Ninjak
Encyclopedia
Ninjak is a fictional comic book
character
that originally appeared in eponymous books by Valiant Comics
, and later by Acclaim Comics. Co-created by writer Mark Moretti and artist Joe Quesada
, the character first appeared in Bloodshot
#6 as Colin King and quickly gained his own series. The Ninjak series was very popular and Ninjak #1 placed number one on Wizard Magazine's Top Ten Hottest Comics of the month article in Feb of 1994. The lead character is ninja
spy Ninjak, whose alter ego is British playboy Colin King. Ninjak immediately hit with readers, the first issue has sold close to 1 million copies. Ninjak has become one of the most popular Valiant characters continuing a long run and selling millions more copies to date. Ninjak comics have been translated into a number of languages including German, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian, Filipino and Chinese among others.
A second series was produced after Valiant Comics was purchased by video game company Acclaim Entertainment
in 1996
. The second series was written by Kurt Busiek
. In the series, a teenager is endowed with ancient ninja powers from a video game. He is able to become the game's hero, Ninjak, but finds that the twelve villains from the game have started appearing in the real world.
who was employed by the British Government. King was raised in the Orient but was an outcast in that society. When his father was killed by rival agent Iwatsu, King went into training, determined to continue his father's tradition and bring his killers to justice. Now a master of the secret arts of the ninja, he serves England and the world as Ninjak.
Ninjak is the enforcer of the mysterious Weaponeer organization and the world's foremost espionage expert. Ninjak uses his expertise in martial arts
, demolition
, information acquisition and others skills, a keen intellect and an ability to prepare for any outcome in a given situation. He wears a kevlar
-armored bodysuit that can change colour.
The agents of the Weaponeer began to be killed. When Ninjak investigated, he found that Dr. Silk was the perpetrator. Silk thought that the Weaponeer organization was too dangerous to ignore but too difficult to control, especially as Silk was about to begin his Operation Black Water. Operation Black Water was a plan to sell the secret of Black Water, the nanite-induced cold fusion
of hydrogen and oxygen into water, to any country prepared to pay enough. Using Black Water, a country could make its deserts fertile or turn its enemy's land into an ocean,
Through his own international terrorist organization called WEBNET, Silk virtually wiped out the Weaponeer organization - only Ninjak survived. Ninjak wrested the secret of Black Water away from Silk, destroying his concealed base and its Black Water reactor in the process.
Eventually, Ninjak joined the British Intelligence organization under Neville Alcott, who had also worked with Bloodshot
and Eternal Warrior
. Alcott had known Colin since he was a boy, Colin's father also worked for Alcott many years ago in Japan.
With the Weaponeer organization destroyed, Colin considered retiring as Ninjak but Neville Alcott convinced him to return with something he couldn't resist: his long-lost love, the woman he left behind in Japan
.
, a group of martial skills that includes jujutsu
(hand to hand fighting), bōjutsu
(staff fighting), and iaijutsu
(drawing the sword). An aspect of ninjutsu is the ability of the shinobi
, or master, to use any object as a weapon. Ninjak has a highly analytical and tactical mind, allowing him to foresee various scenarios and prepare for them. He is also a computer hacker an uses this skill to gather intelligence.
Ninjak's greatest asset is his powerful intellect. He is the smartest man in the world. He understands human psychology and is always one step ahead of his opponents. Ninjak can anticipate every possible element in a given situation and prepare a counter for it. Ninjak is also adept at learning and understanding languages, including computer languages. He can learn languages easily and can decipher computer codes and hack into the most complex computer systems.
Ninjak has trained body to the level of an Olympic decathlete. He has mastered a variety of martial arts including karate
, jeet kune do
, judo
, aikido
and several forms of kung-fu. However, his fighting style of choice is the lethal art of ninjitsu, which was used by ninja warriors of feudal Japan as assassins. Ninjak is also an expert marksman and trained in the use of the world's cutting edge weaponry. He is an expert with the sai
, bō
staff, swords and bladed projectiles.
Valiant Comics was purchased by video game company Acclaim Entertainment for $65 million. Acclaim restarted the Valiant universe under the name Acclaim comics. All the existing characters and titles were changed to better fit video games. Ninjak was the most drastically altered title. The Acclaim version of Ninjak was written by Kurt Busiek and was critically praised.
Denny begins to gain confidence in his personal life but can't seem to find the courage to tell the girl of his dreams, a clerk at the local comics store, his feelings for her. After a series of increasingly difficult battles, Denny tracks down the writer of the Ninjak software and learns the truth behind his transformation. He has inherited of the skills and drive of an ancient cadre of Ninja warriors, sworn to protect the world from twelve evil monks, now the villains of the game. Denny is caught up in a struggle for the fate of the world. By the end of the series, his ethics are tested and he learns whether he has the qualities to be a hero.
attempted to obtain the rights to Ninjak and produce a feature film of the second incarnation of the character. Anderson would have worked with his producer on Mortal Kombat, Larry Gordon. The rights holder at the time, Acclaim Entertainment, were focused on comic publishing and possible video game adaptation, therefore did not entertain a film adaptation.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
that originally appeared in eponymous books by Valiant Comics
Valiant Comics
Valiant Comics is a comic book imprint published by various publishers since its inception with Voyager Communications, Inc. in 1989, later Acclaim Comics, Inc. Its assets were purchased from the bankruptcy of the Acclaim Entertaintment by Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in 2007.-Voyager...
