1st printing. Collects Ronin (1983) #1-6. Story and art by Frank Miller. RONIN, the acclaimed epic by Frank Miller, visionary writer/artist of THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, 300 and Sin City and director of the movie adaptation of The Spirit, is collected for the first time in hardcover in DC's oversized, slipcased Absolute format! In this tale, the legendary warrior known only as the Ronin - a disgraced 13th century samurai, is given a second chance to avenge his master's death and regain his honor. Reborn in a futuristic and corrupt 21st century New York City, the Ronin must defeat the reincarnation of his master's killer, the ancient demon Agat. This breathtaking Absolute Edition includes rarely seen promotional art, fold-out pages and more special features. Hardcover (Slipcase), 8 1/2-in. x 12 1/2-in., 328 pages, full color.

In feudal Japan, a young, nameless samurai has sworn to protect his master, Lord Ozaki, from assassins. But despite his dedication, Ozaki is assassinated at night by a demon in the guise of a geisha  called Agat, in an act of revenge for Ozaki stealing his sword. The sword is powered by blood - if it can be fueled by the blood of an innocent, the sword will become powerful enough to destroy Agat himself. Agat wants it back. Ozaki has hidden the sword, so Agat cannot find it. After Ozaki's murder, the young samurai prepares to perform seppuku at his master's graveside, to honorably follow his lord into the afterlife. Instead, the spirit of Ozaki appears before the young samurai and demands that he find the sword and keep it from Agat until his skills are great enough to destroy the demon lord.. The young samurai becomes a ronin, a samurai without a master, wandering the countryside for many years. At last, he comes to Agat's castle, and fights his way inside. But when he confronts Agat, he has a dilemma: since the sword has never killed an innocent, it is not powerful enough to destroy the demon. The ronin has a grim but effective solution to this problem: when Agat approaches him from behind, the ronin thrusts the sword through his own abdomen, impaling Agat. Powered by the ronin's own innocent blood, the sword mortally wounds Agat and the ronin at the same time, and the ronin achieves revenge and the honorable death by seppuku that he desires at the same moment. But just before Agat dies, he curses the ronin, and both their souls are trapped inside the sword until someone releases them.