Ninjak 2-4

International financier Colin King hasn’t just come to Tokyo to take the Rippongi club scene by storm. As the covert MI-6 operative codenamed Ninjak, he’s also tracking down the men who trained him to be a lethal weapon…the very same men whose movements have now aligned with the latest terror plot by the cybernetic crime cartel called WEBNET! But how do you detect killers who specialize in the undetectable? And how does he know that the SHADOW SEVEN haven’t caught up with him first? It’s all-out ninja-versus-ninja warfare as the deadliest men and women of five continents converge on the Tokyo underworld for a blood-spattered blowout!

Writer:
Matt Kindt
Artists:
Clay Mann
Butch Guice
Publisher:
Valiant Entertainment

I said in my review of #1 that Ninjak wasn't really my cup of tea, but that I admired what the creators of the comic were doing. Reading three issues back to back didn't do much to change my mind on that, yet there were enough small little creative flourishes that kept me interested to see where the comic was headed.

Like the first issue, the plot was focused mostly around our hero (who seems to have an odd code of not killing people, despite being a Ninja) working his way into the inner circle of an arms dealer called Kannon and and trying to take over the company from the inside. The back up stories focus on origin stories of Ninjak and Kannon, which were far more enjoyable to me, basing themselves in the hazy worlds of espionage.

Those backup stories in particular were great, pulpy fun with an entirely different art style and a far more grounded approach. If the main story of Ninjak is a action film that crosses the excess of Fast and the Furious with kung-fu and everything is so cartoony you can't care about a bit of it, the backups show us nuanced people affected by their actions and who are haunted by them. With artwork that is muted and conveys a tone of sombre reflection and low key moments, I'm very interested to see how they join the two periods together.

I'll single out #4 for some special action because it takes place in between seconds of the end of #3 and #4, as we learn some of the backstory of Roku who is, according to Valiant's advertising, 'the breakout star of the year'*. Cribbing from the ideas expressed in the second stories, it's a slightly bloated and convoluted story that takes what could have been smart subtext and makes them the text instead.

Whilst Roku herself is clearly a complex character, her backstory (which gives her convenient plot amnesia in return for superpowers) does nothing to add to her and that's even when we know nothing about her already! Sorry, I'm trying my best, but I just don't think the main comic is for me. I would happily read a comic that was composed of the backup issues and stories that span out of that. But unless Ninjak really does something spectacular soon, I'll only be tuning in for those backups.

*All of the advertising for this series is pretty misleading – the blurb I grabbed to preface this issue makes no sense to me and I've read the entire series so far!

Cover image courtesy of Valiant Entertainment.

Ninjak is available from Valiant Entertainment.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Ninjak 1

For the first time, Ninjak’s past and future collide in the pages of an all-new ongoing series from New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (RAI, Mind MGMT) and superstar artists Clay Mann (X-Men: Legacy, Gambit) and Butch Guice (Captain America, Action Comics)! Colin King is Ninjak, the world’s foremost intelligence operative, weapons expert, and master assassin. And he’s hunting the Shadow Seven – a secret cabal of shinobi masters with mysterious ties to his training and tragic past.

Writer:

Matt Kindt

Artists:

Clay Mann

Butch Guice

Publisher:

Valiant Entertainment

Flipping through the first few pages I suddenly thought I had picked up a 90's comic by mistake. Ninja's – check. Gratuitous Tn'A – check. People wearing bulky 'realistic' armour fighting in a semi John Woo style – check and check!

Still, despite all of that stuff that's not really to my taste, it's admirable it had a lot more things to recommend it. Setting Ninjak (which I think is meant to be read as 'Ninja-K', but nobody used the guy's code name as far I can remember so I'm not sure) as a british spy that does tasks for MI6 on a freelance basis is a very interesting choice, along with the various flashbacks to the past, that take us through some of the steps he took to become the man he is in the present. I do hope they expand on the English aspect though, because at the moment, were he not hanging out in a Tudor Castle I wouldn't have known he was English in the slightest.

