Ninjak #4 Spotlight: Penciling & Inking Part 2

 

Ninjak #4 Cover A by Fernando Dagnino

Ninjak #4 can readily be divided into three sections. The first, the short intro, takes place aboard the Kingmaker and Syphon's ship. The second section takes place in Barcelona, Spain. The final, and by far the longest portion, takes place in Hawaii. 

Penciler & Inker Beni Lobel does a good job of following Javier Pulido's style when he takes over the action in Spain. Still, there are a few early clues, such as the interior of the limosine Ninjak is following. Yet when Beni portrays this man's fright, the stylistic differences become clear.

While keeping the characters and settings low-key, in accordance with Javier Pulido's work, Beni reveals more of his individuality once the action moves to Hawaii. Ninjak's face starts to reflect the difficult life path he's taken. His emotional and physical maturity is readily apparent.

I'm also struck by how much more detail Beni Lobel builds into Ninjak's surroundings, such as the ground cover and the bushes.

 

While Javier's penciling and inking style was uniquely his own, Beni Lobel's more detailed and traditional style seems closer to the art in the long-running Modesty Blaise comic. Valiant Comics senior editor Lysa Hawkins has frequently referenced the British heroine as an inspiration behind this new Ninjak series.

Beni Lobel's work on Ninjak #4 is so good and so fun. My immediate thoughts were, "Yeah, right on, Beni! I'm ready to see where you can take this new series!" 

Sadly for Ninjak fans, Beni Lobel's contributions (for now) seem to be limited to this issue. Although Valiant has announced that the series is taking a break, they have promised Ninjak and Myna will continue the fight against the nefarious Daylight organization. When Ninjak #5 arrives, Eisner Award-winning artist Mike Norton will have taken over the penciling and inking duties.

Even though his time on the series proved all-too short, Beni Lobel impresses in Ninjak #4. I look forward to seeing his return to Valiant, and more of his detailed and nuanced penciling and inking.

Dragon Dave