NINJA-K #4
Written By: Christos Gage
Color By: Andrew Dalhouse
Art By: Juan Jose Ryp and Ariel Olivetti
Release Date: 02/14/2018
NINJA-K #4 is quick to introduce the first female agent of MI-6’s Ninja Programme, Ninja-G. We learn of her explosive legacy and how it might affect Ninjak in the present day.
NINJA-K #4 gives writer Christos Gage a literary sandbox to play in. There isn’t any sort of boundary for him with this series, and it shows. Gage pens great action scenes with spectacular settings in the backdrop. Despite the fast paced action, I was still compelled by origin story of Ninja-G. If you couldn’t tell by the cover, she is the focal point of the story.
Christos digs down to show depths in her character, essentially stealing the show from Ninjak. I’m not sure if Gage’s intentions were to have the reader like Ninja-G more, but I certainly walked away from the issue liking her more, not that every reader will feel the same way I did. Saying all that about Ninja-G, isn’t to say that Christos did an injustice to Ninjak as a character. All the characters provide weight to the story. There isn’t fluff or ramblings that lead to nowhere. Christos presents an epic story with great characters.
A comic book about secret agent ninjas, lives and dies by its art. Juan Jose Ryp and Ariel Olivetti make sure that NINJA-K #4 not lives but thrives. The pair put a lot of time and effort in the book and it shows. All the action and explosions is easy to follow, and keeps the eye busy in a good way. One thing that really captured my attention was the gore. At the expense of sounding macabre, I thought it was done beautifully. Without spoiling the story, the blood actually provided contrast that provided meaning to the story.
I thought Ninja-G’s outfit looked stunning. One of my other fixations with comic book art is facial expressions. Hands down it’s probably one of the hardest things for an artist to nail. I can’t imagine how many hours are spent by artist in front of a mirror, trying to get a certain expression just right. In NINJA-K #4 the colors are gorgeous and lively, especially the coloring of the character’s eyes too. Andrew Dalhouse puts the icing on the cake with his great eye for color.
Overall this is a book that is definitive buy. Valiant has made gold again with NINJA-K #4. There aren’t too many comics like this on the shelves, if any If I’m being honest. It’s a nice self contained story, but also give you something to gnaw on in case you want to continue in the series. I’ve given high praise to the Ninjak series before, and its due again.
- Story - 8.5/108.5/10
- Art - 8.5/108.5/10
Summary
Overall this is a book that is definitive buy. Valiant has made gold again with NINJA-K #4. There aren’t too many comics like this on the shelves, if any If I’m being honest. It’s a nice self contained story, but also give you something to gnaw on in case you want to continue in the series.