller is best known for his groundbreaking work in modernizing the traditional comic book superhero, he has also made a significant —though less widely recognized— impact on science fiction comics in general and cyberpunk stories in particular. Before his breakout success with Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Miller was a young artist driven by a dream: to synthesize his diverse influences — ranging from Japanese manga and classic American superhero tales to the visionary work of European artists like Moebius — into the comic book he had always envisioned. So, when DC Comics offered him the opportunity to bring that vision to life, he seized it without hesitation.

The result of his creative efforts was the six-part limited series Ronin (1983), which Miller himself describes, in Joel Meadows and Gary Marshall’s Studio Space: The World’s Greatest Comic Illustrators at Work, as a life-changing experience. In other words, Ronin was the work that undoubtedly helped shape the environment and circumstances — personally, creatively, and professionally — that enabled him to go on to create some of the greatest comic books in the history of the medium.

Ronin Was the Comic That Helped Spark The Frank Miller Legend

Ronin tells the story of a nameless young ronin — a masterless samurai in feudal Japan — whose lord was slain by a demon named Agat. Agat sought the lord’s sword, which the ronin managed to escape with. Vowing revenge, the ronin, after years of searching, finally confronts Agat. However, the ensuing battle results in both the ronin and Agat being trapped in a form of stasis. They remain so for hundreds of years, awakening in a dystopian New York City. This future metropolis is dominated by mega-corporations striving to maintain and expand their power, violent gangs vying for territory, and ordinary citizens struggling to survive.

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Reborn into a new body and discovering that Agat is still alive in this unfamiliar world, the ronin is determined to complete his quest — no matter the cost. Agat, also reborn in a new form, sees this world not only as a chance to finally eliminate the ronin but as an opportunity to seize power and establish his dominance forever. In essence, the story continues in the modern era from where it left off in feudal Japan — the key difference being that both the ronin and Agat now exist as contemporary versions of themselves.

While the “quest for vengeance” idea is nothing new and isn’t inherently a foundational element of science fiction, Ronin‘s genius lies in Miller’s injection of these themes with a jaw-dropping sci-fi twist. The ronin and Agat are reborn in AI-infused, bio-tech exoskeletons that grant each opponent extraordinary skills and abilities beyond their wildest dreams in feudal Japan. Additionally, the environment is deeply rooted in cyberpunk aesthetics, with advanced technology permeating every level of society and AI, cybernetics, and biotech integrated into nearly every aspect of life.

Miller’s Ronin Updates A Popular Japanese Manga Classic

Ronin is filled with a bunch of proto-Miller master strokes that the comic book world would later come to recognize as pure genius. First, there’s the artwork, the gateway requirement for any comic book seeking top-level status. As described in The Comic Journal, it’s an eclectic mix of the artists that Miller was interested in at the time including Lone Wolf and Cub’s Gōseki Kojima, and The Incal’s Moebius.

The result is an aggressive, in-your-face style that compels the reader to actively engage with the visuals and consider their meaning, rather than simply skimming the pages to reach the conclusion. Indeed, Ronin is not a series you can passively read; it demands your attention and time to grasp its message fully.

But even more than the art, it’s Miller’s prescient understanding of a modern information society gone wild that stands out as the ultimate reason why Ronin is the best sci-fi comic book for fans of the genre to read. Not only does it foretell the ubiquity of AI and the mega-corporations that were early adopters in this space, but it also acknowledges the everyday hacker – who questions the system by opting for alternative technologies over those commonly offered.

Miller’s Ronin Was Truly A Comic Ahead of its Era

While Ronin lacks the refinement and dynamism of Frank Miller’s later works, it contains all the essential elements of a compelling sci-fi story. It features intricate world-building, an exploration of scientific concepts, and—most importantly—complex characters who conflict both with the world they inhabit and the implications of the science and technology surrounding them.

Miller’s blend of feudal Japanese cultural themes with a tech-savvy rebel operating in a postmodern, information-driven society dominated by mega-corporations is commonplace in today’s sci-fi comics—but at the time, it was groundbreaking. Indeed, it also foretold the influence of Japanese manga and anime on the American comic tradition. As the Los Angeles Review of Books noted, Ronin is arguably the first mainstream cyberpunk comic, and it has become one of the most influential works in the genre.