Writer: Jim Zub.
Artist: Edwin Huang.
Colors: Misty Coats.
Published by Image Comics.
The previous issue of Skullkickers was building towards an exhilarating climax. Will this nautical storyline ride the wave or go down the plughole?
What does one do when facing a Cthulu squid monster trying to protect its evil mind-controlling spawn? Beat it senseless and then brave it out? The Skullkickers are at their best when things are at their most insane and this arc is a boat full of crazy.
This issue is possibly the most action-packed of any previous one and considering that Skullkickers isn’t exactly an introspective mood piece, that’s quite something. Stakes are raised massively high and to a shocking level. Sh!t got real.
As always the writing, art, colouring and lettering are pretty damn flawless and a joy to read. The pacing is just as fluid as the artwork and the plot surprisingly twisty. I generally view Skullkickers as a fun romp but this issue takes it to another level and has left me with the realisation that Baldy and Shorty are more than exceptionally violent characters and are actually guys I root for.
This is mainly down to the current arc giving us a taste of their past and seeing them in this new light is refreshing and makes them more relatable by giving them more depth. This comic was always a cut above the label “big dumb fun” but now it’s a lot more captivating, there’s a bigger story being told and the initial thinking of the rollicking adventures of two guys is quite wrong. It’s actually turning out to be quite an epic tale.
Skullkickers #17 is now quite the essential read.
Rating 9/10
