By Dustin Cabeal
Admittedly, this issue is a little chatty. If you’re not super invested in the lore behind the Ninja program, then you’re going to be bored. For those of us that are vested, it’s more like, “Go on gentlemen, fire this all out here in the third issue please!” They don’t figure everything out, but Christos Gage introduces a concept that changes the superhero landscape.
If you didn’t figure it out already, Ninja-C is behind all the deaths and such. He and K throw down, and of course, Ninjak is a bit better. He has newer toys and as long-time readers now he has some psychic abilities. They fight for a little bit, and of course, K wants to know what’s going on with this crazy old man. C drops the bomb that he’s not after the Ninja program, but rather the Acclimation Bureau. To discover what that is we have to go through C’s backstory. You might think, oh it’s just an excuse for his backstory and hey yeah a tiny bit, but his backstory sets up and develops what the Acclimation Bureau is and how it’s affected the Ninja program.
There is a tiny bit of misleading information that you might forget about by the end of the issue. I know I did until I thought about it again when writing this review. C states that he’s there for the Acclimation Bureau and the bombshell he drops is massive, so much so that you forget that he’s taking out retired Ninjas. I’m sure there’s still a bit more to this backstory and another twist waiting for us but keep this detail in mind as it seems important to the story. If not, then it’s a dropped plot, and that would be a shame.
Gage’s writing is tremendous on this issue. It would be so easy for him to just fill the pages with action or to ramble on with the backstory. Both are interesting and desirable for the reader. This could have been a double issue of fighting and talking, and I would have gobbled it all up. Instead, he has the discipline and the pacing to put enough of both into the issue. He’s adding a wonderful new layer to Ninjak. It was already cool that they Weapon X’d the character and made it his alphabet letter in the program, but to add this depth of history only serves to make the character one of the most well-thought-out in the Valiant Universe.
The artwork continues to be masterful. At times it’s good to see a style change upon a book, but not always. With some books, seeing a consistent art style on a series gives it a unified feeling no matter who is working on it. It makes the character’s story feel connected even if the creator’s focus is different from the previous. That’s what Ninja-K has going for it, an art style that feels like Ninjak. The level of detail, the slight change in style for the backstory, but the overall tight and consistent artwork makes this issue a wonderful part of the Ninjak story.
If you’ve been following this series, this is the big middle reveal issue. It’s very enjoyable as it has a good share of action, awesome tech/gadgets and a slew of backstory that changes the landscape of the story going forward. If you’re a long-time reader of Ninjak, you’re sure to enjoy it more, but that’s not to say that a new reader will be left in the dark. If anything, you’re getting out of the dark sooner than the rest of us that had the shade pulled over our eyes.
Score: 4/5
Ninja-K #3
Valiant Comics