Skullkickers #17
Story by Jim Zubkavich
Art By Edwin Huang & Misty Coats
Cover By Saejin Oh
Image Comics
Release Date: August 29, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

By the fifth issue of a Skullkickers story arch, typically, you should be knee deep in blood and guts. This most recent Skullkickers story arch however, has been relatively tame, or at least as tame as this comic can be. It’s not that there hasn’t been a fair share of violence and mayhem. It’s just that no one has been stabbed in the eye, disemboweled, or blown up in some sort of sorcery/dynamite related explosion. Violence plays a big role in Skullkickers and not seeing it run rampant through every page and panel is strange. That’s not to say that this hasn’t been a fantastic run of Skullkickers. These last four issues leading up to Skullkickers #17 have introduced readers to deeper three-dimensional characters and a more realized fantasy world.

Skullkickers #17 can be reviewed easily in a sentence or two. This issue is a satisfying end to a fantastic storyline full of all the action and crude behavior expected from this comic. However, to judge this comic 100% accurately you really have to take a step back and view this story arch as a whole. It’s not easy to take a comic that has been traditionally known for being bat shit crazy-violent and slow that action down to a crawl. It was needed though, Skullkickers main protagonists have been kicking and bashing for 17 issues now and while that is fine and well, at some point we need to get under a character’s skin. Luckily, this story arch and issue #17 have really done a terrific job of fleshing out everyone’s favorite skullkickers.

Per usual, artists Edwin Huang and Misty Coats bring their A-game in the art department. The art of this comic especially shines as Huang is allowed to stretch his artist legs with a great ocean setting — giant monsters and all. The past few issues of Skullkickers have taken place solely onboard a pirate ship. While the setting was necessary, it didn’t allow for too many dynamic backgrounds. Now that things are falling apart in the Skullkickers universe, as they tend to do, the landscape is really opening up for some really beautifully illustrated panels.

Here is some advice about Skullkickers: read it. Hands down there are few comics on shelves right now that match Skullkickers in terms of pure unfiltered insanity. This is why comics are made and why we love reading them so much. So, go out and buy this comic, read it and get ready to have your eyes melt right out of their sockets.