Riddled with an uncanny disease in the present, Colin King has seen what the future holds – and it is death! Decades from today, destruction looms…and Ninjak and the Eternal Warrior will be our only hope! But even after years on the battlefield, are these weathered veterans still strong enough to forestall an evil that now threatens all of humanity? Glimpse the future of Valiant’s two most dangerous men here as Ninjak and the Eternal Warrior baptize their formative partnership in the blood of many men!

And meanwhile, back in the modern day, Ninjak must exhaust every resource at his disposal to find a cure for the mysterious, Deadside-spawned affliction that continues to destroy his body… But the clock is ticking fast and each step that MI-6′s master super-spy takes brings him one step closer to the grave!

Alright. I’m going to rip the band-aid off, and tell you that this is a grade above being spectacularly mediocre comic. It’s not that Ninjak #19 is particularly bad, but I have read better comics from Matt Kindt this year so I’m unfairly comparing this issue to the writer’s other series that, frankly, knocked my socks off Divinity II and 4001 A.D..

The problem with the comic, perhaps more than anything else, is the line work. There are moments when the facial features of the characters on screen seem overly complicated, and the details seem to get obscured within the inks on the page – that being said, the art is far far better than anything I can do, and I’m well aware of that. I also don’t know if this is more of a printing issue, either, because I didn’t notice the same issue in Ninjak #18.

Ninjak #19 brings in story element and characters that were previously introduced in the series, rewarding readers who have been around for a few issues – something that I’m a little partial to. This is yet another issue of Ninjak that didn’t deliver on it’s promise – a shame, because when the series is on its game, it’s one of the best around.

Story: Matt Kindt Art: Khari Evans
Colourists: Ulises Arreola and Chris Sotomayer
Story: 7 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.75 Recommendation: Read

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Many years from now, Earth’s immortal master of war and the world’s deadliest intelligence operative fight side by side. As was foretold in the BOOK OF DEATH, an aging Ninjak and Eternal Warrior are fated to spend their days as humanity’s guardians, protecting it from the myriad threats that loom over the horizon of Earth’s future. But when the ultimate menace rises to obliterate all traces of life, can Ninjak and the Eternal Warrior cement their status as the Valiant Universe’s greatest heroic duo…or will their legacy go up in flames?

I don’t know what it is about Ninjak, but the series never quite lives up to the expectations that I have for it. It’s never quite as good as I want it to be, and sadly, that’s also the case here.

Before you read any further, I want to be clear: I enjoyed this comic, it just wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be.

Ninjak #18 is a well written and well-drawn issue, but it’s missing something that I can’t quite put my finger on. Whether it’s the chemistry between Ninjak and The Eternal Warrior that seems lacking when compared to the other title released this week from Valiant featuring an immortal and a ninja, although that’s ultimately an unfair comparison with the differences in the characters involved and the nature of the comics. Maybe it’s that the last time I saw the two characters featured in this  comic together was during Book Of Death: The Fall Of Ninjak, and the handful of pages they were both together in set my expectations sky high for this issue.

Again, there’s nothing I really dislike about this issue, but it just didn’t have the magic within its pages that the publisher’s other release does this week. Hopefully, next issue will be stronger, and this is the weakest in the arc.

Story: Matt Kindt Art: Khari Evans
Colourists: Ulises Arreola and Chris Sotomayer
Story: 7.5 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.