Ninjak #9 Discussion

[jeremycoe]

Great issue. Lots of revelations about Ninjak's past. I don't know if this quite clears up the continuity issues with Neville's first appearance in X-O, but it gives a possibility.

[greg]

Pretty good reveal about Colin's upbringing.

I'm a little tired of the "villain of the month" storylines, so I'm hoping those are done.

(But I binge-watched Season 1 of the Flash, so I may be tired of those "villain of the week" episodes and it's just spilling over.)

[jeremycoe]

Thinking back on it, I payed very little attention to the villain of the month this issue and a lot of attention to all the other bits crammed into this issue. I didn't care for this issues villain, but the rest of the issue was great.

[jmatt]

I'm in agreement that the villain of the month format seemed like an easy way to run through a bunch of issues without a lot of interaction among the villains. Very straightforward and uncomplicated.

But that said, I can understand why since there was so much other ground to cover with Ninjak's backstory, which unfolded masterfully.

Lotta big reveals in this issue. Kind-T really stepped it up with this arc, I tip my hat. Very well done.

[Blood of Heroes]

I liked this issue. I've liked all of them so far.
I was hoping for a definitive answer about the Angelina/Roku connection but I'm not sure if we got one.
Towards the end of the book the Undead Monk tells Neville "We are the Shadow. You will forget us. All of us"
But where it says "All of us" is on top of a panel showing Colin and Angelina. Why would she be there if she weren't Roku and part of the Shadow? WHY???
This *SQUEE* is *SQUEE* me off!

[Michael_Ayer]

Shadow seven. We only saw 5 villians and then Roku/Angelina and Collin/Ninjak.

My thoughts: ninjak was supposed to be one of them, but he was thrown out. Roku is the enforcer.

[Keith]

I need to go back and re-read these two arcs. I feel like the monthy schedule didn't help me retain important story info, so some significance was lost on me.

[BugsySig]

Roku is considered one of the Shadow Seven according to this cover:



I'm pretty sure she's Angelina. Also, Neville said they've all been taken care of, but she was still free last we checked, and we don't know the 7th.

I did like that we came full circle with Neville's first appearance in XO, though the timeline is a little wierd. He didn't return to work for 2 years? MI:6 waited 2 years to check the file on 2 missing agents? It does explain why Ninjak trusted Neville back in XO, though the Ninjak name would still predate the renewal of the "Ninja Program" since Collin was not working for them again until after he was hired to take out XO.

[Phoenix8008]

I need to go back and re-read these two arcs. I feel like the monthy schedule didn't help me retain important story info, so some significance was lost on me.

Yep, I'm feeling a rereading of these coming on myself. See how all 9 read back to back.

[Phoenix8008]

Maybe the 7th was the Undead Monk?? I don't think it's Ninjak, as the group was operating for some time under that Moniker and he got kicked out a long time ago. He surely would have been one of them, otherwise though. Question: How is it that Kannon didn't recognize Colin when he was 'undercover', considering they all trained together at the Undead Monks temple?? or Roku for that matter?

[BugsySig]

Maybe the 7th was the Undead Monk?? I don't think it's Ninjak, as the group was operating for some time under that Moniker and he got kicked out a long time ago. He surely would have been one of them, otherwise though. Question: How is it that Kannon didn't recognize Colin when he was 'undercover', considering they all trained together at the Undead Monks temple?? or Roku for that matter?

Good question. Roku seems to have some memory issues, but Kannon saw him out of costume too.

At first I was thinking the 7th was the blonde he killed, but that must have been before Weaponeer was formed. The Monk makes sense, I suppose.

[grendeljd]

If anyone would like to hear our OTV:VCR podcast discussing/reviewing this issue (& a bit about the Shadow Seven arc overall), please follow the link;

http://onlythevaliant.com/episodes/vcr39/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We pretty much talked about all the points that folks have mentioned so far in this thread

Thanks to any who listen in

[grendeljd]

Personally, I think the Undead Monk was intended to be the 7th member - either that or it has intentionally been left unrevealed.

