REVIEW: 'Ninjak' #1 by Jeff Parker and Javier Pulido

A new era for Ninjak begins as Jeff Parker and Javier Pulido expose him to the world. You've never seen Ninjak like this!

NINJAK #1

Writer: Jeff Parker

Artist: Javier Pulido

Publisher: Valiant Comics

Release Date: July 14, 2021

Cover Price: $3.99

Out of the shadows and into the spotlight... the world's greatest superspy has been exposed!

Colin King is Ninjak and he has a target on his back like never before. With enemies lurking around every corner, how will Ninjak survive when there's nowhere left to hide and the world is gunning for him?

Hang onto your hats, folks! Jeff Parker and Javier Pulido are about to take you on a non-stop thrill ride.

Score: 

★★★★1/2 (4.5/5)

Valiant has long been the home to comics' most exciting action-packed titles in the industry. It's to comics what Cannon Films was to the '80s. It just churns out action blockbusters. The 'Ninjak' series is one of the publisher's most beloved titles because of the adventures of assassin Colin King aka Agent K aka Ninjak. An exile from MI6's Ninjak Programme, King freelances as a martial arts-infused James Bond type. In this newest series launch, he finds himself in Istanbul under the watchful eye of a songbird MI6 agent tracking his every move. 

The issue as written by Jeff Parker and illustrated by Javier Pulido is a fast-paced, action-packed, spy adventure that will satisfy longtime readers and hook new ones. It looks like nothing else on comic shop shelves because of Pulido's uniquely colorful and stylized designs. It's a kinetic rainbow ride that's clever and eye-popping. However, the opening action sequence has some eerie parallels to the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in...Istanbul.

Similar to Quentin Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' where he reimagined the Tate–LaBianca murders in 1969, Parker positions a journalist named Jaman at the embassy surrounded by would-be assassins only to be saved by Ninjak. Khashoggi was reportedly murdered at the consulate and the Crown Prince was said to have been involved. Three years later it's still a shocking, infuriating, and heartbreaking event that resonates with people. Some might find the resemblance triggering. 

Soon after Ninjak is on the run and this time a data dump has revealed secret agents across the world. The pace of the issue doesn't let up as a montage of compromised spies follows. Pulido's style is condensed but vibrant and kinetic. Panels are color-coded in bright primary colors which could be seen as cartoony comic strips but the choreography is so smooth and impactful that there's a method to Pulido's madness. You really can't look away from the page. 

Despite the controversial opening of 'Ninjak' #1, this latest launch of the former MI6 ninja spy gets an exciting and relentless new adventure from Jeff Parker and the singular talent of Javier Pulido. With a brief bio of Colin King aka Ninjak, new readers can get caught up with this new series. For longtime fans, 'Ninjak' is every bit the acton-packed martial arts fight-fest it's always been. Ninjak is back and the stakes couldn't be higher.