Comics Heavyweight Ariel Olivetti Joins Valiant’s NINJA-K

October 17, 2017

Comics Heavyweight Ariel Olivetti Joins Valiant’s NINJA-K

Valiant is proud to announce that NINJA-K #1 – the FIRST ISSUE of the EXPLOSIVE NEW ONGOING SERIES from renowned writer Christos Gage (Netflix’s Daredevil) and superstar artist Tomás Giorello (X-O MANOWAR) – is growing to a colossal 48 pages, including a double-length lead feature ushering in MI-6’s deadly new assignment for their most feared international operations: Colin King, aka the fearless super-spy codenamed Ninjak!

Then: the international intrigue continues with 40 pages monthly as veteran artist Ariel Olivetti (Punisher War Journal) joins NINJA-K mastermind Christos Gage for a new series of essential back-up features revealing the top-secret origin of the operative that birthed Britain’s deep-black “Ninja Programme” amidst the raging fires of the first World War’s Western Front… For the first time, an indispensable chapter in the history of the Valiant Universe can finally be told as Gage and Olivetti reveal the saga of NINJA-A – the Japanese master of weaponry and deception who would become MI-6’s first ninja agent – in an all-new special feature, beginning in December’s NINJA-K #2 and continuing monthly for the standard $3.99 cover price!

“With NINJA-K, Christos Gage and Tomás Giorello are diving deep and unearthing a previously unexplored cornerstone of the Valiant Universe,” said Valiant Editor-in-Chief Warren Simons. “This is a hard-edged, espionage-driven look into the world of secret agents, spies, and suspicion that built Ninjak to be the best of his kind. But he wasn’t the first. Christos and Tomás have crafted an absolutely terrific history of who founded MI-6’s ‘Ninja Programme’ and how it came to be – and now we’re proud to add the incredibly talented Ariel Olivetti to the formidable team that’s rapidly shaping NINJA-K into one of the most intense books on the stands.”

In the tradition of X-O MANOWAR, SECRET WEAPONS, and BLOODSHOT SALVATION, the next essential series from Valiant’s ICONS initiative starts here on November 15th as NINJA-K #1 marks a massive milestone in the history of Colin King with a stunning, 48-page first issue debut! This fall, the Valiant Universe’s deadliest international operator returns to the shadow-draped world of Britain’s secret service… only to find himself in the crosshairs of a plot with tendrils stretching back decades to the formation of the Ninja Programme itself!

For nearly a century, MI-6, the most elite branch of Britain’s clandestine intelligence service, has honed a ruthlessly effective, top-secret division – THE NINJA PROGRAMME – into one of its nation’s most finely wielded weapons. Tasked as the first and last line of defense for queen and country, this small shadow army of agents and assassins has produced a succession of notable assets, including NINJA-A, the Queen’s silent weapon of World War I; NINJA-E, the globe-trotting secret agent that pulled the Cold War back from the brink of Armageddon; and, most recently, NINJA-K, aka Colin King, a brash but fearless instrument of lethality that has saved the world from madmen and terror at every turn. But now… an unknown enemy is hunting and killing members of THE NINJA PROGRAMME one by one – and NINJAK is next on the list.

The stakes have never been higher as Colin King dives swords-first into the mystery at the heart of MI-6’s dark legacy, only in NINJA-K #1 – featuring covers by Trevor Hairsine (DIVINITY), rising star Lucas Troya, Tonci Zonjic (Who is Jake Ellis?), Kenneth Rocafort (The Ultimates), and David Mack (Kabuki)!

Then: On December 20th, Christos Gage and Ariel Olivetti go even deeper into the bloodstained files of Britain’s most secret service to reveal the untold adventures of Ninjak’s first predecessor, Ninja-A, with an consequential new series of back-up features, beginning in NINJA-K #2!

NINJA-K #1

Written by CHRISTOS GAGE

Art by TOMÁS GIORELLO

Cover A by TREVOR HARISINE (SEP172019)

Cover B by LUCAS TROYA (SEP172020)

Interlocking Variant by KENNETH ROCAFORT (SEP172021)

Ninjak Icon Variant by DAVID MACK (SEP172022)

Brushed Metal Variant by MICO SUAYAN (SEP172023)

$3.99 | 48 pgs. | T+ | On Sale NOVEMBER 15 (FOC – 10/23/2017)

NINJA-K #1 – Interior Art by Tomás Giorello with Diego Rodriguez