5 Ronin

5 Ronin (2011) #1-5

by Peter Milligan, Tomm Coker (Illustrator), Dalibor Talajić (Illustrator)

Collects 5 Ronin #1-5. Seventeenth-century Japan is a land in upheaval. A land of wandering Ronins and beautiful Geisha. Into this strange and violent world come five of Marvel's greatest heroes as you've never seen them before: Wolverine, Psylocke, Punisher, Deadpool and Hulk.

Collects 5 Ronin #1-5.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics

136 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Peter Milligan is a British writer, best known for his work on X-Force / X-Statix, the X-Men, & the Vertigo series Human Target. He is also a scriptwriter.

He has been writing comics for some time and he has somewhat of a reputation for writing material that is highly outlandish, bizarre and/or absurd.

His highest profile projects to date include a run on X-Men, and his X-Force revamp that relaunched as X-Statix.

Many of Milligan's best works have been from DC Vertigo. These include: The Extremist (4 issues with artist Ted McKeever) The Minx (8 issues with artist Sean Phillips) Face (Prestige one-shot with artist Duncan Fegredo) The Eaters (Prestige one-shot with artist Dean Ormston) Vertigo Pop London (4 issues with artist Philip Bond) Enigma (8 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo) and Girl (3 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo).

Series:
* Human Target
* Greek Street
* X-Force / X-Statix

Reviews

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best interpretation of Deadpool I've seen in a while. I know he's really popular as an insane fourth-wall-breaking troll, but while I felt that a bit of such humour can enhance a lot in him, it's all gone far beyond any measure of reasonable for me a long time ago. This comic grounds him and dulls much of the comedy, while still maintaining his essential personality and madness.

The rest of the comic was good too. I liked the lack of powers, but I was a bit confused of what was up with Wolverine. Identical twins?

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpectedly good. It's a superhero miniseries built around a gimmick, with surprisingly little gimmick. The basic idea is similar to Neil Gaiman's (also very good) Marvel 1602: take familiar Marvel characters (in this case, Wolverine, Hulk, Punisher, Psylocke, and Deadpool) and put them in a very different context. Milligan has moved the characters to 17th century Japan, and then proceeded to write them precisely as they might have been in 17th century Japan. There are no superpowers here. In fact, with the possible exception of the too iconic for his own good Wolverine, I'd bet that you could read these stories without ever connecting them to their Marvel inspirations. That is, in this case, a very good thing, because it means that Milligan has completely immersed himself and his characters in this new setting. But how does it work as a miniseries about Edo Japan? Again, surprisingly well. It's very episodic, which is totally fine by me. But if you're looking for a single, coherent story... Well, that just isn't what Milligan is doing here. The artwork is a great match for the story, aside from just looking great. As a whole package, it's fascinating and refreshing and beautifully different.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. I liked the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th books in this collection but I didn't much care for the other two. I think they tried to connect the stories more than what made sense from the world building so there were a lot of loose ends to tie up at the very end. I did like it though. Once I got past the first book I found myself intrigued. I think they tried to make it a little more dramatic than it needed to be. Overall this book was fine but nothing that special.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was very enjoyable. Much like Neil Gaiman's superb 1602, 5 Ronin takes Marvel characters and puts them in a totally different setting; this time instead of Elizabethan England, it's feudal Japan just after the fall of the Age of Samurai.

A Ronin, as many know, is a masterless Samurai, considered as having lost his honour by having no master or having let his die. Here we take 5 of Marvel's most famous warriors/assassins and examine each in one issue, with one overall storyline tying it all together.

Wolverine, Hulk, Punisher, Psylocke, and Deadpool take on new/familiar forms as they travel 17th Century Japan.
Wolverine is a Ronin who cannot die, but has a secret about why that is, and is on a quest...
Hulk is a Monstrous warrior who took on the life of a Monk, only to return to his violent ways...
Punisher is a samurai who's returned home to see his home destroyed and his wife and child dead after years away...which puts him on a quest for revenge.
Psylocke is a young woman who went from riches to poverty and a life of prostitution, who has a secret gift, and who crosses paths with one of the others as they find themselves on a similar journey.
Deadpool actually seems to pop up in most of the issues, with an important role, and actually ties most of this together. His volume includes the most crossover of characters and the end of the story.

