Skullkickers #10 – PREVIEW

Skullkickers #10 PREVIEW

Story by: Jim Zubkavich
Art By: Misty Coats & Edwin Huang

‘FIVE FUNERALS AND A BUCKET OF BLOOD,’ Part Four This issue has it all: A cover, printed pages, comic panels in sequential order and staples! You heard that right – staples! Okay, now that we’re past that stuff – Does anyone read this info? Do you? Let us know at http://www.skullkickers.com. PS: We now have more issues than Battle Chasers.

 

Skullkickers #8 – PREVIEW

SKULLKICKERS #8
story JIM ZUB
art EDWIN HUANG and MISTY COATS
cover CHRIS STEVENS

“FIVE FUNERALS and A BUCKET OF BLOOD” Part Two

Weaponless, weary and wanted by the law! The Skullkickers’ heroic reputation has flip-flopped in a whirlwind of faerie magic and bloody bodies. Who’s responsible and how bad are they gonna get thumped by everyone’s favorite monster mashers?

SkullKickers Vol 1: 1000 Opas and a Dead Body -Graphic Novel Review

Written by Jim Zub, Line art by Edwin Haung, Colors by Misty Coats, and Art by Chris Stevens

Story: The Dwarf and the Big Guy go around kicking the ass of anything that gets in their way…or just seems convenient to kick.

The Good: First of all, if you are a fan of comics and graphic novels and did not immediately think “I need to read that,” when you saw the title Skullkickers, then really, what’s the point of even trying? But at the same time, with a name like Skullkickers, the creative team needs to really bring the awesome.  So, do they? Do they? Well, Jim Zub definitely does. The script is lively and absolutely hilarious. The Dwarf and the Big Guy (they have no names) are extremely fun characters, working of the classic loose cannon and stoic pair up. And if there was any confusion, the Dwarf is the loose cannon. Now loose cannons are always fun to write and they get the most notice from the audience, but the stoic ones are much more challenging. The bigger the loose cannon, the more grounded the other character needs to be, and it can be challenging to create this dynamic if you create something as crazy the Dwarf. But the Big Guy is the perfect balance. Never too crazy, always calm even when things get really…really…really crazy. In fact, there were times when the Dwarf was present that I would have preferred the Big Guy…and yet never a time when the Big Guy was being featured where I was wondering what the Dwarf was up to. As fun as the Dwarf is, the Big Guy is more compelling.

Our heroes aside, there is also something very characteristic to Skullkickers that must be addressed. The “Imminent Violence” and “Sneaky-Sneak” that adorns the pages. Literarlly. Imagine if POW! or BAMM! or KRRRACCKKAAACOOOM! was used for silent moments. So, we get sound effects for Corose Stench and Stride! Stride! The other purpose these serve, aside from telling us silent action, is to—well, tell us action. Sure, we can see the Dwarf kicking a skull…but it’s must funnier to “Skull Kick” in big orange letters accompanying the action.

The Perfectly Decent: Okay…so, while I was reading, I really enjoyed the art. Edwin Huang’s style and Misty Coats colors seemed perfect for Zub’s script. But then I got to the bonus stories that originally appeared in the popgun anthology with art by Chris Stevens. Stevens has a much more realistic style than Huang, and with the absurdity of the stories Zub tells, you would think that it wouldn’t mesh well. That might have been true with any other genre (I just read a preview for an upcoming graphic novel called Massively Effective that uses a style more similar to Huang’s and worked wonderfully).  But with the fantasy setting, the more realistic approach evokes the classic fantasy feel  while the humor contradicts it—a similar match to the Dwarf and the Big Guy. Again, nothing wrong with Huang and Coats, but I would have loved to see what Stevens could have done with the material.

Also…$9.99! Damn do I love Image. They really know how to hook people in. I can’t wait for volume 2.

Grade: B+

-Roman Colombo

Skullkickers #7 – Advance Review

by Jim Zub (writer), Edwin Huang (artist), Misty Coats (colorist), and Marshall Dillon (letterer)

The Story:  At their own celebratory dinner, our two adventurers find themselves framed for a bloodbath they didn’t commit.

