Book Review: Ninjak, Book 1 (2022)

Jeff Parker, Ninjak, Book 1. New York: Valiant Entertainment, 2022. ISBN: 9781682154106

 

Genre: graphic novels and comics

Subgenre: spies, adventure, action

Format: e-book galley

Source: NetGalley

 

Colin King, also known as Ninjak, is a dark ops agent who used to work for MI6 (British Intelligence). He has set out on his own, and he works mostly as a freelance assassin. Then an organization known as Daylight manages to expose every MI6 agent in a plot to gain power by threatening to do the same to other countries' intelligence agencies. This also makes Colin a target.

This kind of plot has potential for a spy thriller, but it's not executed well. There are some parts of the plot that may not be as clear, or they take away from the main plot. Overall, the plot can get a bit more convoluted at times than it needs to be. 

However, the main issue with this comic series is the art. The coloring can be too bright at times. The style is a bit reminiscent of 60s cartoons and not in a good way. The art overall does no favors to the story. To be honest, the art seems very childish considering this is supposed to be an espionage and assassins thriller. In addition, some of the strip layouts made reading a bit confusing; the action at times did not line up properly. 

The bottom line is that this had potential, but the story is not that good, and the art is just not good. I am not likely to continue reading this series nor would I buy it for our graphic novels collection. For public libraries, this is highly optional. For me, it was just OK. 

2 out of 5 stars

Qualifies for the following 2022 Reading Challenge: