Written by Jim Zubkavich
Illustrated by Edwin Huang“SIX SHOOTER ON THE SEVEN SEAS,” Part One
Wait no longer – the third Skullkickers adventure begins! A mysterious cargo, frolicking fish, horrific monsters, food fights, strange onomatopoeia and pirates aplenty. Jump aboard!
How do you make a critically-acclaimed fantasy/action/humor book even better? Just add pirates. The wait for the next issue of “Skullkickers” is finally over, and questions are starting to be answered. Have either Zubkavich or Huang lost their touch over the break?
Find out after the cut.
One of the things that sets “Skullkickers” apart from lesser so-called humor books is how apparent it is that writer Jim Zubkavich cares about his comedy. Let’s look at the song in the middle of this issue. It isn’t necessarily the most humorous part, but you can see that Zubkavich knows what he’s doing; the song has a strong iambic rhythm that is only difficult to feel in one line, making the text sound musical in the reader’s head. For many comic writers that attempt to be funny, making a song only entails coming up with lines that are approximately the same length and that rhyme. It may seem like a minor detail, but it’s this kind of attention that separates “Skullkickers” from, say, the current volume of “Deadpool,” and that keeps the book as laugh-out-loud funny as it has been since issue one. Credit has to particularly be given to Zubkavich for taking one of the oldest jokes in the book and using it in a way that hasn’t been done before, one that fits “Skullkickers” to a T (naturally, you’ll have to find out what classic joke it is yourself).
With this issue, though, comes a very subtle shift in how everything was put together. The previous stories were not necessarily wholly insular; the first was peppered with a few moments of setup for the following arc, and both stories ended with scenes that will certainly be important later on in the series. That being said, they still stood on their own. This is only the first issue of ‘Six Shooter on the Seven Seas,’ but it is already clear that Zubkavich is trying to make the series more of a single ongoing story rather than one of interconnected but still episodic stories – unlike the first issue of ‘Five Funerals and a Bucket of Blood,’ this feels less like the next “Skullkickers” story and more like the next part of the “Skullkickers” story. It may be hard to catch, but that’s part of the point; scenes and moments that seem to only be there to further the plot are actually hinting at the wider world of “Skullkickers,” establishing a past as well as a future. The only part where Zubkavich slightly trips up is the issue’s cliffhanger, which clearly telegraphs that we will be learning more about Baldy’s past in the next issue. It isn’t necessarily a terrible way to end the comic, but it does make it absolutely clear how much the storytelling approach is changing in a way that slightly disrupts the cohesion the book has had so far.
When a new artist finally breaks into the industry and begins putting out comics on a monthly or semi-monthly basis, you tend to see one of two things happen: either that artist, no longer having the time to make sure each issue is the beautiful piece of work that the first issue was, or the pressure of deadlines makes them work even harder and grow as a comics artist. Edwin Huang falls into the latter category. There may be a few panels of art in this issue that may not be as finely detailed as his work was in earlier issues, but his storytelling has gotten even better – which is saying something, considering the accolades he received for his debut issues. Unlike other artists, the monthly format (granted, with a few breaks in between) hasn’t caused Huang to lose perspective on what makes great comic art. Likewise, colorist Misty Coats hasn’t lost her touch when it comes to one of the most defining features of the book; while the colors reflect the humorous, somewhat playful feel of the book, she doesn’t lose that gutter-level, grimy feel. “Skullkickers” is still one of the most visually readable books you will find, with a great style that is completely its own.
It may have been gone for a little while, but “Skullkickers” #13 reminds readers of what they’ve been missing. And if you haven’t been reading it, don’t worry! The first two pages recap the story so far quite adequately. “Skullkickers” is still exciting, hilarious, and engaging, and continues to blow every other humor book on the shelves out of the water.
Final Verdict: 8.7 – Welcome back, boys.
