So let it be written, so let it be done…

In the ruins of his mansion, Colin King hunkers down as the last living member of Unity after the Third Armor Hunt – or so he thinks. A visit from an old friend and a peace offering present the chance for Ninjak to break the cycle of death and escape the horrible fate foretold in the Book of the Geomancer. Will he betray his dead friends or will The Fall Of Ninjak come to pass?

Valiant’s Book Of Death has become one of the best event story lines from any publisher this summer, and it’s definitely my favourite, but is this tie-in standalone worth reading?

Well first of all, Book Of Death: The Fall Of Ninjak is not required reading in terms of understanding the over arching story of the event that it ties into; you can easily skip this comic and you won’t harm your enjoyment of the main Book Of Death series. If you do that, however, you’ll miss out on a tie-in comic that has a deeper reach than just the main Book Of Death story line that it will be primarily associated with. There are hints in this comic that may answer some questions from other series that readers may have, but then again maybe that’s just me.

In terms of the characterization within this comic, Matt Kindt gives us a look at a much more experienced, and a much more mature, Ninjak in this comic. This older version of Ninjak may be unfamiliar to those used to the character in his usual setting, but you can still feel echoes of that younger man in this issue. That is to say that the character presented here really feels as if he’s had sigificant life experience, and has grown a lot from the younger incarnation in the comics.; although the older Ninjak may be unfamiliar, Matt Kindt has given us a story that undoubtedly stars everybody’s favourite purple clad ninja (from the Valiant Universe).

The three artists on this book, penciler Trevor Hairsine, inker Ryan Wynn and colourist Allen Passalaqua, work together in such a way that the art work feels incredibly in sync.  Ryan Wynn‘s inks never swallow Trevor Hairsine‘s original pencil work; indeed for the first few pages I was wondering whether the pencils and inks were done by the same person. Allen Passalaqua gives us some truly fantastic final pages, really bringing the scenes to life, giving a soft beauty to the final moments in the Book Of Death: The Fall Of Ninjak.

You don’t need to read this comic book in order to follow along with the main Book Of Death story arc, but by skipping this comic you’ll miss out on a great standalone story that takes place far into Ninjak‘s future.

And you wouldn’t want to do that, would you?

Story: Matt Kindt Art: Trevor Hairsine, Ryan Wynn, Allen Passalaqua
Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8 Recomendation: Read

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.