Ninja-K#1

Writer: Christos Gage
Art by: Tomás Giorella
published by Valiant Comics

Here we go! Ninjak is finally back, this time not written by Matt Kindt, but our ninja spy is in the capable hands of Christos Gage. The first issue takes a look back at the Ninja program, starting with Ninja-A and B, and continuing into the modern day with our hero NinjaK and we get the new mission Ninjak is taking up.

 

I was hesitant with this one. The previous series by Matt Kindt was perhaps one of my favourite books of all time, a perfect mix of super hero action, spy stories and supernatural stuff that was basically a book made for me. Now we have a new series and a new writer and I don't like it. I love it! This was a really great book. If it hadn't been good I think I would have been greatly disappointed, since I've become so fond of the character, but this book really delivered in my opinion. I love the deep dives into the history of this, Valiant's, universe. We get to see some brief scenes of WWI valiant, and various others through out history. It was really cool to explore these mostly unseen parts of this universe, and I look forward to more of that if we do get more. I like that this new series isn't following the same "Lost Files" format that the previous one did. I liked it at the time, and still do, but it was finished and I don't feel we need more of it. Especially when a popular TV show from some other comic book company uses flashback story telling constantly. The writing was A+ for this debut extra long issue.

 

Now onto my equally favourite part, the art. I love that some of the panels cannot contain the action that is happening within them. It just makes for a really cool visual when you see swords popping out of the frame. I like the style of the art, it wasn't a style that I originally enjoyed when I first was introduced to it. It looks kind of smoky, which is what I didn't like at first, but it has grown on me over time and I appreciate it better. I like that is realistic but not so much that the violence comes off as gross. I don't mind seeing someone get their head cut off, as long as it's not too graphic and gory. I am not an art critic by any means, but I know what I do like, and I enjoyed the art a lot in this book.

 

My overall impressions of this book are extremely positive. It is a worthy successor to the phenomenal volume one of this character's adventures. I am relieved. As I said above I loved this book, I love the direct it is going, I love the story telling and I love the art. It seems like a carefully written book, that was a pleasure to read. It should be a definite read if you find it. I am not going to start calling him Ninja-K though. He will always be Ninjak to me.