Ninjak is one of those books that, despite the silly 90’s-riffic title, always seems to deliver with action and intrigue you don’t get with many “superhero” books. Half James Bond and Half Snake-Eyes from GI Joe, Ninjak is an interesting idea that could be seen as Valliant’s version of a book such as Batman, without completely ripping it off. Rather than having a character that dwells on his past and a sense of justice like the Dark Knight, Ninjak is basically a mercenary. He is both ruthless and charming, both a legendary super-spy and hired gun despite his upbringing in British High Society. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read a Ninjak book, and this one looks to be quite the departure from normal Valiant faire, simply due to the creative team on board, especially Javier Pullido.

In a stark departure from other books for this franchise, this feels a LOT more akin to an actual spy book, forgoing the battles with other meta-humans in order to actually build some suspense. The whole story centers around a leakage of numerous names within the MI-6 database, and with his cover blown Colin has nowhere to hide and everyone basically against him. All-in-all this actually felt a LOT like one of the Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible films in terms of style and tone, and that’s definitely not a bad thing.

I’m not sure what happened over at Valiant HQ, but the choice to fire the artist, Javier Pullido, in the last issue of the book is somewhat jarring and kind of spoils the whole look of the book. He has a VERY distinct art style, so any departure from it sticks out a lot. One would have hoped sticking it out or publishing it as-is (seeing that he allegedly submitted his manuscript) would have been a short commitment that would have kept this as more of a cohesive product. I’m used to this sort of thing with companies like Marvel, but it’s my first real disappointment I’ve had with Valiant. Beni Lobel did a good job trying to match the vibe of the other issues, but I am left feeling that it was a missed opportunity.

Overall, I liked this until the very end. having that last issue somewhat spoiled due to the art change-up was unfortunate and I’d love to hear what exactly happened to cause it. I know some folks may not have liked the art style, but if you go with an artist like that, PLEASE stick with it!

Colin King, also known as Ninjak, is a dark ops agent who used to work for MI6 (British Intelligence). He has set out on his own, and he works mostly as a freelance assassin. Then an organization known as Daylight manages to expose every MI6 agent in a plot to gain power by threatening to do the same to other countries' intelligence agencies. This also makes Colin a target.

This kind of plot has potential for a spy thriller, but it's not executed well. There are some parts of the plot that may not be as clear, or they take away from the main plot. Overall, the plot can get a bit more convoluted at times than it needs to be.

However, the main issue with this comic series is the art. The coloring can be too bright at times. The style is a bit reminiscent of 60s cartoons and not in a good way. The art overall does no favors to the story. To be honest, the art seems very childish considering this is supposed to be an espionage and assassins thriller. In addition, some of the strip layouts made reading a bit confusing; the action at times did not line up properly.

The bottom line is that this had potential, but the story is not that good, and the art is just not good. I am not likely to continue reading this series nor would I buy it for our graphic novels collection. For public libraries, this is highly optional. For me, it was just OK.

Ninjak (2021) is the most recent run of the character, who was first introduced in 1993. Ninjak is a freelance operative, of a sort, for MI-6, and is an all-around rich-kid-turned-uber-contract-killer. That doesn't change in this run.

This book, the first four issues of the 2021 run, centers around all undercover MI-6 agents having their covers and locations blown. There's an MI-6 agent who was tasked to tail Ninjak since he left the organization, and these two join together to stay alive and to try and put an end to the group which is uncovering the world's secrets.

The writing is fine, although I'm rarely a fan of the Batman/James Bond "I can do superhuman stuff 'cuz I'm rich, but I don't have powers" hand-waives, and Ninjak is what happens when you take Batman, mash him up with James Bond, and put him in a ninja suit. I had to roll my eyes a couple of times, but that was fine. Also, really didn't like it how the agent tailing Ninjak basically ends up as a Bond Girl.

The art, though, is a weird stylistic choice. First and foremost, it's blocky and highly-saturated. I'm still not sure I liked it. Frankly, it looks like old-school video games turned into a comic, and that's fine in and of itself, but the way Pulido draws people was really disconcerting. I will say, I'd have much preferred they finish the trade paperback with Pulido's art instead of switching to Lobel and going generic. Pulido's wasn't perfect (or a great fit, in my opinion), but it did give a campy vibe that was lost when Lobel took over.

