Killers #1 Jonboy Meyers cover

B. Clay Moore has written popular comics including Savage, Hawaiian Dick, Max Steel, and others. Now he introduces you to five assassins with abilities that set them apart from the competition in Valiant’s Killers. Moore shares the inside scoop on the series with Westfield’s Roger Ash.

Westfield: How is Killers friendly for new readers?

B. Clay Moore: Killers fully introduces characters that, up until now, had only been referenced lightly in the pages of Ninja-K. With that in mind, it’s a chance for new readers to climb on board at ground (almost) zero.

Ninja-E character design by AJ Jothikumar

Westfield: What’s the set up for the story?

Moore: Graduates of the “Ninja Programme” (the U.K. government program that produced Ninjak) find themselves under attack, and several of them cross paths for the first time, despite some of their careers dating back to the ’60s. Each is dealing with the loss of something, and each is working to reclaim what’s been lost. Also? These former ninjas each possess the ability to channel their “ki” into a focused power, making them, well, superninjas.

Ninja-G character design by AJ Jothikumar

Westfield: Who are the characters readers will meet?

Moore: The primary characters are each former government ninjas. The first character we meet is “Ninja-G,” who was an operative in the ’70s, and lives with her lover, a former KGB spy from the same era. G leads us to J, who still keeps tabs on the former Ninja Programme members, and possesses the ability to briefly harden his skin to a nearly invulnerable state. From there, we meet former operatives dating back to Ninja-F, a “psych op” from the psychedelic era.

Ninja-J character design by AJ Jothikumar

Westfield: The story has elements of martial arts or Hong Kong action films. Are you a fan of that genre?

Moore: Absolutely! I grew up on Saturday-afternoon viewings of old Shaw Brothers films and countless flicks about bands of superpowered ninjas kicking the hell out of each other through foreign landscapes. Likewise, I’m a fan of more modern efforts, particularly films that maintain the action-first philosophy while elevating special effects and fight scenes to new levels.

Ninja-F character design by AJ Jothikumar

Westfield: What can you say about your collaboration with artist Fernando Dagnino?

Moore: Fernando is just a fantastic talent. He can draw anything, and handles action sequences equally as well as quieter character moments. His style seems perfectly suited to the story we’re telling, and I think readers will really respond to what he’s doing here.

Ninja-I character design by AJ Jothikumar

Westfield: Any closing comments?

Moore: This is the second time I’ve been able to bring a relatively new concept into the Valiant Universe (the first being Savage), and I hope the response from Valiant fans and new readers is as enthusiastic this time around. The characters introduced in this book will definitely provide storytelling fodder well beyond this series.