Reviewed by Brady Steele. The bad guys steal the spotlight and wow the crowd in Ninjak #4. After dominating every issue she appears, Roku gets headliner status in this month’s edition. Why? Is she more intriguing than our titular ninja spy billionaire? You be the judge.
WRITTEN BY: Matt Kindt
ART BY: Juan Hose Ryp, Clay Mann, Seth Mann, Marguerite Sauvage and Butch Guice
PUBLISHER: Valiant Entertainment
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: 24 June 2015
This chapter feels like a poker game that’s been played out over the last three issues. We’ve seen what the other players are holding and their stakes in this game are. Now writer Matt Kindt gives readers a look behind the poker face of a captivating new character,Roku. We’ve all seen how deadly this assassin is literally from head to toe. Kindt flips the cards over and shows us how she came to be. It’s an enticing look into how killers and mysticism (or mental breakdowns) mix together and literally shape who you will become. You can see Roku evolve before your very eyes into one of, if not the most lethal slayers in the Valiant Universe.
There is a plethora of artists this month and it’s actually for a good reason. I feel readers can appreciate a good flashback when done right. Thankfully, this creative team knows how to do that and have brought in Juan Hose Ryp, Seth Mann and Marguerite Sauvageto up the horror and demonic origins of Roku. Ryp excels at graphic detail which is exactly what this transformative journey calls for. The rest of the usual murders row of artists, Clay Mann and Butch Guice, continue their brilliant streaks on this book.
It’s astounding that Guice does so much with only eight pages every month. The villains literally take over the series this month as we are shown the beginnings of Kannon as well.
Throwing in an origin story at such a pivotal moment is a gamble that pays off nicely for Ninjak #4. I didn’t even know I needed this breather but I’m so glad it’s here. Kindt, Mann, Guice et al manage to make the next chapter even more enticing now that we know a little more about all the players at the table. This continues to be a well-crafted book that demands your attention.
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Mr. Steele enjoys all things comics and imagination-based. Using his lifetime of comic-fu-dom for good, he imparts his knowledge for the universe to enjoy and for you, dear readers, to pass it on.
Twitter: @mrbradysteele