Bloodshot #6
Bloodshot #6 (July 1993) holds a firm place in Valiant Comics history as the first appearance of Colin King — the man who would become Ninjak, one of the publisher's most enduring and popular characters. The issue introduced King in his civilian identity while Bloodshot navigated the world of MI-6 espionage, establishing an immediate narrative and thematic link between the two characters that would thread through the Valiant Universe for decades. Crucially, this single issue served as a deliberate audience warm-up for Ninjak's own title, which launched just four months later and went on to become the first Valiant comic ever to hit the number-one sales position across all three major distributors. The creative choice to seed Ninjak across Bloodshot before giving him his own book was a defining example of early-1990s Valiant's calculated shared-universe storytelling, distinguishing the publisher from the competition.
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The issue was written by series regular Kevin VanHook, penciled by Don Perlin and inked by John Dixon, with Jade Moede on colors and lettering — the tight creative unit that had been driving the Bloodshot monthly from its debut. Mark Moretti served as series editor and Bob Layton as editor-in-chief; Moretti would himself go on to co-write Ninjak's solo series alongside artist Joe Quesada, making his editorial stewardship of this issue part of a direct creative pipeline from debut to launch. The character of Colin King / Ninjak is credited across multiple sources as a creation of Moretti and Quesada, with Bleeding Cool and CBR also citing Bob Layton in the character's origination — a point of mild source variation, though all agree on Moretti and Quesada as the primary creative architects of the Ninjak persona. The issue's story, titled 'Death at 10,000 Feet!', pivots Bloodshot's narrative from its earlier American underworld arc into an international espionage setting as he begins working under Neville Alcott's MI-6-adjacent organization, providing the organizational context into which Colin King could be naturally inserted.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First appearance of Colin King (Ninjak's civilian identity), published July 1993 by Valiant Comics.
- Written by Kevin VanHook; pencils by Don Perlin; inks by John Dixon; colors and letters by Jade Moede; edited by Mark Moretti; editor-in-chief Bob Layton.
- Ninjak's full costumed identity does not appear until the following issue, Bloodshot #7 — making #6 the civilian/cameo debut and #7 the first full costumed appearance.
- Ninjak (Colin King) was created by writer Mark Moretti and artist Joe Quesada; multiple sources also credit Bob Layton in the character's creation.
- The issue also marks the first appearance of the Weaponeer organization, Henri Montblanc, and villains Cinder and Glyder.
- The story arc was a deliberate editorial lead-in to Ninjak's own self-titled series, which launched in November 1993 (cover-dated February 1994) and became the first Valiant publication to reach number one in nationwide sales.
- Bloodshot #6 was reprinted as part of multiple collected editions, including the 2019 Bloodshot Classic Omnibus Volume 1 (hardcover), the 2021 digital Bloodshot: The Blood of Heroes collection, and the Ninjak: The Complete Classic Omnibus.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Valiant Masters Bloodshot #1 (2012)
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