For an issue that is mean to act as a jumping on point for new readers and a soft reboot for the character, it packs a lot of plot in without ever really explaining much. That's quite nice in a way because it contrasts many comics that would be tempted to do an info dump when introducing new characters, instead hooking us in with a mystery and letting the reader fill in the blanks.

I mentioned the 90's feeling I got when reading the first few pages and the artwork reinforces that a lot, if more in the way it lays out its panels and their various 'shots', as well as the inking style. It may be harder to judge exactly what that is, now that companies like DC are leaning heavily on Jim Lee as an influence for it's house style, but if you took the average panel of an 'x-treme' 90's comic and updated it to account for modern techniques, you couldn't be able to notice any real difference.

It does seem like I'm ragging on the comic for a rather small thing and to be fair, it's a valid point. But having been lucky enough to read some other lines Valiant have been launching (such as Ivar Timewalker and Imperium), that take some of the 90's atheistic but updates them in contemporary ways, it's a little disappointing.

I'm sure there's a market for it and I don't begrudge those who do (even if I do judge them on their spelling, to read a few comments on forums). After all, the comics industry is making steps to become more diverse and part of that is still catering to traditional comics fans. But it's not really my cup of tea.

Cover image courtesy of Valiant Entertainment.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

VALIANT MASTERS: NINJAK Fights Its Way to 200 PAGES!

Valiant is proud to announce that the first-ever hardcover collection of Mark Moretti and Joe Quesada's Ninjak is getting even bigger! Now clocking in at 200 pages, Valiant Masters: Ninjak Vol. 1 – Black Water collects the definitive origin and debut solo adventure of super-spy Colin King's masked alter ego – plus an exclusive compendium of more than than a dozen rare and never-before-seen Joe Quesada pencils and process art direct from the Valiant vaults! Re-presenting Ninjak (1994) #1-6, #0, and #00, get ready for an unparalleled look inside the series that sent shockwaves through the original Valiant Universe!

 

Codenamed Ninjak, Colin King is gifted with a brilliant mind and lethal training in the world’s most dangerous fighting techniques. Both will be put to the ultimate test as he is drawn into a globe-spanning mission to apprehend Dr. Silk, mastermind of the WEBNET terror network, before the mysterious weapon known as “Black Water” goes online. From the British Isles to the land of the Rising Sun, Ninjak is about to leave an indelible imprint on the Valiant Universe – or die trying.

 

The second in Valiant's new line of hardcover collections spotlighting the best of the original Valiant Universe, Valiant Masters: Ninjak – Black Water is an action-packed piece of comics history, and features art by one of the most acclaimed artists in the history of the medium, Joe Quesada, and an all-star cast of Valiant's classic talents. On February 27th, he who dares, wins – only in Valiant Masters: Ninjak - Black Water!

 

And for an exclusive look inside this collection, pick up the Valiant Masters: 2013 FCBD Showcase Edition – in finer comic shops everywhere this Free Comic Book Day! 

 

VALIANT MASTERS: NINJAK VOL. 1 – BLACK WATER HC (DEC121275)

Written by MARK MORETTI

Art by JOE QUESADA, MARK MORETTI and More

Cover by JOE QUESADA

$24.99/Rated T+/184 pgs.

Collecting NINJAK (1994) #1-4, #0, and #00

ISBN: 978-0-9796409-7-1

ON SALE 2/27/13 (FOC 2/11/13)

 

VALIANT MASTERS: 2013 FCBD SHOWCASE EDITION (JAN130050)

Written by MARK MORETTI, JIM SHOOTER, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH, and MORE

Art by DAVID LAPHAM, BOB LAYTON, JOE QUESADA, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH, and MORE

Cover by BARRY WINDSOR SMITH

FREE/T+/32 pgs.

ON SALE 5/4/13 (FOC 2/18/13)