Comic book series
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. Rumiko Takahashi's "Urusei Yatsura" appears to be the main influence, although the title "Ninja High School" was commonly used in the 1980s to refer to Fujihiko Hosono's series "Sasuga no Sarutobi", which was actually about a high school for ninja students. Later story arcs became more serious, delving into murder, drugs, and other more mature subjects. 
After its initial four-issue run, the comic was popular enough to become a full series, currently totaling over 160 issues (as well as two limited series, "Ninja High School V2" and "Quagmire USA" and the color limited series "The Prom Formula"). There were also two-issue furry parodies, "Furry Ninja High School" and "Furry Ninja High School Strikes Back". Fan-contributed editions of the series include the "Ninja High School Yearbook" and "Ninja High School Swimsuit Edition".
While not reaching great heights in critical or financial success, "Ninja High School" is one of few successful, long running manga-styled comics produced in America.
Publication history.
"Ninja High School" was initially published as a three issue miniseries by Dunn's own Antarctic Press in 1987, followed by an issue #4 in January 1988 described on the cover as "Now a regular series!" 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.
Issue #74 (publication date April 2000) of the original series completed the Jeremy storylines, and in 1999–2000, Antarctic published a twelve-issue "NHS" Volume 2, focusing on Jeremy's younger brother, Ricky. Set four years after "Ninja High School" #74, Volume 2 reset continuity so that "Ninja High School" #1-74 took place in 1989, not 1986. NHS Volume 2, therefore (as well as all issues of NHS after issue #75+) took place in the 1990s.
From issue #101 to #126, the comic was written and drawn by Katie Bair (with assists from Robby Bevard), had a title change (shortened) to just ""NHS"", returned to black and white, and the setting changes to Hawaii. The only major character who carried over from the previous cast was Yumei Katana. This run was later collected into individual volumes under the new title, "Ninja High School: Hawaii".
From #127 to #129, the comic was cooperatively developed by Fred Perry and Ben Dunn to transition from the Hawaii storyline back to the Quagmire location. The focus returned to the Volume 2 cast.
In #130, Ricky Feeple returns to the spotlight, in what, after the events of the second "Quagmire US" miniseries, may or may not be an alternate timeline. From here the version was dubbed "Shidoshi" by Antarctic Press to separate it from the original series. The "Shidoshi" series ran eight issues, and a new version of "NHS" was planned focusing on a new batch of characters.
Plot.
The story centers on Jeremy Feeple, an ordinary student at Quagmire High, living an ordinary life. Shortly into the story, a beautiful female ninja named Itchy Koo (real name Ichikun Ichinohei) and an alien princess named Asrial appear. The earlier stories focus on the girls' comedic attempts to marry this seemingly plain, ordinary high school boy.
The series plot started rather simply: Princess Asrial was sent to Earth to find Jeremy Feeple and marry him, an act that was described as required to ensure that their enemies do not lay claim to the planet. Since Earth was a non-aligned world, anyone could claim it, and the Salusians were desperate to keep it from being used against them. Ichi went to America to marry Jeremy as well, although her reasons for the trip were different, in order to become leader of her clan, her grandfather informed her that she had to marry the boy, the reason behind this is that Jeremy's mother was raised by this grandfather, and they wanted to be blood related.
Shortly after landing, Asrial, Ichi, and Jeremy Feeple get caught up in a whirlwind of comic mischief, fighting, and plots by local villains to take over the planet. The comic often features parody versions of other comics or television shows, usually Japanese, but occasionally European or American, such as "Kamen Rider", "Power Rangers", "Ultraman", "Harry Potter", "Superman", "The Powerpuff Girls", "Terminator", "RoboCop", "Ninja Gaiden", "Transformers", "Fist of the North Star", and the "Gundam" series.
Later the series does a time skip and focus on Jeremy's little brother, Ricky Feeple (who was mostly a minor character in the first series), as he enters high school himself, gaining new friends and soon coming into conflict with a rival ninja clan known as Shidoshi who set their sights on destroying him. While the comic still retained its comedic tones, it also ventured into darker territory and has a bit more drama thrown in than the original "NHS".
*softcover (ISBN 0-93065526-5/978-0-93065526-6, 2014-12-02)
*digital (Antarctic Press/Cosplay Comics, 2015-08-03)
*softcover by Antarctic Press (ISBN 0-96635887-2/978-0-96635887-2, 2003-02-23)
*Reunion Edition softcover by Antarctic Press (ISBN 0-93065546-X/978-0-93065546-4, 2016-06-29)
*digital by Antarctic Press/Cosplay Comics
*digital (2015-08-03)
*digital (Antarctic Press/Cosplay Comics, 2015-08-04)
*Antarctic Press softcover (ISBN 0-97680431-X/978-0-97680431-4, 2006-03-28)
*Antarctic Press softcover (ISBN 0-97764243-7/978-0-97764243-4, 2006-11-21)
*Antarctic Press softcover (ISBN 0-97877250-4/978-0-97877250-5, 2007-06-19)
*Antarctic Press softcover (ISBN 0-97877257-1/978-0-97877257-4, 2007-09-11)
*Antarctic Press softcover (ISBN 0-97927231-9/978-0-97927231-8, 2007-11-06)
*softcover (Antarctic Press, 2020-12-02)
*digital (Antarctic Press, 2020-12-03)
*Antarctic Press digital (2014-03-08)
*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.
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