Ninjak #2 Spotlight: Coloring

 

Ninjak #2 Pre-Order Cover by David Lopez

Once again, Valiant Comics has served up a stunning Pre-Order cover that captures the heart of what this issue is about. Here we see Ninjak and junior Mi-6 agent Myna on the run, ready for the next attack that awaits them. Meanwhile, overlooking them is the brother from the brother-and-sister psiot team who read MI-6 manager Neville Alcott's mind in Ninjak #1. 

Remember, it was these psiots who shared the identities of MI-6 secret agents with the world. Their disclosure of Neville's closely guarded secrets painted a target on Ninjak and Myna's backs.

Great job on a fantastic cover, David Lopez!

In this introductory panel, we see the flying bounty hunter condemning Ninjak and Myna to death. Only Ninjak and Myna have a normal skin color. The bounty hunter's skin looks a little too yellow to me, as if she's glowing with the electricity she channels.

Also, the sky is beige or the color of a Caucasian who, like this reviewer, doesn't get out in the sun all that much.

This 3-part title panel has a black background. Even Ninjak seems somewhat obscured by darkness. The flying bounty hunter is suddenly all teal green, like the G on her belt buckle. The bright white of the titles and the lightning emphasize that this story is about casting light on secrets intended to be locked away in the dark.

Here we see our growling bounty hunter in silhouette. As artist and letterer Javier Pulido uses color so thematically, I wonder if he's signaling the dubious morality of the missions MI-6 has often sent its agents out on. There are reasons why Ninjak left the MI-6 program, after all. 

Not only is the bounty hunter painted black, but Ninjak and Myna are both wearing black. Is Pulido signaling that all three individuals are tarred by their professions?

Notice that Myna is also wearing teal pants. All three bounty hunters sport teal on their outfits. Could Javier Pulido be suggesting some sort of link between her and her attackers?

Here the immensely strong, metal-skinned bounty hunter holds up the train car. The train car is colored with red stripes. Red typically signals some sort of accident or emergency.

I can't help but notice the sky is a yellow-brown. Well, the flying bounty hunter's skin is yellow-brown. She does kind of own the sky in this issue.

Here's another shot of the growling bounty hunter. You'll notice that despite his purple skin, he's also wearing the teal green that unites the three team members. In a coloring sense, I'm most intrigued by why Javier Pulido left the background white here. 

He certainly doesn't leave a background white in many panels. Perhaps it had something to do with the overall composition of this page?

 

 

Next, the metal-skinned teal-colored bounty hunter slams down the train and hurls it away. Notice how the teal he wears overtakes not only the sky, but also the train? Even the red stripes on the train are obscured by the power he exerts.

The teal sky in the next panel intrigues me, as the flying bounty hunter is attacking Ninjak. Usually the sky is yellow-brown, like the flying bounty hunter's skin. Does this suggest the metal-skinned giant has, at least momentarily, overwhelmed the mood of the characters by his display of strength? 

Or does the teal sky, when the flying bounty hunter attacks him with a stream of hail, indicate how cold it makes Ninjak feel?

Okay, one last picture, and then we're done. I promise.

Below, in the left-hand panel, we see the sky yellow-brown, colored just like the flying bounty hunter. Then we see teal sky in the adjacent panel. In the first panel, she's in her domain. In the second, she's sending another attack his way. The energy she's summoning is so intense that it's white, and consequently devoid of color. Yet at the center of her palm, the energy she summons has colored her skin a light teal.

Does the teal and sky color in the latter panel go with her words, that you can't fight nature? Well, a natural sky is blue. At least, it is when there's no wildfires burning nearby, or volcanoes filling the sky with gases and ash, or a flying bounty hunter shooting lighting and hail at our heroes.

In Ninjak #2, Javier Pulido gives us much to think about in his usage of color. But then, that's the power of employing a limited color palette, especially when dealing with secret agents, bounty hunters, and ninjas.

Dragon Dave