, and later by Acclaim Comics. Co-created by writer Mark Moretti and artist Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
, the character first appeared in Bloodshot
Bloodshot (comics)
Bloodshot is the title character of the American comic book series published by Valiant Comics.-Publication history:Bloodshot was launched in the mid 1990s on the back of a wave of popularity for the Valiant Universe. Bloodshot became an immediate hit with readers, as the first issue has sold...
#6 as Colin King and quickly gained his own series. The Ninjak series was very popular and Ninjak #1 placed number one on Wizard Magazine's Top Ten Hottest Comics of the month article in Feb of 1994. The lead character is ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
spy Ninjak, whose alter ego is British playboy Colin King. Ninjak immediately hit with readers, the first issue has sold close to 1 million copies. Ninjak has become one of the most popular Valiant characters continuing a long run and selling millions more copies to date. Ninjak comics have been translated into a number of languages including German, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian, Filipino and Chinese among others.
A second series was produced after Valiant Comics was purchased by video game company Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
in 1996
1996 in comics
-Year overall:* Malcolm Jones III commits suicide at circa age 37.* Boody Rogers, creator of Sparky Watts, dies at c. age 92-January:* January 19: Bernard Baily, co-creator of The Spectre and Hourman, dies at age 79.* January 28:...
. The second series was written by Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.-Early life:...
. In the series, a teenager is endowed with ancient ninja powers from a video game. He is able to become the game's hero, Ninjak, but finds that the twelve villains from the game have started appearing in the real world.
Synopsis
Colin King is the wealthy son of a master spyMaster Spy
Master Spy is a 1964 British spy film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Stephen Murray, June Thorburn and Alan Wheatley.-Partial cast:* Stephen Murray as Boris Turganev* June Thorburn as Leila* Alan Wheatley as Paul Skelton...
who was employed by the British Government. King was raised in the Orient but was an outcast in that society. When his father was killed by rival agent Iwatsu, King went into training, determined to continue his father's tradition and bring his killers to justice. Now a master of the secret arts of the ninja, he serves England and the world as Ninjak.
Ninjak is the enforcer of the mysterious Weaponeer organization and the world's foremost espionage expert. Ninjak uses his expertise in martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
, demolition
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
, information acquisition and others skills, a keen intellect and an ability to prepare for any outcome in a given situation. He wears a kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
-armored bodysuit that can change colour.
Further developments
Weaponeer had a worldwide network of operatives through which Ninjak distributes all types of weapons, from swords and handguns to nuclear warheads. He had the facilities and expertise to create customized weapons to the buyers specifications. These skills generated a large demand for the Weaponeer's services around the world.The agents of the Weaponeer began to be killed. When Ninjak investigated, he found that Dr. Silk was the perpetrator. Silk thought that the Weaponeer organization was too dangerous to ignore but too difficult to control, especially as Silk was about to begin his Operation Black Water. Operation Black Water was a plan to sell the secret of Black Water, the nanite-induced cold fusion
Cold fusion
Cold fusion, also called low-energy nuclear reaction , refers to the hypothesis that nuclear fusion might explain the results of a group of experiments conducted at ordinary temperatures . Both the experimental results and the hypothesis are disputed...
of hydrogen and oxygen into water, to any country prepared to pay enough. Using Black Water, a country could make its deserts fertile or turn its enemy's land into an ocean,
Through his own international terrorist organization called WEBNET, Silk virtually wiped out the Weaponeer organization - only Ninjak survived. Ninjak wrested the secret of Black Water away from Silk, destroying his concealed base and its Black Water reactor in the process.
Eventually, Ninjak joined the British Intelligence organization under Neville Alcott, who had also worked with Bloodshot
Bloodshot (comics)
Bloodshot is the title character of the American comic book series published by Valiant Comics.-Publication history:Bloodshot was launched in the mid 1990s on the back of a wave of popularity for the Valiant Universe. Bloodshot became an immediate hit with readers, as the first issue has sold...
and Eternal Warrior
Eternal Warrior
Gilad Anni-Padda aka the Eternal Warrior is the title character of a 50-issue comic book series by Valiant Comics that ran from 1992 to 1996. Eternal Warrior was relaunched with the other Valiant characters under the banner of Acclaim Comics in 1996 . Valiant Entertainment, Inc...
. Alcott had known Colin since he was a boy, Colin's father also worked for Alcott many years ago in Japan.
