Ninjak #22

I’m going to be completely honest here: Ninjak #22 is one heck of a good time! I spent less than a minute with Ninjak #22 (I blasted through it with excitment) and all I can say is that we are in need of more comics in this style: A nearly silent book ,there is a little dialogue at the end and some messages in the beginning, but about 95% text free.

Ninjak #22 is about as perfect as a comic book gets

The story takes all of five minutes to be done with, as there are no dialogue troughout the books pages. You can easily, and correctly, think that it relies heavily on the art, and I won’t blame you, as that is my first thought as well, but the truth is that there is a minimum of narrative in the sections, a method to the madness with all the mess we have in there.

I can only describe it as a never ending fight scene in a great action movie, and since Ninjak has the base for a good, 100-minutes-or-so feature film, it becomes more easy to imagine it in the big screen (a mini-movie is in fact coming). This issue gets me really excited about the live-action project that is just around the corner.

Valiant // Ninjak #22
Valiant // Ninjak #22

I have criticized many things before in past issues, but Ninjak #22 is just what I needed: something simple yet incredible, and if it wasn’t for the chance it could lose its magic, I’d like to see more issues like this one, with no dialogue until the end. It’s the sort of book that needs to happen more often.

Maybe you’re asking yourselves: “When is this guy going to tell us what it’s all  about?” To put it short: I won’t. Go buy your copy and keep this as a surprise. I know you’re going to love it , especially of you are a fan.

The art is more than just dynamic as it has a different kind of magic that makes you wonder when the images will start to move just like the pictures in Hogwarts from the Harry Potter movies. That would truly be the only thing that could make the book better, but that technology doesn’t exist (yet.)

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Valiant // Ninjak #22
Valiant // Ninjak #22

Ninjak #22 has one of the best use of colors I’ve seen. The way shadows look in all of the scenes are top-notch with not a lot of havily blacks here and there, but instead real contrast, real effort put in each page, which ends in an incredible look.

As this issue has little lettering, it’s a little challenging to say something about it, besides the fact that it surprises when it does show up. The ending is where things really come into play dialouge wise, but that surpirse is for you to find out.

Lastly, the panel distribution in Ninjak #22 is also a marvel to see, as I can hardly imagine what would it be like with something different. It looks like everything is where it should be, in its rightful place, and in harmony with the rest of the pages.

If the team from Valiant are reading this, and I hope they are, please, do more issues like this; don’t turn every comic into a silent movie, but it’s a good option to pull out and let the art do the talking.

“Ninjak #22 is about as perfect as a comic gets”

5/5
“Superb”

About Author

Alan D.D.

Hailing and writing out of Venezuela, Alan is our international correspondent that covers comic books for GAMbIT as well as general book reviews on his personal blog. He's currently working in some novels and poems, which means he fights daily a writer's block.

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