Valiant Entertainment 2015
Written by Matt Kindt
Penciled by Clay Mann
Inked by Seth Mann
Coloured by Ulises Arrerola
God Grief Charlie Brown Ninjak has always been my favorite Valiant character since his introduction and right now Matt, Clay, Seth and Ulises just solidify why he’s among the best there is. Not only is this more exciting than a Tom Cruise Mission Impossible movie but the guys visually nail the interiors in ways most teams can only dream of. I’m always in awe of what Clay can do and the team behind him take his lead and deliver the most stunning, active, detailed and beautiful work the industry can possibly have.
I’m really appreciating the Matt is telling this opening arc. With his current mission to infiltrate and ruin Kannon’s operations blended with flashbacks to him as a kid, orphaned and in the care of the manservant who is rather shall we say strict and really rather a nasty man. Still the way we see what shaped Colin to be the man he is today as we see him time what’s happening to get the job done in the right time frame really adds something to the characterization that we don’t normally get.
Last issue we saw Roku go after Ninjak and the fact that he had recently freed from prison well that doesn’t matter she’s Kannon’s bodyguard and he’s all that matters to her. So seeing them kind of going at it while freefalling from the building was an adrenaline junkie's dream as Colin ticks down the timeframe he has left to get things done and get back before Kannon wakes up from being drugged. Now it does make me wonder if there was much direction between Matt and Clay but this kind of action we see is just amazing.
I love seeing him as a kid and how resourceful he was even back then. Building a model and using soldering iron with micro-circuitry and just his ingenuity at such a preteen or early teen age. I am wondering if these two ever got the chance to get along or if the manservant was just too much an ass to and Colin had to grow up fast to get him out of his life but in the meantime seeing the conflict between them really is the catalyst for Colin’s ability to create these gadgets he uses now. Seeing the beginning of his unique creativity and his use of things like explosives and killing animals to eat to survive.
This issue goes a long way of separating him from the pack of billionaire orphans who have no true powers just peek physical training and mind like a steel trap.
This whole mission should be a piece of cake right, wrong and you’ll have to read it to see all the obstacles he has to overcome to get things done and the surprise twist at the end because this really this is what it’s all about and really showcases the kind of man he is.
Continuing the backup story where Butch Guice does the penciling and Brian Thies inks, Matt continues to tell pivotal moments that help create this master agent. So we see Colin laying on the bed his chest barely visible and it’s clearly evident Clay isn’t the only one who can draw him as this incredibly sexy and desirable man and it’s nice to see a guy get this kind of treatment.
I do like this too maybe more than usual because Matt has taken control and really gets to delve into Colin and the events in his life that bring him to the present. This story could very well end in tragedy and serve as one of those life lessons, which it seems outwardly that’s what is happening but we’ll see.
This really is one of my personal favorite books and the fact that the writing and the interior artwork are so strong really prove why Valiant is here to stay and why it’s currently on top of the industry with what they are doing and putting out.