Killers #1 Is An Intense Thriller Straight Out Of Valiant Lore
by Tony Thornley
One of the most interesting recent additions to the Valiant Universe was a deep dive into the various operatives of the Ninja Programme, which created Ninjak. Killers #1 takes advantage of that to create an engrossing thriller.
B. Clay Moore, Fernando Dagnino, Jose Villarrubia, and Jeff Powell throw us into a mystery as someone is hunting down what’s left of the Ninja Programme.
Someone has called a hit on the last surviving members of the Ninja Programme and their loved ones. This leads to pushing Ninja-G into action as she needs to find who ordered the hit and why. Can she find answers before the killers find her?
Moore creates a fascinating mystery in this issue. By diving into Valiant lore, he lays a foundation for the story with a familiar starting point, but with new characters it feels completely fresh. The mystery is really only given one clue amidst the action, but it’s one that blows the story open for the entirety of the mini. It’s entirely new reader friendly, but for longtime Valiant fans, it’s an exciting deep dive as well.
Dagnino uses a thick and shadowy line through the issue, establishing a tense mood through the issue. He paces the action perfectly, laying out the panels to emphasize small moments before expanding them to emphasize the bigger moments. He’s also able to show us the emotional stakes of the story, with characters that are clearly struggling and in pain as the result of the action.
This event is off to a very fun start, and I’m excited to see where it goes.
Killers #1 is available now from Valiant Entertainment.
