Ninja High School (also known as NHS) is a comic book series created, written, and illustrated by Ben Dunn, published by Antarctic Press (at one point being published by Eternity Comics). On occasion other artists and writers have contributed to the series, including Katie Bair, Fred Perry, Robby Bevard, Carlos Castro, and Fabian Doles.

NHS takes place in a suburban town known as Quagmire, located "somewhere in the Midwest". The series originally centered on the misadventures of Jeremy Feeple, a 16-year-old boy attending Quagmire High School; an alien princess named Asrial from a planet called Salusia; and a young female ninja named Ichi-kun Ichihonei, from Japan. As the series progressed, more backstory was given to the main characters, and a large cast was created. Most of the cast are manga archetypes of varying degrees.

NHS started out as a limited series that mainly parodied famous anime and manga conventions. In 1988, Eternity Comics collected the miniseries, along with a new part four, into a "graphic novel" in preparation for the ongoing series. The ongoing series began bi-monthly with issue #5 in June 1988, running a total of 35 issues until issue #39 in August 1993. During the period Eternity was publishing the title, the company published several NHS limited series and spin-offs, including a Ninja High School: Special Edition (re-releasing the original mini-series with new art, reprinting "part four" of the graphic novel as issue #3.5, and reprinting issue #4), Ninja High School in Color (1992–1993), and a two-issue intercompany crossover with NOW Comics' Speed Racer in 1993. When Eternity shut down, Antarctic Press took over publication of NHS starting with an issue #0 in May 1994. Resuming the numbering with issue #40, Antarctic published 137 issues, ending with issue #175 in August 2009. Story continuity was "reset" three times, between issues #57 and #58, issues #74 and #75, and issues #129 and #130.

During this period, NHS crossed over with its fellow Antarctic Press title, Gold Digger; Antarctic has since published many associated one-shots and limited series.

:* softcover (Antarctic Press, 2020-12-02)

:* digital (Antarctic Press, 2020-12-03)

  • Ninja High School: V.2 Edition 1/Ninja High School No. 1

:* Antarctic Press digital (2014-03-08)

  • Ninja High School: V.2 Edition 2/Ninja High School

:* Antarctic Press digital (2014-03-09)

In other media

At one point the rights to the comic book series were optioned by Perfect Circle Productions with the intention of it being developed into a feature film. The comic book was also adapted into a role-playing game by Battlefield Press.

Reception

The work has been described as one of the first non-Japanese manga-like works, and an important work in the resurgence of children and young adult comic books in the West.

References

  • NHS at Antarctic Press