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Just ahead of their ComicsPRO presentation today, DC Comics has announced that writer Tom King and artists Clay Mann and John Timms have all signed exclusive deals with the publisher. King is best known for his work on Grayson, a super-spy take on Dick Grayson/Nightwing, that he co-writes with Tim Seeley. Recently, he began critically acclaimed runs […]

Ninjak has been one of the most highly anticipated releases from Valiant Entertainment to date and…spoilers…we have been loving every issue of the comic here at The Beat. Each installment of the title has been full of intrigue and wonderful ideas that serve to enrich the character of Ninjak even further than before. With someone who has had so much representation in the Valiant Universe, watching the evolution of Ninjak as a solo character was a risky gamble. We’re almost five issues into the Ninjak title as Matt Kindt, Clay Mann and Butch Guice are continuing to document the experiences of everyone’s favorite British agent. The ninja is exploring the secrets of the Shadow Seven and Ninjak’s new friend Roku (if you could call her that.) The comic is still split into two different halves with the immediate portion drawn by Mann and the other section illustrated by Guice documenting the early days of Ninjak in Ninjak: The Lost Files. Each chapter of the book has been really slowly building to the ascent of Colin King into ninja extraordinaire. If you aren’t already reading this series from Valiant, let these preview pages from Mann and Guice change your mind. Also, look at these awesome covers from Lewis Larosa, Dave Johnson, Raul Allen and Cafu!

NINJAK #5

Written by MATT KINDT

Art by CLAY MANN with BUTCH GUICE

Cover A by LEWIS LAROSA (APR151766)

Cover B by DAVE JOHNSON (APR151767)

Variant Cover by RAUL ALLEN (APR151768)

Variant Cover by CAFU (APR151769)

The final secret of the Shadow Seven exposed!

Ninjak’s mission to destroy Weaponeer and its secret cabal of shinobi masters just got a bit more complicated…since the newest leader of Weaponeer is… Ninjak himself?! Meanwhile, Roku’s gone missing, but we all know the world’s deadliest woman is at her most dangerous when she’s out of sight!

Plus: Colin King’s past comes back to haunt him in a big way as NINJAK: THE LOST FILES reveals a deadly connection to Ninjak’s present as Clay Mann (X-Men) returns with Matt Kindt (THE VALIANT, RAI) and Butch Guice (Captain America)!

$3.99 | 40 pages | T+ | On sale JULY 29

Book 1

Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Clay Mann
Inker: Seth Mann
Colorist: Ulises Arreola
Letterer: Dave Sharpe

The Lost Files

Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Butch Guice
Colorist: Ulises Arreola
Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Ninjak #1 by Matt Kindt is the ongoing series that you’ve wanted ever since Valiant first relaunched in 2012. The highly sought after British Ninja’s first solo adventure is just what you’d expect, featuring all the guns, swords, and punching that you were hoping for. The first piece of info is a clue into the inner workings of Ninjak’s tools, which is an image perfectly captured and described by the folks at Valiant. This illustrates another important piece of this comic – this is a comic with a lot of substance and ideas that proves itself as an action story with both brains and brawn.

Clay Mann makes a fierce debut to the world of Ninjak, finally getting that big book that is going to set him apart from the competition in the industry. The first battle within the issue is a fight scene containing some incredibly intricate layouts. Mann proves his flexibility in the way he draws the young Colin King (Ninjak) to be so innocent, and the older version to be so cynical. The artist perfectly illustrates the juxtaposition of the two heroes. The streets of the big city look alive with the wonderfully fierce incarnation of an older Colin King invested towards further exploring this new place in which he calls home. Visual cues of technology prove how versatile this artist can be.

The briefing scenes from MI-6 perfectly utilize Ninjak’s own inner monologues to paint a unique landscape that draws attention to itself for all the right reasons. A computer folder shows a slow burn process of Ninjak learning new things about himself that recalls some of the best moments within Rai (also written by Kindt) which has arguably transformed into one of the best ongoings at Valiant Entertainment. The trio of scenes here are still utilized in an even stronger effect, showing that Kindt does have a great pull towards some of the espionage moments that could make a series like this truly great. This title is light on plot, but heavy on espionage. With a host of plot secrets surfing around this issue, Book 1 is a triumphant first solo outing for the hero that has an immense amount of potential to continue to reveal more about the Valiant lands.

The Lost Files backup storyline is another really intriguing debut for Kindt, revealing the sort of middle ground on how King became Ninjak passed his early youth. If I had any gripe with this storyline – I wish this plot was nestled in between the primary feature and the art was made to look more like flashbacks. Making the tale even more dense, and cramming it with more story and intrigue would have led to a really interesting thought experiment that would enlighten the world of Ninjak. Still, it’s incredible that Kindt can tell a story this strong in under ten pages in the back of the book. Also, the tale is even lighter on plot than the opening issue, which is mildly disappointing,

Butch Guice is exactly the brand of awesomeness that Ninjak needs, it’s a quieter less complicated tale that still has the right amount of heavy shadows and linework to really keep my interest peaked. Guice’s work is just as lovely as Mann’s art, and I hope the two will eventually work together within the frame of one story.

Ninjak #1 is a sharp package that contains 30 pages of sheer delight. So many smart ideas and plotting instances are featured throughout this comic. Based on the success of this first installment, team Ninjak could have a book as good as Rai on his hands.

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Here are a few of my favourite things…. Marvel, aware that I demand delight at least once a month, have started releasing ‘X-Men 50th Anniversary’ variant covers for several of their books. The X-Men have – yes – been around for 50 years as of 2013, with Stan Lee’s original vision now old enough to start having a midlife crisis and buy a new car. X-Men fans: prepare to explode in glee!

First up is Chris Bachalo reuniting with Generation X (gleee!!) for the cover to All-New X-Men #6:

Skin! Synch! Oh, the memories. Shame Husk isn’t wearing her glasses, but WOW how much does this remind that Banshee was The Greatest? Right? Faith and begorrah, come back soon!

The second released cover is Clay Mann’s variant for X-Factor #250, which features every member of the team there has ever been. Founders Jean and Cyclops rub shoulders with Rusty, Skids and Boom Boom (gleeee!!), while newcomers like Monet and Layla Miller somehow manage to cram themselves in there too.

Who will appear next? I am literally stamping my feet with anticipation. Gleee!!

By Steve Morris

In an interview with someone strangely familiar on Comics Bulletin, incoming ‘Gambit’ writer James Asmus has been discussing all the relevant topics regarding his lead character. His skills as a thief, charismatic personality, and of course his chiselled abs and willingness to be topless. Offering a counterpoint to Heidi’s belief that Marvel are not interested in courting a female readership, Asmus says:

My editor just told me that Gambit is apparently shirtless for exactly 20% of both issues 1 and 2! (Though butt shots are only in #1 so far.)

That’s right — it’s time for a comic which balances out the gratuitous female nudity in mainstream comics by offering some gratuitous male nudity in mainstream comics. And of course, this follows the recent evolution of “sexy Namor” in Uncanny X-Men, and the news that blonde bimbo Havok is set for a starring role in Rick Remender’s Uncanny Avengers series.

Heidi, it looks like Marvel have accepted your dainty feminine gauntlet!

In related male nudity-news, it appears that Andrew Wheeler of ‘him off of Comics Alliance‘ fame recently realised some powerful subtext has snuck into the main AvX event, as he ticked off the names of the members in Marvel’s Phoenix Five team:

• Piotr Rasputin
• Emma Frost
• Namor McKenzie
• Illyana Rasputin
• Scott Summers

Oh, Marvel! Always playing with yourself.