I thought it was strange that Roku didn't show up again after it was shown that she went around & warned the others that Ninjak was coming. The story finished off with everyone happy that Ninjak took down the seven, but he really only captured 5 of them... also, Le Barbe's comment in #5 about letting the whole thing burn down with regards to the S7 organization seems oddly like there's still something else going on. Like the easy take-down was some kind of feint or mislead.

Another thing I missed as of this issue was seeing any further connection to Darque - although I suspect that with the next issue/arc they will be setting that up nicely. Perhaps when MI-6 gets a chance to examine the captured members, they will discover the supernatural studs & thus find out about Darque (probably via Punk Mambo) & launch into the operation:deadside plot...

[Brapbrap]

Ninjak is 100% the 7th member, Neville forgot him so he must be in the shadow 7

[dornwolf]

Wasn't to bad of a series. Interesting reveal about Colins family wasn't really guessing that. Nice way to see some what segue Ninjak in to is first appearance in X-O. Would like to see the more mercenary jobs Ninjak took in that time period. He wasn't forced to forget anything so why did he leave MI-6 and what really brought him back aside from money.

[Phoenix8008]

Ninjak is 100% the 7th member, Neville forgot him so he must be in the shadow 7

Maybe he was at that time in the past, but after he got kicked out later, he lost that status. I still don't get how Kannon didn't recognize him in the first story arc given what we know now. I've got all 9 books gathered and will be rereading them soon to see if I catch anything new.

[agent_graves]

This was aight, I feel like the concept fell a little flat, was their actually seven members? And the art, while serviceable, had way to many inkers, which causes an inconsistent look. That was an interesting twist with the butler. I've lost a little interest in the backup tale, Ryp's art was on point tho..

Looking forward to Operation Deadside...

[thestandard247]

Hello Everyone. First time, long time.

This arc was brilliantly told by, Matt Kindt, leaving a lot to reader speculation. I do see and hear a lot of fans confusing the Shadow 5,6,7 and the "Undead Monk" as being one of the Shadow Seven. I believe that number 7, or is it number 1? was revealed lastly/firstly in THE LOST FILES: when Colin's first kill was in fact Xaman, the assassin of Angelina. "The Assassination... Attempt" leads to not only the recruitment and indoctrination of Roku, but also the recruitment of Colin, and the ultimate demise of The Shadow # by Ninjak. So with Xaman being the first kill, that leads us with...

Shadow Seven:
1. Xaman - Colin was banished after Angelina revenge kill
2. Kannon - aka Stubs
3. The Barbe - Note: possible same sensor tech as Ninjak's hilt probes
4. Sanguine - aka Gross
5. Fitzy - aka Le Pew
6. Fakir - aka GrossToo
7. "Green" Fatty eaten by Roku / Roku / Colin(Ninjak) at some point

Just look back at all of the various group photos by the robe wearing shadow s-ix-even.

And what happened to Master Darques ear-less slave... If anyone enjoys biblical references, please take note of the "Reverse Jesus" pulled by Darque. Let me touch your ears, and melt them off. Fixed!

P.S. the cover with Ninjak crossing off names, is a misdirect. What billionaire makes a grocery list? And what lover needs a list to cross off names of those responsible for killing his woman?

[BugsySig]

Hello Everyone. First time, long time.

This arc was brilliantly told by, Matt Kindt, leaving a lot to reader speculation. I do see and hear a lot of fans confusing the Shadow 5,6,7 and the "Undead Monk" as being one of the Shadow Seven. I believe that number 7, or is it number 1? was revealed lastly/firstly in THE LOST FILES: when Colin's first kill was in fact Xaman, the assassin of Angelina. "The Assassination... Attempt" leads to not only the recruitment and indoctrination of Roku, but also the recruitment of Colin, and the ultimate demise of The Shadow # by Ninjak. So with Xaman being the first kill, that leads us with...

Shadow Seven:
1. Xaman - Colin was banished after Angelina revenge kill
2. Kannon - aka Stubs
3. The Barbe - Note: possible same sensor tech as Ninjak's hilt probes
4. Sanguine - aka Gross
5. Fitzy - aka Le Pew
6. Fakir - aka GrossToo
7. "Green" Fatty eaten by Roku / Roku / Colin(Ninjak) at some point

Just look back at all of the various group photos by the robe wearing shadow s-ix-even.

