Press Release
Valiant is proud to announce that March’s NINJAK #1 – the FIRST ISSUE of the upcoming VALIANT NEXT monthly series from New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (RAI, Mind MGMT) and superstar artist Clay Mann (X-Men: Legacy, Gambit) – is adding Eisner Award-nominated comics legend Butch Guice (Captain America, Action Comics) to its ongoing creative team for a new, monthly second feature spotlighting the never-before-revealed origin of the world’s most dangerous intelligence operative!
To accommodate this unprecedented addition, Valiant will also be expanding the page count of each issue, beginning with March’s NINJAK #1, to a colossal 40 pages per issue – all for the standard price of $3.99. In comic shops everywhere March 11th, NINJAK #1 will begin with a full-length lead story from Kindt & Mann, and continue with a second adventure detailing the shadowy early life and training of young Colin King – a.k.a. the world-class spy and deadly assassin codenamed Ninjak!
“Matt Kindt is one of the sharpest writers anywhere today, and he’s crafted an intricate, intelligent, and action-packed debut for the series that fans have been demanding since Ninjak first stepped onto the scene in X-O Manowar #5,” said Valiant Editor-in-Chief Warren Simons. “Combine that with two of the most talented artists in comics today – Clay Mann and Butch Guice – and you have a book that’s going to defy everything you thought you knew about Valiant’s number one ninja super-spy. Over the course of the first few issues, you’ll see these two time periods – Ninjak’s training and origin, and his first solo adventure in the modern day – inform each other and, eventually, interact and overlap. It’s an ambitious series – and we’re excited to give it the space it needs to deliver at 40 pages monthly.”
“Ninjak is an incredibly important character within the Valiant Universe, and his first monthly series is going to be a major cornerstone of our plans for the future,” added Valiant CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani. “With a team like Matt, Clay, and Butch at the helm and an expanded page count in each and every issue, we can guarantee that this is a series that no fan of the comics medium – new or old – will want to miss. The VALIANT NEXT initiative was forged around the belief that our greatest stories have yet to be told, and NINJAK embodies that mission statement in every regard. This is a series that is pushing the boundaries of what you have seen before.”
Then: Meet inexperienced MI-6 recruit Colin King on his first mission in the field as he learns the basics of spycraft and counterintelligence, and develops a volatile relationship with his first handler. Now: Colin King is Ninjak, the world’s foremost intelligence operative, weapons expert, and master assassin. And he’s hunting the Shadow Seven – a secret cabal of shinobi masters with mysterious ties to his training and tragic past.
On March 11th, Ninjak’s past and future collide for the very first time in the pages of an all-new ongoing series from New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (RAI, Mind MGMT) and superstar artists Clay Mann (X-Men: Legacy, Gambit) and Butch Guice (Captain America, Action Comics)! Featuring order-all shelf covers by Lewis LaRosa (BLOODSHOT), Clay Mann (X-Men), Dave Johnson (100 Bullets), and Marguerite Sauvage (Sensation Comics), start reading here on March 11th as VALIANT NEXT unleashes an all-new introduction to the fearless life and times of the world’s deadliest master spy, only in NINJAK #1!
Visit your local retailer today to pre-order each epic VALIANT NEXT series. Beginning with THE VALIANT #1 (of 4) by all-star creators Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt, and Paolo Rivera on December 10th, VALIANT NEXT continues with five blockbuster new series in 2015, starring Valiant’s biggest, most-demanded heroes alongside all-new, never-before-seen characters:
IVAR, TIMEWALKER #1 by Fred Van Lente and Clayton Henry in January
DIVINITY #1 (of 4) by Matt Kindt and Trevor Hairsine in February
IMPERIUM #1 by Joshua Dysart and Doug Braithwaite in February
NINJAK #1 by Matt Kindt and Clay Mann in March
BLOODSHOT REBORN #1 by Jeff Lemire and Mico Suayan in April
For more information, visit Valiant online at Facebook.com/ValiantComics, Twitter.com/ValiantComics, and ValiantUniverse.com.
For Valiant merchandise and more, visit ValiantStore.com.
NINJAK #1 [VALIANT NEXT]
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by CLAY MANN with BUTCH GUICE
Cover A by LEWIS LAROSA
Cover B by CLAY MANN
Cover C by DAVE JOHNSON
Cover D by MARGUERITE SAUVAGE
Valiant Next Variant by TREVOR HAIRSINE & TOM MULLER
Character Design Variant by CLAY MANN
B&W Sketch Variant by LEWIS LAROSA
$3.99 | 40 pages. | T+ | On sale MARCH 11 (FOC – 2/16/15)
