The Pull List – Ninjak #12
After his infiltrating of Pripyat, Ninjak is ready to strike at Dying One base. Guarding the Dying One are his robotic cyborgs and the town villagers that have pledge loyal to the Dying One after he had cured their sickness. With some support from Livewire, NInjak is able to navigate through the ruined city but finds more trouble as Dying One has gained more control of the Eternal Warrior’s body and fighting abilities. Now Ninjak must face off against his respective friend in order to reclaim the body of Gilad.
Issue twelve begins with a conflicted Ninjak trying to figure out how to handle his trust with Livewire and his duty to MI6. He initially agreed to take this mission to save Gilad if he brings Livewire in for her crimes against America. But he tries to keep her hidden and relied on her support to help his mission. Misdirection and betrayal are the tricks of his spy trade, but this mission hits Colin at a very personal level. There are not too many allies Colin King respectively highly, and now he must trade one’s life for the other.
The highlight of this issue is the beautiful use of shadows by Robert de la Torre and Jose Villarrubia. Ninjak blends very naturally with his ninja gear and the use of light and dark tones brings out the action in the fight scenes. Gilad the Eternal Warrior is usually a calm and patient fighter but with the Dying One behind the scenes, there’s a look of madness and bloodlust in his eyes now. Ninjak’s conflicts only grow as his time to make a decision about Livewire counts down and his fight against the Dying One ramps up.