Ninja High School Highly recommended

Publisher
Antarctic Press
Writer
Robby Bevard
Artist
Ben Dunn
Country of origin
US
Year
2007

Ninja High School #149 to #150

By David Rasmussen
29th Jul 07

Ninja High School. It’s been around and around for about 20 years.

Not quite 25th Anniversary, not Bob Barker Retirement 35th Anniversary and not Star Trek 40th Anniversary but a big date nevertheless. So, with now 4 years to go before the Silver Anniversary of Ninja High School (which should be in 2011, one year after I projected we’d see the end of the Harry Potter movie franchise with the 2010 release of Deathly Hallows… and PS3 owners feeling a brand new level of hatred for Sony when said company suddenly releases a PS4 onto the scene) let’s look at the landmark 150th issue of Ninja High School… and what came before.

It all started, in this case, months ago.

When a previously unknown ninja clan suddenly came back out of it’s long absence and threatened everything. Teams of young ninjas were put together to combat this threat, and in the end they won… now they’re just pulling themselves back together after that major event and recovering.

During this time Tetsuo Rivalsan, he who would be “Man destined to be Ninja King” (wasn’t that a gimmick we last heard in The Lion King?) found himself having to reflect on his own worth after a rather bad defeat during the chaos that was the war against the Shidoshi. That’s when female ninja and teammate Nanashi tried to admit her feelings for him… and, being the jerk he was, he totally dumped on her (and she was in the hospital totally recovering from her injuries to boot).

No “Spotlight” hospital sex scene for you, loser.

He then went and fired Sora (his other female teammate) who went and shacked up with new NHS star Ricky Feeple (and his partner Suzume Satsujin). That’s when it became like old lovers’ week at the Feeple household as his long absent girlfriend Heidi (aka Tomorrow Girl) returned from space looking for furry Tribble knockoffs only to experience a My Neighbor Totoro moment.

Sora, for some odd reason, wants to make this mix of female power actually work because… well… it seems their “victory” against the Shidoshi? Well… actually it’s more like a lull as it seems to Shidoshi has just withdrawn from the field of battle, hovering in the shadows waiting to respark the conflict once again when they all least expect it.

But since we’re talking mending here let’s get Sora, Heidi and Suzume to take a trip to the hospital and try to cheer Nanashi up now that she’s getting out today in an all Girl’s Night out thing… only, well, maybe somebody should have checked with the “victim” of this good will effort BEFORE doing it!

This was NHS #148, just so you know.

Let’s see… dressing up for a night out? Check.

Eating at the local Ninja Burger… Ninja Burger? Are you kidding me? Uh… check?

Bringing paintguns and running around shooting each other (only without the whole being naked and giggling thing that I heard “happens” here and there with paintguns and naked strangely accomidating females)… check.

Get all your emotions about certain people (males) out in the open while blindly plugging away at each other at point blank range with paintball guns? Check.

Fighting an army of robotic Ricky clones? Check…

Now we’re in NHS #149. Briefly.

It’s going to be a long long fight to “resolve” this, lots of action and abit of drama before the resolution… and by resolve I mean the entity behind all this is going to get away only to realize he… I guess it’s a he… actually found something worth living for after 400 years of life. Oh, sure, maybe he can get a fashion sense that doesn’t look borrowed from… I don’t know, Final Fantasy, Star Wars, whatever, while he’s at it… and decides he’s going to school. Yes. That school.

Oh, and it looks like he wasn’t the only one with a life affirming change as it looks the would be “Ninja King” may also find a change of direction from this whole issue. Maybe.

Now it’s NHS #150, the milestone issue.

If you are on a subscription to Gold Digger you might have got a copy of this.

If you are on a subscription to Ninja High School I do hope you got this.

With it’s wraparound cover we see tales from Robby Bevard drawn by lots of different creators.

Ben Dunn is here, as well as Rod Espinosa (DinoWars), David Hutchinson (Final Girl), Fred Perry (you know, that guy who does Gold Digger), and Joe Wight.

We have a tale of Asrial with that guy who I think keeps scarring Svetlana Chmakova‘s characters by showing up for that convention in Dramacon without shaving his legs… or wearing underwear… or both.

We have a Mayor tale… what?!? Arnie became the MAYOR? You kidding me… no? Damn.

Guess what kind of story THIS is! Go on, guess!

Tale of Anna and the King… looks like she mugged Cinderella for her dress.

Tale of Kitsune and the Geek (guest starring the resident Sorceress Sup… I mean Witch Won… oh, it’s you know who)… as spellcraft goes out of control and brings forth an urge to open a kissing booth at some fair somewhere and earn money… or just kissing in general. Sorry, no lesbian kissing.

Tale of the Assassin… oh look! A hot female in a strangely familiar outfit… oh, and there’s a panda too.

Tales of the Former Crossdressers… did they use to work for Baldazzini before he went insane and created the spiteful title Bayba?

Oh, and the return of a certain landmark wraps up this crossover.

I don’t know. Something about it burning down and being off the series for awhile.

I totally don’t know who could have done that though.

And if I had to testify in court that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

OK. Breakdown.

After the wrap-up of a short interesting story arc (which seems to bring in some new drama into the title) we see this nice smathering of mini-stories bringing back old friends and new ones as the series prepares for it’s next 50 issues (and next 4 years 2 months publishing).

The artwork all around is solid as always from Mr. Dunn and all it’s guest artists.

Mr. Bevard is on top of his game once again.

And the title is, as always, one of the titles on my must recommend for your collection.

No disappointments from me… well… that doesn’t count as a disappointment but let’s not think about it.

Overall this turning point signals the beginning (and probable pace) of the next couple of years, and it looks like we are starting off on the right foot. Good job.

Ninja High School #149 to #150 gets 5 tales to remember out of 5.

Ninja High School © & ™ Ben Dunn

-- David Rasmussen 29th Jul 07