Ninja High School #37
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeNinja High School #37 holds a permanent place in American independent comics history as the debut appearance of Shanna Masters — the character Ben Dunn would develop into Sister Shannon Masters, the Warrior Nun Areala, who would anchor her own long-running Antarctic Press franchise and eventually inspire a two-season Netflix live-action series. The issue also introduces Father Sebastian David Crowe, a Magic Priest, and Lillith the Demon Princess, effectively planting the theological and supernatural mythology that would define the Warrior Nun universe. For a black-and-white manga-influenced indie from the tail end of the Eternity/Malibu run, its downstream cultural footprint is outsized: a franchise spanning decades, multiple spin-off titles, animated pilot attempts, and a streaming television adaptation. It stands as a rare example of a throwaway secondary-character cameo in a parody comedy series quietly seeding one of independent comics' most durable concepts.
In "Fragile Innocence," Lendo and Mimi venture into Hell to save Jeremy's soul, where Mimi is ensnared by demons and forced to confront haunting memories of her past. Meanwhile, Professor Azland grapples with the mystery of Mita Celande’s fading presence in the present. Written and illustrated by Ben Dunn, with cover art by Dunn himself, this 1993 Malibu issue blends supernatural tension with emotional depth.
In "Fragile Innocence," Lendo and Mimi venture into Hell on a desperate mission to save Jeremy’s soul, where Mimi is ensnared by demons that force her to confront painful memories from her past. Meanwhile, Professor Azland grapples with the mystery of Mita Celande’s fading presence in the present, unraveling the threads of a reality unraveling around them.
In "By Steam with Love," Phrank seeks guidance at Ichi's "Ninja Counsel" booth, wrestling with his feelings for Mikey. Ichi, ever the sage, draws on the storied legacy of gay samurai to gently encourage Phrank to embrace his heart.
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By March 1993, Ninja High School was a well-established Eternity Comics title — Eternity being the Malibu Comics imprint that had been publishing the series as an ongoing since issue #5 in 1988, after originally licensing it from Ben Dunn's Antarctic Press. Issue #37 arrived near the close of this Eternity/Malibu chapter: the indicia publisher is Eternity Comics, with Dan Danko as editor, and the issue is part of the 'Shades of Grey' story arc running through the series' final Eternity issues (#36–#39). Dunn's Warrior Nun concept was reportedly influenced by the martial-arts pursuits of the nuns of Fraternité Notre-Dame as well as his own formative years at a Catholic Marianist high school in San Antonio, making Shanna Masters' quiet debut in a Hell-rescue comedy plot a somewhat incongruous origin for what would grow into a theologically-charged superhero mythos. After issue #39 in August 1993, Malibu retired the Eternity imprint and the NHS title returned to Antarctic Press, where it continued well past issue #160.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Shanna Masters, identified by creator Ben Dunn as the proto-form of Shannon Masters — the character who becomes Warrior Nun Areala — making this the earliest comics debut of the entire Warrior Nun franchise.
- First appearance of Father Sebastian David Crowe, a Magic Priest, who is a foundational character type in the Order of the Cruciform Sword mythology later central to the Warrior Nun Areala series.
- First appearance of Lillith the Demon Princess, established in-story as the sister of Stanley, a recurring NHS character.
- Story title is 'Fragile Innocence'; the main plot follows Rivalsan Lendo and Mimi Masters descending into Hell to rescue Jeremy Feeple's soul, with Mimi captured by demons and forced to relive childhood traumas.
- Published under the Eternity Comics imprint (a Malibu Comics subsidiary) in March 1993, cover art and primary creative work by series creator Ben Dunn; this was one of the final issues before the title returned to Antarctic Press after issue #39.
- The issue is a black-and-white publication, consistent with the entire Eternity/Malibu run of the series.
- The content of this issue was later reprinted in at least four collected editions: The Collected Ninja High School #11 – 'Shades of Grey' (Antarctic Press, December 1996), Ninja High School Textbook #2 (Antarctic Press, November 2002), Ninja High School Classic #4 (Eidalon, February 2005), and Ninja High School Pocket Manga #8 (Antarctic Press, March 2006).
- The Warrior Nun Areala franchise that originated with this issue's Shanna Masters debut expanded to include multiple mini-series, spin-offs (Warrior Nun Dei, Shotgun Mary, Warrior Nun Lazarus), two Netflix seasons (2020–2022), and an in-development film trilogy.
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↩ Reprints Newsweet: The Interested Boys Magazine [English Edition] #[nn] (1992)
Reprinted in The Collected Ninja High School #11 (1996), Ninja High School Textbook #2 (2002), Ninja High School Classic #4 (2005), Ninja High School Pocket Manga #8 (2006)
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