In 1983, Frank Miller produced a love letter to the cyberpunk and samurai genres with his influential series, Ronin. The adventures of Ronin, Billy Challas, and Casey McKenna didn't end there, though, as Frank Miller Presents unleashed Ronin: Book Two -- the highly anticipated sequel to the classic comic book story -- in 2022. The first three installments of the six-issue limited series are written and laid out by Miller, drawn by Philip Tan and Daniel Henriques, and lettered by John Workman.
Ahead of the release of Ronin: Book Two #3, CBR caught up with Miller to find out more about what's to come and how he feels about the story at the midway point in the series. The legendary comic book creator discussed the return of Virgo in Ronin: Book Two #2, as well as the evolution of the character. In addition, Miller revealed more about how the seeds for the sequel were planted over three decades ago and how the late Dick Giordano always knew where the story was heading.
CBR: We are now reaching the halfway point of Ronin: Book Two. How are you feeling about the story?
Frank Miller: Oh, I have been having a ball. The approach to it -- like the first one -- is explosive. This isn't just a story [that] is meticulously worried over [fitting into] a giant jigsaw puzzle so much as it's a real heroic journey for all the characters. So I feel happy with and responsible for the whole thing.
Getting to the third issue, which is due out in July, what can fans expect?
Oh, more madness. This one really goes crazy. My story, my drawings, Phil's drawings, and Daniel's drawings… Berserker renditions! It's definitely still an adventure, but it goes more into the psyche of the characters in a way that is definitely compelling and certainly frightening.
It's nice to hear you mention Philip and Daniel here. In our last conversation, you said that you're challenging them with your layouts, and you're creating some intricate stuff for them to work with. How do you feel you have all pushed each other in the third issue?
The best way I could put it is everything is getting more so. We're learning more from each other and bringing out each other's virtues. I don't know if you're familiar with the children's game Mumblety-Peg.
No, I'm not, actually…
It's where little kids play with penknives, and they throw penknives at each other's feet. The way you win is by getting as close as you can to the other boy's toes without stabbing him. The loser is the one who actually throws his knife into the other boy's toe. Or into his foot. So it's an ironic game because the kid who gets hurt is the winner. [Laughs]. Anyway, that's a long way just to say that there's a sense of daring and challenging within the team. That's the kind of team I love to be part of. Reminds me a little bit of the way it was with Bill Sienkiewicz when we worked together.
Virgo's return was a major talking point of the second issue. Now from a storytelling point-of-view, how would you describe how the character of Virgo has evolved from the original Ronin series?
She's gone from being a sentient computer -- to being the classic nightmare of AI that goes all the way back to HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. She's developed from that to being a computer with delusions of godhood. The thing is, she has enough evidence to back up that delusion because she really is the source and commander of a new lifeform that's set to dominate the planet.
Speaking of characters, there's a great video series that you and Dan DiDio did with PREVIEWSworld, where you discuss characters that write themselves. In Ronin: Book Two, there are new characters and returning ones. Which would you say has been the character that has written itself here?
Without question, that would be Casey. Ronin is the more iconic character, and as you can see, doesn't talk a lot. But Casey and Billy… I love the way they relate, the way they talk, and how Billy is very rapidly maturing as a human being. On the other hand, when I want to reach into the more vile recesses of my mind, I have got to say it's delicious to write Virgo.
How long did you have the idea for Ronin: Book Two? How long was it at the back of your mind before you committed to it a few years ago?
Here's an example of how it is. I vividly remember when I was doing Ronin #1 I talked a lot to Dick Giordano, the editor-in-chief at DC Comics. This is back in 1984, and I would babble about what was going to happen with these characters. There's one shot that I believe is very memorable, where Ronin has rescued Casey from the people in the underground in Manhattan, and the two are in an embrace that is clearly romantic. Dick Giordano turned to me and said, "Oh, the child is conceived." Because he knew that there was going to be a kid in the sequel -- always, in my mind, was an epic. So the answer to your question really is 35 years.
What do you feel Ronin: Book Two has allowed you to do that you might not have been able to do in the original series?
Work with Philip Tan and Daniel Henriques. To work with John Workman again is an absolute treat. And to take advantage of the things I have learned in the meantime and take things further.
Ronin: Book Two #3 slashes its way into stores on Wednesday, July 19. The Final Order Cutoff date is June 26.