The New York-based Blackbox Comics turns five this year and celebrates in two ways.
The publisher is releasing a new series called Ninja Kaidan, and we’ve previews from that in this post, but it’s also worth noting that the indie publisher is joining Diamond Comics’ Final Order Cutoff program (aka FOC).
FOC lets comic book shops adjust their orders without penalty and close to the final publication day. Big publishers often connect their PR pushes with FOC dates or add new covers and discounts.
Speaking of dates, Ninja Kaidan will debut in July, and it’s a ninja versus ghost story.
Writer Eric Palicki (Black’s Myth, Atlantis Wasn’t Built for Tourists) said;
This is absolutely the most bonkers script I’ve ever written. It leans into the traditions of comics and action movies of the 1990s, formative material in my evolution as a storyteller.”
Joining Palicki are the artist Lucas Meyer, colourist Michael Bartolo and letterer Dezi Sienty.
The ninja in question is Yuki Snow, and the official synopsis describes their adventure;
Not even a lifetime of martial arts training and years of military service can prepare Yuki for his latest, and perhaps greatest, challenge when he inherits Yokai Consolidated, his estranged father’s company. Yuki quickly becomes fascinated by his father’s pet project, the miraculous Kaidan armor, which allows its wearer to see, hear, and even touch ghosts! As he struggles to unravel the mystery of the armor and its purpose, Yuki finds himself facing foes, living and dead, who will stop at nothing to take it for themselves
However, Palicki notes another angle to the story;
This is a story about ninjas versus ghosts, but it’s also the story of a son stepping out from under his father’s shadow.”
Ninja Kaidan preview
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