A beautifully executed plan hits the expected snag.
Creative Staff:
Story: Matt Kindt
Art: Clay Mann, Butch Guice
What They Say:
1. Subvert the largest most dangerous weapons dealer in the world. 2. Focus on not letting your tortured childhood distract you. 3. Push your memories of loss so far down that you forget how to feel. 4. Betray everyone you know. 5. Don’t get killed. (Repeat as necessary)
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The opening two issues of Ninjak have been a fun read overall as we’ve watched Colin work through the assignment of going after Weaponeer through Kannon. His path to winning over Kannon has been the most fun to watch, as was seeing the depth and connections that exists within the organization and how it spreads its tentacles throughout the world. Colin’s skills are things that surely are not in doubt after those two issues as it played out very well in giving him some real obstacles to face but also showed exactly what kind of planning he does and just how many steps ahead in multiple directions that he tries to plan for. With his role as the superspy of the world on an elite level, it’s needed to be shown in this form and the team here has pulled it off so far.
This issue has the execution of the plan itself in motion, or at least the back half of it which is all about bringing closure to it and essentially, as he says, running out the clock to get it all done. With the information he has in hand, he’s on the move to finish up dealing with the surveillance side and heading back to Kannon before Kannon wakes up so he can play the innocent in all of this. The problem is that Roku is on the job and she’s very capable in going up against Colin in a real tour de force inside and outside the building. There’s not a lot of dialogue here, which is definitely appropriate, but the internal narration of events and the countdown timer that he’s running in his head adds the right tension as he races to make it back. It’s beautifully laid out and Clay Mann drives this home with some great panel layouts and designs. All of that is driven up a few notches thanks to the striking color design, especially digitally, that Ulises Arreola brings to the table. Of course, any mission like this can’t go flawlessly, so there’s a nice little crimp in it towards the end, one that you know Colin must have a plan for.
The flashback story that serves as the backup here continues to work very well for me too. It’s a nice balance to the seriousness of the main story, but it’s serious here in its own way as young Colin has to deal with his guardian while coming up and honing his survival skills. He makes a strong surprise play against him this time around that does some minor damage, and that has Colin on the run on the grounds. He doesn’t go far it seems, but he does shift to living outside for several seasons and enhances his skill set through this as he hunts, forages and survives. It’s done in shorthand when you get down to it, but it’s presented in a compelling way that works in explaining more of his origin story without it being all about the dialogue and expansive exposition.
In Summary:
Light on dialogue but strong on showcasing the character that is Colin/Ninjak, this installment of the series provides a big action component in the main feature and it’s very compelling and fun to read, both on the first and second runs of it because there’s so many little details you miss the first time around by being caught up in the flow of it. The story does put Colin in a difficult spot at the end, but that’s what cliffhangers are for and they’re fun in the context of his series because now you have to wonder how he’s going to get out of it. The main feature is working surprisingly well for me and I continue to hope it’s kept as its own book for the most part because it excels there. Couple all of this with the backup story that adds more to our knowledge of who Colin is and the book is just full of very enjoyable material.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Valiant Entertainment
Release Date: May 20th, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
