What’s mightier, the superninja or the rocket launcher? Find out in Killers #2!

Ninjas are virtually fearless, but what can cut straight to their core and make them tremble? Enter: Ninja-F!

Featuring the first appearance of the mysterious woman named Snapdragon!

My exposure to this series has been longer than most. As with the first book, I first read Killers #2 more than a month ago shortly after the first issue came out. I had read the outline to the entire series in preparation for an inter with B. Clay Moore, which you can find here already. Graphic Policy also published an interview with artist Fernando Dagnino which you can check out here. The reason I mention this is because it took me far too long when reading this comic to realize why it felt so damn familiar.

Because I had already read the book, in some form, at least twice.

The funny thing is that despite the book feeling familiar, I never once felt that book was any less exciting.

Killers #2 opens exactly where the first issue left off, with Ninja G plummeting from a five story window after Ninja J pushed her out. What follows is a tense confrontation before moving on to the introduction of another Ninja or two (Ninjas I and F).

What impresses me most about B. Clay Moore‘s story is that he’s able to get so much into the comic without crossing the line into “too much.” In many ways the content he has packed in is wonderfully reminiscent of the comics of yore, when a single issue told a complete story. Now this is obviously the second part in a miniseries, but Moore is able to make the most out of his page count and still give Fernando Dagnino and Jose Villarrubia (art and colours respectively) plenty of room to showcase their visual story telling.

The artists deliver an atmospheric book that immerses you into the story with every page turn; there;s something about their work that’s just damn impressive. There’s little bells and whistles here, and the comic is all the stronger for it.

Killers #2 is a doubling down on the shady world these former Ninja Programme operatives find themselves once again involved in. It’s a story that’s as well-paced as it is visually presented. More people should be reading this than currently are. This is a book that feels oddly free of any encumbrance from continuity. Despite the characters origins in stemming from Ninja-K, Killers can easily be read as a standalone story without any trouble.

This deserves to be on the pull list of anybody wanting a change from spandex and superheroes.

Story: B. Clay Moore Art: Fernando Dagnino Colours: Jose Villarrubia
Story: 8.7 Art: 9.4 Overall: 9.2 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

In Killers #1, five deadly assassins are recruited into a game of cat and mouse by their former sensei, the mysterious Jonin!

But what does the Jonin want from them, and what do they gain out of helping him?

Each of these assassins can channel their ki—the spiritual energy within all beings—in different ways, granting them incredible powers, essentially making them “superninjas”!

I first read this book in script for to prepare for an interview with writer B. Clay Moore, which you can find here. The second time I read the book was to prepare for an interview with artists Fernando Dagnino which you can check out here. The third time I read the book was for this review. Which I honestly thought I had written when we were first sent the preview copies. But I’m apparently an idiot at times.

Each time I’ve had the opportunity to read this comic, I’ve been impressed with how the art is so bloody perfect for the debut issue, setting the story’s scene and establishing a quick pace despite the being packed full of words. I was going to try and pick out my favorite scene to talk about and stick to that to limit spoilers, but the book is so full of great moments (any one of which would be the focal point in some comics) that it’s hard to pick just one. For that reason, I’ll do the smart and/or fair thing and talk about the first few pages.

With the book opening with a former operative being attacked in her kitchen, Dagnino’s grasp of visual storytelling is on full display as he expertly guides you from panel to panel and eventually page to page whilst Moore’s words have almost nothing to do, at least on the surface, with the action. But this is where the multiple readings over the course of several weeks have come to benefit me; Killers #1 is a comic of two sides. The first is the story you’re being told – a damn good story – that you’ll be able to pick up on with no problems. The second, as befits a book about the clandestine operatives of MI6’s Ninja Programme, isn’t as obvious all of the time. You need to read between the lines, find the parallels between the art and dialogue or narration when there doesn’t seem to be any and then put the pieces together yourself.

Killers #1 is a book that spins out of Ninja-K, but it can also be read as a standalone story without any trouble. It’s a comic that has a unique flavor to its art, the work of Dagnino with Jose Villarrubia supporting him on colors is powerful, smooth and enjoyable to read. Without a doubt, it’s the highlight of the book for me.

If you see this on the shelves, pick a copy up. I will.

Story: B. Clay Moore Art: Fernando Dagnino Colours: Jose Villarrubia
Story: 8.7 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.2 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review