Reviewed by Brady Steele. The Valiant Next movement keeps on rolling with its latest and greatest release: Ninjak #1. This 1990s embodiment is now even cooler in 2015. This book has it all in its debut: international British spy, uber-femme fatale, traumatic childhood and a ninja blowing stuff up.
WRITTEN BY: Matt Kindt
ART BY: Clay Mann and Butch Guice
PUBLISHER: Valiant Entertainment
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: 11 March 2015
There is so much going on here on many levels that reading it over and over reveals how much effort writer Matt Kindt has put into this book. You can see it all over this initial chapter. Kindt mixes things together so well that it looks effortless. Combining a look at Ninjak’s utility belt with his psychiatric assessment is a prime example. The seeding is rampant everywhere in this issue too. Simple one-off lines and off-center images are leading readers somewhere already down the line.
Kindt and his artists are working darn hard already to make readers feel they are getting value for their money. The main story is being drawn by Clay Mann, who is very capable of showing how fun this character’s world can be. There was one moment I wasn’t exactly sure how Ninjak did what he did to evade exploding bullets but I’ll let that one panel slide. The Lost Files done by former Captain America and current Velvet artist Butch Guice are an excellent addition to flesh out Ninjak’s early spy years when he was simply Colin King, rookie agent. Seeing how he became so smooth and polished will no doubt add to the depth of this character in the future. Both artists are perfectly cast in their respective eras so I’ve no doubt will be a beauty to behold month in and month out.
I really knew nothing of this character other than his cool-killer moments from The Valiant miniseries and all those old 90s hologram / prismatic covers from my formative years. Based on that and now Ninjak #1, I’m interested. The layering of story elements and crisp art tells me this is a solid read worth picking up. Once again, Valiant Entertainment is the all-star team putting out great book one after another.
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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