Karl Bollers on Valiant’s Newest Group of Assassins in ‘Killers’!

For years, Ninjak has been the resident ninja in the Valiant Universe. Operating either in the shadows or occasionally teaming up with other heroes to save the world. But recently we’ve seen that Ninjak’s world has been expanding as others from the Ninja Programme have been introduced and secrets are being exposed!

With Killers, Valiant is going even deeper into the world that helped shape one of their most dangerous characters and to get a better understanding we spoke with their Senior Editor, Karl Bollers, about the action packed series coming your way!

Comic Attack: Many comic readers see the title of “Editor” but aren’t familiar with the role you have in bringing us these stories. So can you introduce yourself and give us a glimpse of what your role entails?

Karl Bollers: Hi, I’m Karl Bollers, Valiant Entertainment’s resident Senior Editor. When Ninja-K wrapped last year, we decided that although we wanted to give Ninjak a respite, it would be intriguing to explore and build out his corner of the Valiant Universe somewhat. But what would it look like? And how could we make it hook new readers who had never read an issue of Ninja-K or Ninjak (its previous incarnation)? Would it feature established characters or brand new ones? What was the overall goal of the comic besides producing a quality work of entertainment? And who would be the creative team that would best execute that vision? My role was, and still is, to basically answer all of those questions.

CA: What is Killers about and what readers can expect from this series?

KB: Five former superninjas, who once worked for a clandestine branch of MI6 over several decades, are forced out of retirement when they are each attacked by mysterious mercenaries. It kicks them all back into full-on bloodletting-mode as they go on the offensive against their kill-crazy assailants. But the plot really heats up when the Jonin, the mysterious seemingly ageless sensei who trained each of them during different decades, offers them their greatest desires if they can retrieve a prized artifact for him. It sets them on a competition where they’re trying to defend themselves against unyielding assassins while trying to simultaneously off each other.

Readers can expect a new take on ninjas. Although Ninjas E, F, G, I and J have all of the martial arts skills associated with that ancient fighting form, they also present more. During their training with the Jonin, he taught each of them to unlock their ki–the spiritual energy that flows through all living things–to grant them each a unique super powered ability. We blended more traditional ninja tropes with the most bombastic elements of American superhero comics.

CA: Right out the gate in Killers #1 there are several tropes turned directly on their heads. Was this a purposeful direction or an organic outcome from the story’s development?

KB: Much of it was purposeful direction. At the planning stages, we realized there was a real challenge in presenting ninjas in a comic book to a modern audience in an interesting way. Even back in the 1980s, during the height of the ninja craze, it was something that always worked better in live action than on the comic book page. Faceless ninjas wearing one color or another doing this or that. Yawn. So how could we take the ninja trope and make it more interesting? Turn it completely upside down? That’s how we ended up with a bulletproof ninja with a distinguished sense of fashion and a penchant for the color red. We went for wild, fun and colorful over a necessarily grounded tale.

CA: You have a fantastic team with B. Clay Moore & Fernando Dagnino so what drew you to these particular storytellers for Killers?

KB: Of all the pitches I received for this type of series, Clay’s was the one that wanted to explore the former agents of MI6’s Ninja Programme, whom we caught brief glimpses of in the Ninja-K series. I always found those characters to be ripe for the creation of new and exciting stories, which is exactly what we’re doing here. Colorist Jose Villarrubia showed the Valiant staff pages from Fernando’s creator-owned series last October after New York Comic Con and I instantly knew he was the artist for Killers. No question. It was manifest.

CA: Who do we thank for Ninja-G? Because I can count on one hand how many Black kunoichi (female ninja) are at the forefront in a story like this.

KB: Well, thank G creator Christos Gage who debuted her in the pages of Ninja-K last year, character designer Khari Evans, and also thanks to the Valiant fans who have been asking for her return ever since she teamed up with Ninjak in that story. To my knowledge, there’s never been an American comic featuring a kunoichi of African descent so thanks to Valiant for introducing one!

CA: Out of the new assassins from the Ninja Programme we’ll be meeting, do you have one that’s become a personal favorite?

KB: I really love them all in their own unique way, and though Ninja-G is the one whose story I’m most invested in throughout, Ninja-E is the coolest and the slickest hands down (though J is a close second). His character went through the most changes during the creation of the series and, because we were so far ahead on the schedule we had the time to make adjustments to him and the story to play up how cool and enigmatic he is.

CA: Bruce Lee said, “When one has no style, he can fit any style.”. This seems to encapsulate Valiant perfectly because you guys don’t seem to have a definitive “House Style”. Does this make for a more freeing way in who gets chosen to tell the stories and is it a formula you’d like to see continue while you’re at Valiant?

KB: Who are we to argue with a legend? Especially when he’s one hundred percent right? It’s really about finding the proper story and the proper team to tell it. Style comes from authenticity. If you’re willing to work hard to tell the best story possible, that will determine the style. Inauthenticity, trying to be everything for everyone, usually results in a bland product that ends up satisfying no one in particular. There is no one story that’s going to appeal to every single comic book reader. That’s why we’re trying to produce a varied slate of material to satisfy a more diverse readership. The formula I’d like to see continue while at Valiant is to produce smart, fun, and entertaining comics that can captivate and grow an audience who are dying for that kind of material.

CA: We’d like to thank Karl for taking the time to talk about Killers and you can check out the preview below and pick up the first issue this week when it hits comic shops!