Ninjak #1 Review
3 stars out of 4
Valiant’s ninja spy is back with a bang – several of them in fact – relaunched in a new number 1 issue by the creative team of Matt Kindt and Clay Mann. Ninjak #1 opens with an action packed extraction mission that sets the tone for the rest of the issue – and hopefully the rest of the series.
Matt Kindt’s script has Ninjak working as a freelance operative of MI-6 contracted to hunt down international criminals that the agency can’t handle on their own. Kindt’s tight script teases elements of Ninjak’s past while setting up the criminal organization, Weaponeer and the Shadow Seven behind it. The shifting locations evoke the feeling of watching a Bond film but with a superhero angle.
Clay Mann’s artwork is stunning with dynamic poses and fantastic angles. His storytelling and figure work are a mixture of Carlos Pacheco and Olivier Copiel. Seth Mann’s inks are a fine compliment to the pencils, but some of Ulises Arreola’s color choices aren’t always up to the standards of the rest of the artwork.
The backup story, Lost Files by Matt Kindt and Butch Guice, serves as a Ninjak: Year One. Lost Files along with the main story, gives readers three timelines in Colin King’s transformation into Ninjak. Ninjak #1 is an entertaining relaunch for Valiant’s ninja spy. It will please fans of the original series as well as new ones looking for espionage adventures with a superhero twist.