Loved the eye-bleedingly bright and thick lined art in this book (almost like if Mondrian had a palate of highlighters and drew superheroes) and was disappointed by the radical change of art in the last part of the story (why replace the artist with one issue to go in a trade paperback?). Was more disappointed in the story. The dialog and set pieces were snappy, but the plot seemed pretty tired James-Bond-against-super-powerful-villainy (complete with Bond girl), even if the main character was a ninja. Disappointing.

I had a fun enough time reading this book. Ninjak has never been my complete favorite Valiant character,, but I enjoy him from time to time.
Jeff Parker is a pretty deft have at crafting a good story. The artwork was good, as well.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Diamond Book Distributors for an advanced copy of this adventure graphic novel.

Colin King, AKA Ninjak is a superhero/ex-MI-6 superspy/combat master with a problem. Though upset at his British employer's secrets within secrets and leaving for a live of freelance spying and assassinating, someone has exposed their secrets to the world. Agents are targeted for death, missions are being aborted and bounties abound for our hero, who must return if not to the fold, enough to find out who to go after. Lots of fighting ensues.

Ninjak has been around for awhile, rebooted and reintroduced as has much of the Valiant line of comics. This is volume one of a new series with a new writer and artist. Jeff Parker is the writer, known for his Batman '66 stories and James Bond comics with many others. There is a nice topical aspect to the story, the dialogue is funny in spots. The plot might be slightly familiar, but the story moves along at a very good clip, villains are dispatched frequently and interestingly. Characters have mysteries, that grow as the comic goes along, and is quite a decent read.

The art by Javier Pulido is fantastic. A pop-art aesthetic with a great sense of freedom and exploration. Panels move up down, sideways, curve. The characters pop, the action moves freely. I really enjoyed the art.

Intriguing start for a new introduction to the character. Nothing super new, and the book does end just when the story seems to get rolling. However a writer alway want to leave the reader wanting more, and that is what happened to this reader. I'll be interested to see where this goes.

Ninjak Book 1 begins after Ninjak aka Colin King as left MI-6. The former spy is now an assassin for hire but still has a tendency to offer aide on occasion. When all the files are released on current and past agents, Ninjak is both hunter and prey. The premise shows promise but this story drug along in a few spots. The art is not the most consistent throughout but the pages fly passed quickly enough for an easy read. I will definitely visit the next chapter to see how the storyline develops. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ninjak Book 1 by Jeff Parker is a superhero/superspy graphic novel by the writer of James Bond Origin and Batman '66. The story revolves around Colin King AKA NINJAK, an ex-MI6 superspy and secret agent. He seems to be at the top of his game when one day, his secrets are exposed. According to the synopsis, "the entire criminal underworld has Ninjak in their sights..." How will Ninjak deal with this dangerous development?

Overall, Ninjak Book 1 is a graphic novel that will appeal to fans of James Bond or Mission Impossible. One highlight of this book is the artwork. The art reminded me of pop art and vintage cartoons with its extremely clean lines and bright colors. It was definitely a throwback to see this type of artwork, which is no longer the norm in comics nowadays. I did take off 2 stars, because I just wasn't that interested in the story. I thought this story would exciting and thrilling, but it just didn't hold my interest. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of thrillers, you can check out this book when it comes out in December!

This latest piece from Valiant goes into more of the cartoonist's art to tell the story. It makes the movements more dynamic, the lettering and illustrations are completely in sync, and sometimes the artwork gets so bizarre to match what's going on.

In a world of superheroes and super mercs, Ninjak has his work cut out for him. Especially since he cut ties with his old allies in MI6. But now an opportunistic group has exposed all MI6 assets including Ninjak. Ninjak now must use all of skills and whatever resources he can to get an edge over this group and any mercenaries who want to make a name for themselves.

The action barely stops, with the art getting more and more intense as things go on. I especially like when the art gets expressive, it shows a real means of visual storytelling. Even some of the exposition looks nice in the right context. I mean really, fungus that records the traumatic events of the series villains, these concepts could only appear and are best expressed through comics.

A neat little spy thriller / assassin book. I'm not terribly familiar with Ninjak previously (or any of the Valiant comics) but could follow this one without prior knowledge.