The Witcher: Ronin manga free preview showcases Geralt's troubles in Japan

(Image credit: Dark Horse Comics)

In September 2021, CD Projekt went to Kickstarter to raise funds for a Witcher-based manga called The Witcher: Ronin. It struck me as odd at the time—does CD Projekt really need Kickstarter's help to launch a new Witcher project?—but the studio said the real goal was "to see if this new concept for The Witcher would be something that fans would be interested in," and of course it was: The campaign was tremendously successful.

The Kickstarter campaign offered an exclusive hard copy edition of The Witcher: Ronin, but a standard edition, available through purchase through regular retail channels, was also promised. Today Dark Horse announced that its take on the tale will be out in October, and shared a free preview of what fans can look forward to.

Dark Horse and @CDPROJEKTRED present The Witcher: Ronin in a new edition this October! First a successful Kickstarter project, this edition feat. cover art by @heyjenbartel & will be widely available: https://t.co/sFiMzxlPbuGet a free digital excerpt now: https://t.co/0dVzBIi6GW pic.twitter.com/w1o1Ig0rYVMarch 24, 2022

The story is inspired by Edo-period Japan, but the preview chapter is otherwise very familiar: Geralt rolls into town, beefs with the local tough guy, gets a contract, falls backwards into a moral conundrum, tries his best, pisses everyone off. It's not especially sophisticated as these things go, but it definitely ticks all the boxes.

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The Witcher: Ronin from Dark Horse is available for preorder now from various online sellers for $20, and is expected to be out in comic shops on October 19, followed by bookstores on November 1.

Check out a few pages:

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CD Projekt recently confirmed that The Witcher 4 (not the official title, but that's what we're calling it until we get one) is in development. The single promo image released with the announcement bills it as the beginning of "a new saga," leading to speculation that it could be about Ciri, Geralt's protege, or possibly a whole new Witcher school. Maybe a Witcher: Ronin game is in the cards? Probably not, but it would certainly be interesting—and a way to keep Geralt in play without disturbing his well-deserved happy ending.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.