Over 20 years ago Colin King was introduced to the world via the Valiant series “X-O Manowar.†Several incarnations and a generation later as Ninjak we see if Colin King fulfills the promise of a dystopian future and unwittingly betray his friends. Valiant comics in the early 90’s brought on a resurgence of titles that created a world where the villain known as Father ruled. It was also a place where machines ruled over humans to the extent that what was left of anyone Terran joined together to defeat Father at the cost of those they love and their very selves.
Mention of Gilad (the Eternal Warrior) and Aric (X-O Manowar) brings both continuity and familiarity to those who have not read these titles in several years. At times readers lose interests in other worlds and storylines and move onto to something else, thinking that perhaps titles such as Ninjak were defunct. Then one day they’re in a bookstore or trending on your social media feed. Ninjak is alive but in this rendition of Matt Kindt’s, Colin King may wish otherwise.
One of King’s old “teammates†Amanda has implemented a plan that would make it a parasite of the earth’s ecosystem and essentially starve the planet out of existence. Here we see that Ninjak is not down and out at all. In his case age had begotten wisdom. What Kindt also does by setting this narrative several decades later, is reveal the potential destruction of humanity, particularly when they have their machines achieve sentient status. Using the present and history of science fiction and the Valiant comics, Kindt continues in the tradition of warning the world what will happen if we allow these things to occur. Trevor Hairsine punctuates this storyline with his artwork. What is most striking is his rendition of Ninjak. His oldness is palpable. You can see in the character’s eyes how much he has lost and given up for this war. Comics need good art to help build story. Without it the reader could not understand the devastation of the choices all the characters make in this issue. You feel compelled to keep reading. There is also a fluidity of movement and words. In other works sometimes the art may overwhelm the words or the reverse may happen wondering why there is dialogue at all. In this case the art and words work together. Essentially, it’s seamless.
Trained as a killer, an assassin somehow in “Book of Death: The Fall of Ninjak†Colin King becomes the moral center, the one man who understands that you cannot recreate a person or stuff the remnants of their consciousness into an android. Some things need to have a natural order. People die and sometimes it is the best of us. The ones we wish would not go. But you can’t remake the good in a person, they become misguided at the very least or a corrupted copy that may destroy the world. One thing is for sure Kindt makes King love life so much that he is prepared to sacrifice himself for it.
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