Valiant; $4.99

Ninjak and Roku have a complicated history. Roku trained Ninjak at MI6 and they were lovers. Then she was nearly killed, saved by dark magic, and now she’s an assassin, while Ninjak left the agency to be a freelance hero. Roku has been protecting Marybeth, a girl with a cybernetic implant in her neck that gives her access to any and all electronic data. Desired and feared for her ability, Marybeth has been kidnapped, and now the former allies who have tried to kill each other multiple times, must work together.

Their contentious partnership takes them to the Jonin, a former Ninja Program trainer, who has amassed wealth and power in a criminal empire. If dealing with that unsavory character wasn’t enough, Ninjak must trust Roku in a way that will leave him vulnerable to attack.

Writer A.J. Ampadu is exploring the messy relationship between Ninjak and Roku by confronting their past and insecurities while they reluctantly work together to find Marybeth. Artist Diego Giribaldi, and colorist Lautard Ftuli express the emotion on their faces and through their body language. Their awesome fighting skills take a backseat in this issue, but that’s not a bad thing since readers get more meat on the story through the tense and complicated alliance.

-Amanda Sheriff