Ninjak #10 –
Valiant Entertainment
Written by Matt Kindt
Art by Doug Braithwaite
Colors by Brian Reber (w/ Soto)
Letters by Taylor Esposito
You have heard us praise all aspects of Ninjak before, whether it was in Book of Death or in his ongoing series. If you were looking for a good place to jump on board, this is it. Issue 10 begins the Operation: Deadside arc and brings in a different cast of characters. To me, this does change the mood of the series a little bit. First, let’s dive into the story itself.
A top secret MI-6 facility has been destroyed and led to a prisoner escape. A mission into a parallel dimension went wrong, and now Ninjak must follow the only agent to make it back home back to the Deadside to find the team. To say this is a rough go for Ninjak is an understatement. For someone who is typically such a tough character, he really has a tough time with this journey. Maybe it’s the new suit? I did love to X-O Manowar joke about that. After having a rough entry, there is a confrontation with the escaped prisoner. It’s quick and it doesn’t go well. To be more specific, it almost turns into the strangest Uber ride ever that leads them exactly where they wanted to go. What they see, wasn’t necessarily shocking, but definitely strange.
While I do love the character, I think they went a little outside of what Ninjak normally presents. This badass assassin really doesn’t have an easy time in the other dimension. I don’t know if it’s unfamiliar surroundings or what, but Ninjak is quiet pedestrian in this issue. His counterpart (which I won’t spoil should you read the issue) definitely looks like the stronger of the two. Braithwaite’s art is stunning, as always, giving such great attention to every detail. I’ll also give a nod to Reber’s colors, which made all the mystical and action scenes pop. I guess I am just trying to get past how weak Ninjak seemed in this issue. There was also a case file narration in the issue that I found a bit distracting. We’ll see what happens in Issue 11, but I’m not giving up on this one.
RATING: PICK-UP