This was written by Peter Milligan, who can be great, and here is.
This reads like Marvel done by Kurosawa, and in the best way. Of course there's room for even better, but it was so refreshing and cool, with only 5 issues investment, well worth the price of admission.

Dialogue in a few places forgets it's not modern, and it's over too quickly is my concern, but I'd rather be left wanting more than bored and done.

Covers by David "Hawkguy" Aja and art by others including Goran Pavlov are a highlight too.
All in all, a great treat. 4+ stars.

[Mhorg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

The art is beautiful, but the story is just ok. The middle chapter, the punisher, is the best. The rest are simply average, mostly because there's no background as to who and why these characters are.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 1600

A remarkable comic that I recently revisited as part of my chronological Marvel reading journey. Over a decade since I first read it, I find myself appreciating it much more now. The story is compelling, weaving subtle yet meaningful connections between the characters, all while exploring themes far more serious and historical than the typical Marvel superhero fare.

Set in feudal Japan, the narrative reimagines iconic Marvel characters as ronin, monks, or figures tied to the era’s struggles. Wolverine, a masterless samurai, is consumed by revenge for his dead lord. Hulk, weary of war, seeks solitude as a monk in the mountains. Punisher returns from war to find his family gone, setting him on a blood-soaked path of vengeance. Psylocke, portrayed as an oiran (a high-ranking courtesan), also seeks revenge against the same daimyo that Wolverine and Punisher hunt. Tying all these characters together is the enigmatic and show-stealing Deadpool, whose presence adds an intriguing layer to the story.

"I'm afraid you will be disappointed. But then, all life is but a preparation for disappointment."

The artwork is impressive, though the use of different artists for each character's segment sometimes detracts from the overall cohesion. A single, unified style might have strengthened the visual narrative, but the art remains consistently striking and fitting for the feudal setting.

A refreshing and gritty alternate take on familiar characters, blending a solid story with a beautifully rendered historical backdrop. It left me wanting more of this unique vision, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to those intrigued by Marvel’s forays into unconventional storytelling.

"Remember? I remember a man with claws who wouldn't die. I remember.. a man in white who couldn't stop killing. I remember a man on a mountain.. who became a monster."

[Václav · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3,6 of 5 for nice but not significant "samurai" take on classic Marvel characters)
This was a pleasant take on Marvel heroes transformed to feudal Japan characters, with one main story and five heroes own intro stories. I liked the Punisher and Deadpool ones the best, but it works well as the whole too. The art is nice, different from common Marvel, more "European". The whole comic is nice, though it feels little humble, the story is not exactly epic, maybe quite contrary and the ending feels bit unsatisfying. Some characters have more space than others and it feels more like the start of something longer but hastily ended with the fifth issue.
I like how Milligan tried to tune down their superpowers to something more human, more real because flamboyant showing off the superpowers wouldn't do good for the concept at all. I enjoyed it, art is nice, there are weak spots, no doubt about that, but I have a soft spot for feudal Japan, so it was fine by me.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very neat idea of transporting 5 of the more iconic Marvel heroes to medieval Japan and re-casting them as masterless samurai, or ronin (although the Psylocke character is a prostitute/concubine). Each issue follows a different character--Wolverine, the Hulk, the Punisher, Psylocke, and Deadpool--as they all move toward a common goal of killing the current local governor who's responsible in some way for their common misery. The characters come and go in the background of each others' stories, and it might have been nice to have them all team up, but this was still very satisfying. Also neat was having each issue drawn by a different artist.

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five Marvel characters are rebuilt from the ground up as human characters in the year 1600 in Japan. Their story begins separately, but intertwines by the end given their common target for revenge. You don't need to be familiar with the characters to enjoy the Japan setting in a time when honor and blood oaths are still around.

Logan becomes a ronin after his master is killed in battle. He is sought by a samurai who has killed him several times already. Logan has always returned from the dead. It's because his brothers had the same face, so people thought them one man. After killing the assassin, he heads for the daimyo, the man who ordered his death.

Hulk is a respected warrior, though he has renounced the field of battle after his latest defeat. He refuses to help a village that is being attacked by bandits in favor of his life goal to find peace and tranquility. He changes his mind by the end and repels the bandits. Then he heads toward a temple where he intends to ask for mercy.

The Punisher returns home from war only to find his house torn down and his family dead. He gets revenge on every soldier that had a part in dispossessing his family. He also wants the daimyo dead.

