As Ninjak goes head-to-head with Fakir of the Shadow Seven, devastating secrets of his past stand revealed that will change his life forever! Plus: Roku makes her move… and an atom bomb goes missing. Yeah, that’s right, an atom bomb is MISSING. The world’s gone to hell…and only Ninjak can save it…that is if he lives long enough!

The ninth issue of the ongoing monthly Ninjak series concludes both The Shadow Wars, and also the back up strip, The Lost Files, that has been as enjoyable, if not more so, than the main arc – for me at least.

The last couple of issues of Ninjak have been good, but not quite as good as some of the other Valiant  published comics I’ve read recently, and the same can honestly be said for this issue. Now, in all fairness, Ninjak has been better than most other comics I’ve read lately, and this issue surpasses them all. Matt Kindt has wrapped up both the main story line as well as the back up story line in this issue, and I don’t want to give too much away, but the ending of this comic was pretty great. Whether you hunt down the individual issues or wait for the inevitable trade paperback, this is a great Ninjak story that you’ll want to read a couple of times.

The art in both stories within this issue is solid, indeed the two art teams are tough to distinguish between which provides a nice consistency to the artwork as both tales head to their conclusion.

When it comes to the back up story, The Lost Files, in my last review I said that it “continues to be a highlight for me, and in many ways I’m enjoying seeing this unfold more than the main story. Perhaps because it reminds me of the training scenes Bruce Wayne received in Batman Begins. I’m enjoying finding out how Colin King became the ninja we know and love today.That The Lost Files is being told as a back up story is great; by not devoting two or three full issues to the origin of Ninjak, Valiant are able to use the arc to compliment the main story, feeding us the origin gradually, while at the same time providing a great back up strip to readers.” There is so much more I want to say about the back up, but I’m trying to avoid any spoilers, so last month’s words are still just as true this month.

Ninjak #9 is another solid comic from one of the best publishers around right now. If do want to start reading about Valiant‘s purple clad ninja, then this may not be the best comic to start with – it is the conclusion to two stories within the same comic, and while you can certainly pick issue #9 up and enjoy it, there’s going to be threads tied up and questions answered from earlier in the arc that you may not fully grasp; indeed, there are probably some loose ends tidied that I’m unaware of (I started reading Ninjak as The Shadow Wars commenced).

I don’t want to spoil anything about this comic, but there are some great… look, I really don’t want to spoil anything here, so I’m not saying anything about it. Whether you read the trade or the individual issues – and honestly I’d recommend the issues myself, as that way you get to read the comics as they were originally printed – this was one hell of a ride.

The Shadow Wars
Writer: Matt Kindt Pencils: Clay Mann Inks: Seth Man with Bit & Ryan Winn
The Lost Files
Writer: Matt Kindt Artist: Juan Jose Ryp
Ninjak #9 Overall
Story: 9 Art: 8 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.