The premiere ninja superhero of the Valiant Universe has a new comic book series on the way that seeks to expand his origins and explain his weird name. Turns out that Ninjak is actually “Ninja-K,” the eleventh in a line of secret agents trained as ninjas by the highly confidential Ninja Programme. That’s means there’s Ninja-A and Ninja-B and a bunch of other deadly, alphabetical ninjas out there. The story for this new comic kicks off when Ninjak learns that a mysterious villain is killing off his predecessors, forcing him to track the killer down (and take us on a tour of the Ninja Programme while he’s at it).
The 40-page Ninja-K #1 hits on November 15, so to tide you over until then, we conducted an email interview with series writer Christos Gage (Avengers Academy, The Amazing Spider-Man, Netflix’s Daredevil). He gives us a history lesson on the Ninja Programme and reveals where the idea for this alphabetic mythology came from.
You can also check out an exclusive preview from the issue by clicking through the slideshow gallery below, including a look at one cover made with metal (yes, real metal). We’ve also included the official solicitation information so you can pre-order the comic from your local comic shop, should you feel intrigued by what you see.
NINJA-K #1
Written by CHRISTOS GAGE | Art by TOMÁS GIORELLO
Cover A by TREVOR HARISINE (SEP172019) | Cover B by LUCAS TROYA (SEP172020)
Interlocking Variant by KENNETH ROCAFORT (SEP172021) | Ninjak Icon Variant by DAVID MACK (SEP172022)
Brushed Metal Variant by MICO SUAYAN (SEP172023)
A NEW CAN’T-MISS ONGOING SERIES! From acclaimed writer Christos Gage (Netflix’s Daredevil) and superstar artist Tomas Giorello (X-O MANOWAR), the United Kingdom’s most dreaded intelligence operative delves into the cold, calculating world of espionage and international intrigue!
For nearly a century, MI-6, the most elite branch of Britain’s clandestine intelligence service, has honed a ruthlessly effective, top-secret division – THE NINJA PROGRAMME – into one of its nation’s most finely wielded weapons. Tasked as the first and last line of defense for queen and country, this small shadow army of agents and assassins has produced a succession of notable assets, including NINJA-A, the Queen’s silent weapon of World War I; NINJA-E, the globetrotting secret agent that pulled the Cold War back from the brink of armageddon; and, most recently, NINJA-K, aka Colin King, a brash but fearless instrument of lethality that has saved the world from madmen and terror at every turn.
But now…an unknown enemy is hunting and killing members of THE NINJA PROGRAMME one by one – and NINJAK is next on the list.
$3.99 | 40 pgs. | T+ | On Sale NOVEMBER 15th (FOC–10/23/15)
IGN Comics: It's a fun and clever revelation that Ninjak is actually Ninja-K, one in a line of many alphabetic Ninjas that belong to the Ninja Programme. Where did this idea come from?
Christos Gage: I wish I could take credit, but it's something that's been around a long time. Matt Kindt established that there were "letters" as early as his first arc of the current series, but then someone on Twitter mentioned to me that Kurt Busiek had introduced the idea back in his old Acclaim run. Kurt chimed in to say that was true, but the premise was explained to him by Bob Layton as dating back to o.g. Valiant. So it's a time-honored part of Valiant history!
IGN: It's always been a bit strange how Colin is a British ninja, so will your story explain that?
Gage: Oh hell yeah! The first thing I did was write up a history of the Ninja program (or, as you correctly spelled it, "programme," being British). It goes back to World War I. Ninjas originate in Japan, right?
Well, it turns out that in World War I, Britain and Japan were allies! I actually didn't know that until I was researching, but it works out perfectly. So Ninja-A was Japanese, and on loan to the UK from Japan during the war. But by World War II, Japan and Britain were enemies. So clearly, at some point, things got awkward. We get into all that.
IGN: What's it been like developing a deep mythology for Ninjak that goes back to WWI and coming up with all these different Ninjas that have been operating over the years?
Gage: So much fun. Matt and his collaborators did an amazing job establishing Colin's personal history, but left the history of the program mostly unexplored, so I had a blast combining real world history, pop culture, and imagination. For example, when would the first woman ninja have come along? Probably the early 70s. Which led me to, "What if Foxy Brown was a ninja?" Each new design the great Tomas Giorello sends in is better than the last. For each character, I tried to give him a basic concept and some ideas, but also leave him plenty of room to use his imagination and just cut loose. And he's been delivering in spades.
IGN: The run that precedes yours had Ninjak dealing with a lot of supernatural and martial art elements, so how will this new run set things apart?
Gage: We'll be staying away from the supernatural for a while, as Matt and company did a lot with that; Ninjak certainly still lives in the same world as Shadowman and Master Darque, but we won't focus on that aspect of it for a time. We're leaning heavily into the super-spy angle... sort of the James Bond, Steranko Nick Fury, Master of Kung Fu vibe. There'll still be plenty of martial arts, but without demons and undead monks for the time being, although I can't imagine Ninjak avoiding the supernatural forever.
IGN: What can you tell us about who the villain of this new story will be?
Gage: I can't reveal who the villain is, because figuring it out is part of the story. But I can tell you that this threat stems from the past sins of the Ninja Programme coming home to roost.
IGN: How new-reader friendly will this series be? What do people need to know before picking it up?
Gage: It's designed to be completely new-reader friendly. Everything that's happened before still happened, but you don't need to know any of it to follow the story from issue #1. When we bring up something from Ninjak's past - like the destruction of his ancestral home, or where his relationship with Livewire stands now - it'll be done in such a way that someone who's never read those stories will get the relevant information they need to understand what's going on and what it means. If they want to know more, and go pick up the back issues, they're in for a great time, but it's by no means required.
Joshua is IGN’s Comics Editor. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.
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