With the Weaponeer organization destroyed, Colin considered retiring as Ninjak but Neville Alcott convinced him to return with something he couldn't resist: his long-lost love, the woman he left behind in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Powers and abilities
Ninjak has no superhuman powers but has trained his body and is a master of ninjutsuNinjutsu
or may be:*the arts associated with espionage and assassination in feudal Japan, see Ninja*modern schools of martial arts claiming to be based in these traditions, see Modern Schools of Ninjutsu*fictional depictions, see Ninja in popular culture...
, a group of martial skills that includes jujutsu
Jujutsu
Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....
(hand to hand fighting), bōjutsu
Bojutsu
, translated from Japanese as "staff technique", is the martial art of using a staff weapon called bō which simply means "staff". Staffs are perhaps one of the earliest weapons used by humankind. They have been in use for thousands of years in Eastern Asia. Some techniques involve slashing,...
(staff fighting), and iaijutsu
Iaijutsu
, the art of drawing the Japanese sword. One of Japanese martial disciplines in education of the classical warrior .-Etymology:"Iaijutsu" was known before the Tokugawa period but it is unclear exactly when the term "iaijutsu" first came into use, or when exactly drawing the katana from its...
(drawing the sword). An aspect of ninjutsu is the ability of the shinobi
Shinobi
Shinobi is the Japanese word for male ninja. It may also refer to:*Shinobi , a series of video games**Shinobi , the original video game in the series developed by Sega**Shinobi , the PlayStation 2 sequel...
, or master, to use any object as a weapon. Ninjak has a highly analytical and tactical mind, allowing him to foresee various scenarios and prepare for them. He is also a computer hacker an uses this skill to gather intelligence.
Ninjak's greatest asset is his powerful intellect. He is the smartest man in the world. He understands human psychology and is always one step ahead of his opponents. Ninjak can anticipate every possible element in a given situation and prepare a counter for it. Ninjak is also adept at learning and understanding languages, including computer languages. He can learn languages easily and can decipher computer codes and hack into the most complex computer systems.
Ninjak has trained body to the level of an Olympic decathlete. He has mastered a variety of martial arts including karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, jeet kune do
Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by martial artist Bruce Lee with direct, non classical and straightforward movements. Due to the way his style works they believe in minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme speed. The system works on the use of...
, judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, aikido
Aikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
and several forms of kung-fu. However, his fighting style of choice is the lethal art of ninjitsu, which was used by ninja warriors of feudal Japan as assassins. Ninjak is also an expert marksman and trained in the use of the world's cutting edge weaponry. He is an expert with the sai
Sai (weapon)
The sai is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon. The basic form of the weapon is that of a pointed, dagger-shaped metal truncheon, with two curved prongs called yoku projecting from the handle...
, bō
Bo
-People:*Bo , name origin, plus people with the name*Bo , name origin, plus people with the surname**Bo , Chinese family names*Bo people , extinct minority population in Southern China famous for hanging coffins...
staff, swords and bladed projectiles.
Weaponry
- Customized Shurikens: Golden disks embossed with signature "N" symbol; function as blades and throwing stars. Star points are spring-loaded inside disk, and are easily extracted with a slight amount of pressure on disk face.
- Swords: Collapsible stainless steel blades designed to emulate weight and appearance of ancient samurai swords. Collapsed blades are easily concealed in Ninjak's vest.
- Sai: Three-point stainless steel weapons, effective in blocking and disarming opponents.
Acclaim Comics version
Synopsis
High school pupil Denny Meechum solves a complex puzzle embedded in the popular Ninjak video game and is transformed into the hero of the game. He takes great joy in his enhanced agility and skill and battles superbeings comprising The Dark Dozen, the twelve bosses from the game, now brought to life along with Ninjak.Denny begins to gain confidence in his personal life but can't seem to find the courage to tell the girl of his dreams, a clerk at the local comics store, his feelings for her. After a series of increasingly difficult battles, Denny tracks down the writer of the Ninjak software and learns the truth behind his transformation. He has inherited of the skills and drive of an ancient cadre of Ninja warriors, sworn to protect the world from twelve evil monks, now the villains of the game. Denny is caught up in a struggle for the fate of the world. By the end of the series, his ethics are tested and he learns whether he has the qualities to be a hero.
Film Adaptation
After the release of Mortal Kombat, its director Paul AndersonPaul Anderson
- Politics and public figures :* Paul Anderson , member of the Minnesota House of Representatives* Paul H. Anderson , U.S. judge* Paul Francis Anderson , U.S...
attempted to obtain the rights to Ninjak and produce a feature film of the second incarnation of the character. Anderson would have worked with his producer on Mortal Kombat, Larry Gordon. The rights holder at the time, Acclaim Entertainment, were focused on comic publishing and possible video game adaptation, therefore did not entertain a film adaptation.
External links
- Valiant Comics Fan Site
- Valiant Comics message board
- "Valiant Days, Valiant Nights - A Look Back at the Rise and Fall of Valiant, NewsaramaNewsaramaNewsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
- Ninjak at comics2film.com