Filed under: Exquisite Reviews | Tags: Alasdair Stuart, Edwin Huang, Jim Zub, Kusia, Ludwig Olimba, Marshall Dillon, Misty Coats, Rex, Ross A. Campbell, Thool
Story by Jim Zub
Pencils by Edwin Huang
Colours by Misty Coats & Ross A. Campbell
Colour Flatting by Ludwig Olimba
Letters by Marshall Dillon
£2.50
So the issue numbering thing first off. Skullkickers has been around for a while and a little while ago started a running joke. Each issue would be an issue 1, with a slightly different name each time. The end result of this has been a never ending stream of creatively parodic titles and a noticeable increase in orders.
That last is particularly good news because Skullkickers deserves much more success. This story, ‘Eighty Eyes on an Evil Island’ follows heroes Rex and Kusia as they battle across a danger-filled island to defeat an Elder evil called Thool. Thool is an old employer of Rex’s, Rex is a bruiser who wants to deal with that particular part of his past and Kusia is an Elvish assassin with a talking ruby-coloured cutlass. Oh and there’s a dwarf, who’s sort-of dead and a tribe of 800-pound gorillas who Rex has successfully joined and traps and huge bugs and…
This is a really fun book. Not just because it’s delightfully pulpy either. Every single page is crammed full of joy not just a the story but at the story being a comic. There’s a narrator, a technique I’ve not seen used since the last but one Heroes for Hire do over, who’s as excited at the plot as the characters and a map of the island a few pages in crammed full of cheerfully snarky notes. A Bloodthirsty Rain Weevil attack is annotated with a factoid about the creatures and a gag about their different spelling of the word ‘SKREEEEE!’ and the sound effects are charmingly literal. ‘Thunderclap’, ‘Ridiculous Torrential Downpour’ and ‘Reveal’ all get used to wonderful effect and they’re just one of the narrative tricks on display here. This is the only book I’ve ever seen that could discuss how being in a comic means you can hear everyone in the middle of a pitched battle, or use alliteration to show the passage of time. An overly polite verbose death trap is another highlight, as is a clean freak Goo Elemental who views the characters as ‘sweaty, filthy bags of meat and blood!’. Page after page, the book finds new ways to tell a fast paced, exciting story at the same time as gleefully refusing to take itself seriously.
That exuberance is wrapped up in the entire creative team’s work. Edwin Huang’s work has the same brawny energy as Ed Mcguiness’ but with far more dynamism whilst the inks by Huang & Kevin Raganit help define and ground both the art and the script. Misty Coats’ colour work is also hugely impressive, giving the island a vibrant, vivid feel without ever seeming garish. Finally, Marshall Dillon turns in the best lettering I’ve seen in years, not only matching the energy of the rest of the book but landing joke after joke with incredible ease and precision.
Skullkickers is the most fun I’ve had reading fantasy in ages. It’s completely enthusiastic, cheerfully silly and constant, relentless fun. This may be the fourth part of a story but it’s so accessible and so entertaining, it’s led to me going back and picking up the previous issues. I suspect you’ll do the same. And hey, if it helps, think of it as an 800 pound gorilla made entirely out of fun. You wouldn’t want to say no to that, would you?
Alasdair Stuart
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