Ninjak #0 Review

Ninjak #0

Writers: Matt Kindt, Christos Gage
Artists: Francis Portella, Tomás Giorello
Flashback Sequences: MJ Kim, Khari Evans, Roberto De La Torre, Sija Hong, and Juan José Ryp
Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: Valiant

A review  by Josh Rose

It’s both the recap of a series, and the perfect jumping on point before the Ninja-K series begins. Ninjak #0 sees Colin King on a mission. What the mission is isn’t clear until he completes it, but there are a lot of dead bodies left in his wake. At the same time we see see flashbacks from his childhood all the way to becoming Ninjak and some pretty important parts from this series.

What I really love about Ninjak #0 is how the flashback scenes are parallel with the current story timeline. An arrow that appears on the first page is used to divide the two stories throughout the book, and slowly progresses across the pages as they go by. The use of the arrow ends when it reaches the right side of the page.

Matt Kindt has crafted a beautiful goodbye to Ninjak, though I am certain he will return to the character soon. Its one part a recap of the series, and a look into the mind of Colin King. How he thinks and acts, especially during missions. Another part a mostly silent story tying into the theme shared by the flashbacks. Ninjak #0 also contains a prelude to Ninja-K #1, written by Christos Gage, which will dive into MI-6’s Ninja program.

The art! Ah, the art. Francis Portella does a fantastic job showing off Ninjak’s skills as he cut through dozens of men. Its brutal and bloody. Each of the flashback artists got their own version of Ninjak to draw and each one is absolutely fantastic! But the one that deserves most of your attention is Sija Hong. She only drew one panel, but it’s stunning. Its an unraveling scroll that is broken by Ninjak’s body and cranes, while the scroll contains images of the Shadow Seven. Her panel is very similar in style to traditional Japanese art.

The Verdict
Buy It – Ninjak #0 is a look into the character’s psyche, as well as a great way to highlight key points in the series. It’s a beautiful way for Kindt to say goodbye (for now), before the new Ninja-K series starts.