And what happened to Master Darques ear-less slave... If anyone enjoys biblical references, please take note of the "Reverse Jesus" pulled by Darque. Let me touch your ears, and melt them off. Fixed!

P.S. the cover with Ninjak crossing off names, is a misdirect. What billionaire makes a grocery list? And what lover needs a list to cross off names of those responsible for killing his woman?

Two words: Beatrix Kiddo

[Blood of Heroes]

Two words: Beatrix Kiddo

[thestandard247]

First She, "Beatrix," BLACK MAMBA was not a billionaire, British playboy, and she didn't have any question marks for her last kill, BILL is BILL. Secondly Quentin Tarantino will never get another dime from me, support your local police. Thirdly the cover is a misdirect and Matt Kindt confused all of his readers masterfully. How many lists have you seen Bruce Wayne Make? Alfred makes the lists, Kiddo. Lastly, something worth mentioning is, Kannon not remembering Colin. Why?

[BugsySig]

First She, "Beatrix," BLACK MAMBA was not a billionaire, British playboy, and she didn't have any question marks for her last kill, BILL is BILL. Secondly Quentin Tarantino will never get another dime from me, support your local police. Thirdly the cover is a misdirect and Matt Kindt confused all of his readers masterfully. How many lists have you seen Bruce Wayne Make? Alfred makes the lists, Kiddo. Lastly, something worth mentioning is, Kannon not remembering Colin. Why?

No, but Beatrix was a scorned lover looking to avenge her man (and then unborn child).

I believe it was more or less an homage cover. And as we all know, in this day and age what is on a cover means nothing about what happens inside the book.

I don't understand the Kannon memory thing either...unless some of their memories of Collin were wiped in a similar manner as Neville. Not sure why, but I suppose it's a possibility.

[leonmallett]

Oh wow, an underwhelming end to a fairly mediocre arc for me.

Fakir was, for me, just as cheesy as Le Barbe. Of the four we have seen in recent issue, only Fitz felt like a well-realised concept, the rest like the were built on their gimmicks as personae and in their depictions, and therefore pretty one-note. The hand-wavium about the postulated link between Fakir, the Undead Monk and the bomb just felt like it was thrown in there too.

The revelation about Alain? And the whole family dynamics of the Kings? That just felt utterly preposterous. It is a medium that embraces the ridiculous, but for me it just felt nonsensical and not something I could buy into.

In all, a poor issue for the most part despite nice and interesting art. The reason I didn't enjoy it was purely down to the writing. I hope the next arc will be better. I am also hoping the baton gets handed to another writer at some point. I hope VEI has more than one flagship book with a long tenure, and that it is less beholden to some creators since I feel fresh voices on some projects could reinvigorate them - of course the opposite may also prove true, and one man's trash is another's treasure; but I am feeling that Rai may be the best vehicle for Kindt. The rest of his VEI stuff just feels for me to be full of too many flaws.

[bygranddesign]

I think it was a good arc but Kind-T once again has too many plot threads he's juggling and I just feel parts of the story just fall apart.

Certain characters of the shadow seven recognize him -- some don't? That should have been explained more clearly. If Kannon had his mind wiped then explain that ... Just feels like a plot hole now.

The whole evil butler thing -- And the spy parents -- still really not explained,IMO, in a satisfactory way. There just wasn't a great payoff.

Killing the monk at the end? Was that necessary? Maybe I missed the reasoning? The monk was the psychic link that would have created the dead man trigger if Faker died... Did Ninjak kill the monk because he feared that Faker would die? Or did he think the Monk was too dangerous to live regardless? I was hoping to see something in the Lost Files that would have explained why Ninjak went to that extreme of killing the Monk. But it just seems like the monk is neither good nor bad ... And it's the shadow seven who corrupted his teachings..?

The lost files story overall was pretty good. The story was a little more straightforward and satisfying.

I think this is a strong title and I think Kind-T is once again great at coming up with ideas but I think he misses at times at creating a satisfying arc and bringing all the ideas together to make a great payoff.

The art throughout is outstanding -- no issues there.