INTERVIEW: Assassins clash with mysterious Jonin in ‘Killers’ comic
Image courtesy of Valiant / Provided with permission.
Valiant’s new miniseries, Killers, is a five-issue tale of assassins by writer B. Clay Moore and artist Fernando Dagnino. Issue #1 was recently released.
In the comic, five assassins have the ability to channel their inner “ki,” a spiritual energy that makes them into superninjas. They learned about these tremendous gifts (curses?) from their former sensei, Jonin, who is now looking for them for mysterious reasons.
Moore is best known for Hawaiian Dick, Battle Hymn and Billy Smoke, among many other titles. Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Moore about Killers. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What was the original inspiration for creating Killers?
Killers was created very much in collaboration with editor Karl Bollers, who first approached me about making use of the relatively unexplored ninjas from the Ninja Programme, introduced conceptually in the Ninja-K series. I immediately seized on Ninja-G (now known as Blindspot) as the ‘gateway’ ninja, since she had probably been the most fully fleshed-out character in Ninja-K, complete with an established relationship we could exploit.
From there, we worked our way toward the idea of ‘super’-ninjas, utilizing unique powers as they bashed and battled their way across the globe. Karl kept the focus on trimming fat, and what I think we’ve ended up with is a fun, lean, action-fueled introduction to a pretty cool group of characters.
How would you describe the spiritual energy of ki?
I guess I’d describe it as energy lurking inside everyone, waiting to be pulled out and made manifest with the proper trigger. If one were to do a deep dive into each character’s psyche, there could be lots to examine as to why each ninja’s ki manifested itself the way it did.
What is it like working with artist Fernando Dagnino?
It’s pretty easy. Fernando is a veteran who is fully capable of handling action sequences as effectively as more character-driven moments. He’s also adept at effectively communicating particular locales, which certainly helps with this book. He’s one of those artists whose pages are always inventive and fun to see once he turns them in.
Do you envision Killers having more stories to tell beyond this five-issue miniseries?
Oh, without a doubt! These guys are set up perfectly to cause all kinds of trouble in various corners of the Valiant Universe moving forward, or in their own future series. One of the great things about the ‘reborn’ Valiant Universe is how many elements have been introduced that can be utilized with a variety of characters in a variety of stories. I see what we’ve introduced in Killers working in much the same way.
Have you always been a fan of ninjas?
Of course! Aside from watching the usual collection of cheesy, dubbed ninja movies growing up, my first real exposure to them in comics was through Frank Miller’s work, which was stuffed full of ninja action, usually with unique twists added. While my favorite ‘classic’ period films from Japan tend to lean more on ronin or samurai, there was always a healthy smattering of ninjas in the mix. It’s been fun putting another spin on the genre.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Killers #1, written by B. Clay Moore, is now available from Valiant. Click here for more information.
