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A review by dsnake1
Ninjak, Book 1 by Jeff Parker
3.0
NetGalley and the publisher, Valiant, provided me with a review copy.
Ninjak (2021) is the most recent run of the character, who was first introduced in 1993. Ninjak is a freelance operative, of a sort, for MI-6, and is an all-around rich-kid-turned-uber-contract-killer. That doesn't change in this run.
This book, the first four issues of the 2021 run, centers around all undercover MI-6 agents having their covers and locations blown. There's an MI-6 agent who was tasked to tail Ninjak since he left the organization, and these two join together to stay alive and to try and put an end to the group which is uncovering the world's secrets.
The writing is fine, although I'm rarely a fan of the Batman/James Bond "I can do superhuman stuff 'cuz I'm rich, but I don't have powers" hand-waives, and Ninjak is what happens when you take Batman, mash him up with James Bond, and put him in a ninja suit. I had to roll my eyes a couple of times, but that was fine. Also, really didn't like it how the agent tailing Ninjak basically ends up as a Bond Girl.
The art, though, is a weird stylistic choice. First and foremost, it's blocky and highly-saturated. I'm still not sure I liked it. Frankly, it looks like old-school video games turned into a comic, and that's fine in and of itself, but the way Pulido draws people was really disconcerting. I will say, I'd have much preferred they finish the trade paperback with Pulido's art instead of switching to Lobel and going generic. Pulido's wasn't perfect (or a great fit, in my opinion), but it did give a campy vibe that was lost when Lobel took over.
Ninjak (2021) is the most recent run of the character, who was first introduced in 1993. Ninjak is a freelance operative, of a sort, for MI-6, and is an all-around rich-kid-turned-uber-contract-killer. That doesn't change in this run.
This book, the first four issues of the 2021 run, centers around all undercover MI-6 agents having their covers and locations blown. There's an MI-6 agent who was tasked to tail Ninjak since he left the organization, and these two join together to stay alive and to try and put an end to the group which is uncovering the world's secrets.
The writing is fine, although I'm rarely a fan of the Batman/James Bond "I can do superhuman stuff 'cuz I'm rich, but I don't have powers" hand-waives, and Ninjak is what happens when you take Batman, mash him up with James Bond, and put him in a ninja suit. I had to roll my eyes a couple of times, but that was fine. Also, really didn't like it how the agent tailing Ninjak basically ends up as a Bond Girl.
The art, though, is a weird stylistic choice. First and foremost, it's blocky and highly-saturated. I'm still not sure I liked it. Frankly, it looks like old-school video games turned into a comic, and that's fine in and of itself, but the way Pulido draws people was really disconcerting. I will say, I'd have much preferred they finish the trade paperback with Pulido's art instead of switching to Lobel and going generic. Pulido's wasn't perfect (or a great fit, in my opinion), but it did give a campy vibe that was lost when Lobel took over.