Psylocke is a sex slave or oiran with a innate skill to real the customers. The ronin Logan visits her bed and reveals his quest to kill the daimyo. She also wants the daimyo dead and they fight until he imobilizes her. He leaves without killing her. Both are uncertain of what will follow the daimyo is death.

Deadpool is a disfigured drunk who was once a skilled swordsman. He is confused why he wants the daimyo dead, but he kills the guards and challenges the daimyo himself. Victorious, Deadpool remembers how the daimyo betrayed him on the battlefield, leaving him scarred in body and mind. The death of the daimyo forces Logan, Punisher and Psylocke to find a new meaning in life

[som ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱₊˚⊹ · Rating 3 out of 5]

ديدبول :) هيهي احبه + ايوا صحت فالتشابتر مالته

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Comic, I liked the Punisher

[L. Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 Ronin is an interesting take on five of Marvel's fabled, and often favored, heroes--Wolverine, the Punisher, Psylocke, the Hulk, and Deadpool. Reborn into lives rocked by the end of the samurai age, when lords were lost to treachery and gun powder, and proud warriors were reduced to directionless ronin, the five heroes walk parallel paths, all seeking a singular satisfaction that seems beyond reach. Each issue within this book centers around one of the aforementioned characters, and together, they slowly coalesce into a single narrative. The effect is romantic in the way that only tragedies and the most iconic Jidaigeki films are, and yet still, something is missing. When reading this book, I couldn't help but be put off by how heavily it relied on both its chosen era and the already established histories of its characters. While it is understandable that most people don't want to hear the same origin story for the thousandth time, neither do they wish to read something comprised largely of anecdotes designed expressly to elicit knowing nods from longtime-fans and Nipponophiles. I'm all for moments of "Ahaa" and "Niiice," but never at the expense of story. That said, I'll admit, the choice to offer a revamped retelling on a new stage, rather than something that took full advantaged of the potential that surrounded its new setting was likely tied to the format of the book. Given it was released as a special event, limited run series, 5 Ronin was never allowed to grow beyond the point of an homage to both legendary characters and its inspiration,Seven Samurai, the story from which it borrowed its name as well as its spirit. But hey, there are worse things to pay tribute to.

[Gözde · Rating 2 out of 5]

İlk bölümü bir türlü sevemedim. Wolverine'i sevmediğimdendir belki. Bir dünyaya iki depresif fazla sanırım ondan. İkinci ile ilgili ise söyleyecek çok şeyim var. "Ben bir erkeğim, sense yalnızca bir kadınsın." Nefret ettim, gerçekten her bir cümleden nefret ettim. Ama adam çok hoşuma gitti. Karizmatikti bir kere, redemption için kaçış arıyordu. Ama yine de indi dağından yardım etmek için. Tam Hulk'a yakışır bir karakterdi. "Göğsümde bir yara var. İyileşmekte diretiyor." Evet normalde Punisher'ı çok sevmem ama bu laf beni bitirdi. Psylocke'un kelebek hikayesini bir çok yönden sevdim. Zeki, çevik ve iyi plan yapan bir kadın diye. Sevmediğim şey hem tek kadın karakter var, hem de baya zulüm görmüş. Fazla klişe bence. Zaten bu 5 bölümde sadece 1 kadın karakterin olması da öyle. Zaten bu Damyrio dinen malı öldürebilecek tek kişi Deadpool'du, amaçsız herif. Sonlara doğru sevmeye başladım aslında. Hikaye bölüm bölüm katlanarak oluştu. Ama fazla kasvetliydi. Hem hikaye hem de çizimler felaketti. Sanırım bu beğenemediğim anlamına geliyor.

[Alex Sarll]

Inexplicable miniseries reimagining five Marvel heroes as they might have been in 17th century Japan. This sort of thing was perplexing enough in Neil Gaiman's 1602, or Spider-Man India, but those were at least promoted heavily, whereas this one snuck out quietly and even I - a pretty hardcore Peter Milligan fan - was so thoroughly not sold on the idea that I waited for some luckless library eventually to buy it in. The various artists (Goran Parlov is probably the bigger name, so it wasn't a vehicle for their celebrity either) all make it pretty enough, and Milligan has never written a comic wholly without interest, but I'm still none the wiser as to why it exists.

[Lin K · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cool concept, but the transition from concept to product is uneven. Beautiful covers and some nice interior art (especially Wolverine and Punisher), but the stories themselves feel insubstantial or unclear, and do not all tie together nicely.

[tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soooo good for a student of Japanese history who is also a gigantic Marvel fan. Good summer vacation reading to be sure.

[Aylinb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hikaye çok havada kalmıştı bence.Bekledigimi bulamadım.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

This should have been so much better. What a waste of a concept.

[Álvaro Arbonés]

Una buena narrativa necesita deconstruir lo que ya tiene. No sólo coger y usar los tropos tal cual le han sido dados, sino analizarlos, ver cuáles valen y cuáles no e intentar, en relación a ello, hacer algo de valor para contar lo que quiere contar. Algo que XXX suele entender bastante bien.

5 Ronin es un experimento interesante. Siendo cinco primeros números que cogen a cinco superhéroes clásicos en un Japón feudal, su interés radica en cómo consigue ser, al mismo tiempo, cinco one shots y una serie con continuidad. Ser, a la vez, cinco posibles series perfectamente guionizadas y dibujadas y una miniserie que los engloba a todos dentro de una narrativa mayor.

El problema radica precisamente en eso. Que no funciona como miniserie. Si fueran cinco series separadas compartiendo un mismo contexto, incluso una narrativa común —convirtiéndolo en una suerte de evento que tanto gustan en Marvel—, funcionaría mejor. Pero al ser precisamente cinco números uno, cinco introducciones que a la vez han de funcionar como un todo lógico, una de las dos partes se resiente. Y la que lo hace es precisamente la de la continuidad, que hace parecer al conjunto algo tosco y precipitado, matando el nervio de las historias subsiguientes al ir haciendo que dependan en exceso de las anteriores.

A eso cabe sumar otros problemas. Su orientación claramente orientalista, dando un Japón tradicional basado en los estereotipos del samurái, el monje y la concubina, y sus conatos misóginos, donde la única protagonista mujer es prostituta, hace que cierto público vaya a querer alejarse como de la peste de la serie.

Así y con todo, 5 Ronin es interesa por cómo recontextualiza a los superhéroes. Pues en vez de transplantarlos tal cual en un contexto histórico diferente, el japonés, les da otro significado diferente. Son ellos y son reconocibles, pero carecen, la mayoría, de superpoderes; simplemente son gente cuyo comportamiento antecede a lo que serían sus poderes. Algo que demuestra algo evidente para cualquiera que haya leído algo de cómics de superhéroes: que ellos no son sus poderes, sino el uso que hacen de ellos.

Por eso, con sus defectos y titubeos, 5 Ronin es una obra notable y muy interesante que se sale de los tópicos de Marvel para ser uno de los cómics más Marvel que pueden leerse. Incluido en lo de sólo saber hacer su trabajo de deconstrucción a medias.

[Ashkin Ayub · Rating 3 out of 5]

in this graphic novel, the marvel universe is diving into an antiquated japanese imaginary world where five of marvel's most venerated characters, wolverine, deadpool, psylocke, hulk, and punisher are five warriors set on freeing primitive japan of the daimyo; a heartless leader that has threatened the lives of many. wolverine, a ronin who can't 'pass on' is actually a man with numerous indistinguishable siblings and he has braved numerous fights with his fallen siblings. be that as it may, he experiences psylocke, a temptress who works in a bathhouse for forlorn, well off men and both of them incubate a plot to take out the daimyo. somewhere else, the priest we know as the hulk consents to enable a town to out with freeing them of scoundrels that are assaulting the town, and the man we know as the punisher battles like a man wearing the shade of death to retaliate for his family and respect and use a rifle to take out his enemies. at long last, notwithstanding, it is the moron we know as deadpool who unites it and assists with sparing the individuals from the evil daimyo!

this was an intriguing read with wonderful art and some incredible dialogue. despite the fact that the characters are practically gone besides some close to home attributes and not many physical ones. nonetheless, a slick story is woven into this tale and it truly feels like you're perusing an entrenched comic about antiquated japan rather than a marvel one. generally, it was a flawless perused and one i suggest in case you're becoming burnt out on perusing the standard, worn-out' superhuman stuff.

story - 3/5
art - 4/5

[Rachel Hyland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Marvel alterna-history comic, this one sets variants of superheroes Wolverine, the Hulk, Punisher, Deadpool and Psylocke (for some reason) in Ancient Japan, casting them as ancient Japanese warrior-types, on the hunt for revenge.

