“At last, Ninjak is about to find himself face-to-face with the surgically precise killer that has been eliminating the operatives of MI-6’s most elite intelligence service – the deep-black training unit known as the “Ninja Programme” – one by one. But this shocking truth will also bring a devastating realization about Colin King’s own past screaming into the modern day… With a gun at his back and a sword at his side, Britain’s most elite super-spy is about to have his faith in queen and country tested like never before…”

I’ve been trying to think of how to start talking about this book without just spewing hyperbolic superlatives and praise right from the get go, but it’s tough. I really loved this book.  The preview text above actually understates the impact of this book for Ninjak during his confrontation with the series’ villain; although, calling the character a villain is doing a disservice to the complexity of the character and Christos Gage‘s story.

Whilst Ninja-K reveals the dark history of the Ninja Programme through some well written dialogue, your eyes are treated to some freaking brilliant action scenes. Tomas Giorello‘s  produces some utterly wonderful pages – whomever ends up owning the original art work here is going to a lucky sod. Diego Rodriguez uses a colour pallet that’s heavily reliant of blues and purples, which at times has the effect of blending the two ninjas into the background as they interact. You may think that this would be a bad thing, that the art would turn out muddied and blase, but that’s far from the case. Although the coloured art has moments where the ninjas blend into the page, it’s done when there’s less action on the page which only heightens the emphasis that these men are living, and very lethal, ghosts.

 

There is literally nothing I can (truthfully) say against the art in this comic.

Oh, and there’s also a really cool back up story as well, featuring art by Ariel Olivetti that takes place during the first world war and focuses on Ninja-A, scratching the itch of those of us who need to learn more about the previous ten ninjas to have been apart of the Ninja Programme. It’s a nice addition to a comic that’s already well worth your time and money, increasing the value-for-money substantially when you look at the quality of the creative output.

Yes, my friends, I am more than happy to say that without a doubt, Ninja-K is currently one of the best series currently being published by any publisher, and is an absolute must read. This is a prime example of what a comic should strive to be.

 Story: Christos Gage Art: Tomas Giorello Colourist: Diego Rodriguez
Story: 9 Art: 9.8 Overall: 9.9 Recommendation: Buy

Although Valiant provided a FREE copy for review, I picked up this comic from my LCS