REVIEW: Ninjak Vs. The Valiant Universe #4

Ninjak Vs. The Valiant Universe #4 is the final issue of what ends up coming across as a marketing experiment from Valiant. Valiant is known for tight continuity and for an emphasis on consistently good storytelling. Having just completed issue 4, I can say that this series doesn’t manage to live up to Valiant’s reputation.

The live action web series that this series coincides with is set to be released on April 21, 2018 (not yet available as of this review). The web series has become somewhat infamous as it was initially hyped quite heavily at various Comic Conventions, with Valiant seeming to lose confidence in it soon afterward. Hopefully, the live action series fares better than this comic book series.

Issue 4 continues the previous issue’s story with Roku having kidnapped The Alcotts and using Ninjak to acquire the Geomancer book. With the series being out of regular continuity, it doesn’t have the world-changing scale that you would expect from a proper Valiant event. Granted this doesn’t claim to be a large-scale event, but it makes you appreciate how well Valiant typically does in this regard. This series just comes across as mediocre and a surface view of Valiant. It feels like a missed opportunity as this could be a great introduction to Valiant for the general audience. Valiant is one of those companies that hooks you once you start reading their books, but it’s hard to get the general comic book audience to even start.

The art is decent. The characters have such a thick, cartoony outline around them that it was distracting. The colors tend to go overboard to an extent that the overall look is very waxy and artificial looking. However, the main cover is outstanding. I love the framing and it’s a great use of a cutout/silhouette. Nicely done in that regard.

I give this issue 3 out of 5 stars. This series started out on a good note with a lot of promise, but as a whole is lacking in any truly memorable moments. Roku as a villain serves her purpose here but comes across as one-dimensional. The series does serve its purpose as a beginner’s look at the Valiant universe, but it ultimately feels empty.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Written by Eliot Rahal
Art by Joe Bennett, Belardino Brabo, and Ulises Arreola
Published by Valiant Comics