Because ancient Japanese warriors always want revenge. Even monks. (Hulk is a monk, in this scenario.)

This five-issue run is perplexing in the extreme. Yes, the art is gorgeous, and since I own this collection in glorious hardcover, I will keep it, because it looks good on my shelf. But what the actual hell is this? A disjointed and frankly bizarre reimagining of some of Marvel’s most beloved of anti-heroes (plus, again, Psylocke: just, WHY? Nice to have a female in the mix, I suppose) as wronged Japanese legends. It’s so weird it’s almost genius.

Almost.

But, hey. It’s a speedy read, and if nothing else, you have to admire the sheer left-field creativity that somehow got this story greenlit, and turned it into a page-bound version of Monkey Magic-meets-Chushingura.

And for all that Psylocke is a very strange inclusion, her story is pretty badass.

[Silas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up a while ago, not really knowing what it was. This was an adaptation that takes five Marvel characters, and reimagines them as masterless samurai in feudal Japan. It does a better job of sticking to the themes of feudal Japan than it does of adapting the characters, though. They are fairly recognizable, but lack any of their powers or relationships, and I found that I probably would have enjoyed it more as a samurai story without the superhero tie-in, though that would also have made me less likely to have picked it up in the first place, either, so it's kind of a wash. If you just want a samurai story, this is a decent read, if a bit too short, but I wouldn't go out of my way to check this out if you just like the five characters (Wolverine, the Hulk, the Punisher, Psylocke, and Deadpool).

[JL Shioshita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you ever dream of seeing some of your favorite Marvel characters running amok in feudal Japan? If not, skip this book and read the 2099 books instead. What at first glance may appear a gimmicky grab actually was a fun read. Each issue follows a different character though all thread through the same narrative. There's a different artist for each story which can be distracting at times especially if you're reading the entire series at one sitting and leads to some inconsistencies, but all in all this limited series was a quite the surprise. Doesn't really go anywhere, but the journey was enjoyable.

[Nicolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 Ronin is a five-part story written by Peter Milligan and published by Marvel Comics. The story is set in seventeenth-century Japan and follows five Marvel heroes - Wolverine, Psylocke, Punisher, Deadpool, and Hulk - as they seek vengeance upon a warlord who has decimated their lives in one way or another. Each issue of the comic features a different artist for each character.

It features a rotating cast of artists including Tomm Coker, Dalibor Talajic, Laurence Campbell, Goran Parlov, and Leandro Fernandez.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was an interesting take on a Marvel/Samurai film mashup, but I felt that the individual vignettes created an issue with narrative flow. I think each vignette could've stood an extra ten pages, or for their to have been a couple extra issues, a preface, and a finale type. It didn't seem like the threads came together, and each individual comic felt like a sketchy outline, rather than a fully textured piece.

[Jimbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a very big book, but woven together in a way that connected us to the story of Honor, dishonor, revenge or vengeance, sadness, the meaning of life and what we want out of it.

It is in some ways a Wolverine story that adds Punisher, Pylocke, Hulk and Deadpool, though none of these are truly the characters within the pages. Only their essence is there.

Beautifully illustrated and stunningly told.

[Codee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd say 3.5 stars. It was better than I was anticipating. I think it might have worked whether or not the characters were beloved Marvel characters, but part of the fun was looking for themes and characteristics tying the originals with those in 5 Ronin. I really liked the Punisher and Psylocke's stories. Wolverine and Deadpool's were okay. Wasn't into the Hulk's.

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 decent stories of characters set in feudal Japanese times.

The problem is that the characters were supposed to be different versions of Marvel characters but didn’t feel close enough to the characters from Marvel for them to be any different than 5 random Japanese characters.

This feels like someone telling a story about anyone and the last line is, “And that person’s name was Spider-Man.”

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but

They aren’t really all that super. This is a little like Marvel 1602 with super heroes in feudal Japan. But, unlike 1602 they are much more like normals than super heroes. One would think this wouldn’t hurt the punisher, but even he comes off a bit lame. I did like the hulk as a monk seeking truth in solitude to hide from his rage.

[Omar Aparicio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una lectura ligera, interesante historia desarrollada en el japón feudal, 5 samurais errantes, aunque sea marvel y la portada pueda confundir ahí no hay xmen en un else world, es una historia con dibujos parecidos a pero nada que ver con wolveriene por ello no se vayan a desilusionar