The Review:  It’s been a while since I’ve read Skullkickers.  I picked up the first issue and found myself disappointed, and moved on to other books.  With this being the first issue of the second arc, I figured I’d give it another go.

One thing that certainly hasn’t changed since issue 1 is the art.  Wow, wow, wow is this comic pretty.  Between Edwin Huang’s big-budget comedy anime feel and Misty Coats’ bright, vibrant colors, this is a book that’s larger than life and absolutely brimming with energy.  While still looking like a cartoon, it’s work that’s really detailed, full of character, and really polished.  The world Huang and Coats create is immediately likable.  This is a world that’s so full of life with a cast of characters that all look adorable.  It’s the sort of comic that has art that makes you really, really want to like it.

What makes this issue better than the last time I read it, however, is Jim Zub’s writing.  I won’t necessarily say that it’s improved, only that he hits  more of the right notes this time.  Skullkickers is just the kind of book.  It’s a comic that launches a never-ending stream of jokes and, as is usually the case in situations like that, not every joke is going to be a hit.  This month, his hit percentage is significantly higher than when I last read the book.   His jokes hit the mark far more often than they fall flat.  There are still a few that felt forced or didn’t hit the mark, but overall, this was a book that left me smiling more often that not.

Part of this is because Zub goes for natural avenues of humor that suit this comic well.  For instance, putting the two adventurers into a royal court situation leads to the sort of “fish out of water” comedy that is a natural fit for this comic and it’s rough and tough characters.  Seeing the dwarf’s attempt at polite dinner conversation, for instance, is hilarious.  Other jokes succeed as well, for instance, the running disparaging of the unfortunately named town of Mudwich.

Skullkickers #6 – Review

“The Blood Curse of the Amazombies” by Chris Sims (story), Joe Vriens (art), Marshall Dillon (letters); “The Sklaag” by Brian Clevinger (story), Jim Zub (art), Marshall Dillion (letters); “The Temple of Blrch” by Ray Fawkes (story), Scott Hepburn (art), Ian Herring (colors), Marshall Dillon (letters); “The Cleavin’ Part” by Adam Warren (story), Jeff Cruz (art), Marshall Dillon (letters)

The Story: Rather than one individual story, this issue is made up of four short ones. “The Blood Curse of the Amazombies” deals with a man under attack by the titular creatures (and our heroes’ efforts to rid him of the curse), “The Sklaag” is a classic ‘fish story’ (of a sort), “The Temple of Blech” is a nasty little piece of work about our heroes’ attempt to destroy a zombie cult (although it’s nasty for none of the reasons you’d expect), and “The Cleavin’ Part” is an oddly cartoony and beautifully drawn confrontation with a handful of soldiers.

What’s Good: First and foremost, congratulations to Skullkickers for six on-schedule issues! Although I really don’t feel that the little disclaimer inside the front cover was necessary, it IS a refreshing bit of honesty. Besides, the issue itself is excellent, and its placement between two story lines means there’s no real interruption in plot or storytelling. The amount of talent put together between these two covers is impressive indeed, and reading each creative team’s take on our two nameless heroes is an absolute blast.

the four stories presented here don’t play off each other or floe particularly well, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing–it turns the issue into a kind of grab bag, hopping from one story and creative team to the next, with the nameless heroes acting as the only common thread. Looking at the pages of wildly different but uniformly excellent artwork is a real treat. The whole feeling of the issue is one of a mini-annual, which is a fantastic vibe to get, and makes me hope that other series’ may follow this example and try something similar.

Quick-Hit Reviews: Week of Jan. 26, 2011

Got-dang! There were a lot of comics that came out last week!  Even with all the reviewers at WCBR burning the midnight oil, it’s not always possible to get a full review up on everything when Marvel decides to release all of their Avengers and X-books in one week.  Sheesh!  But, still, we endure….

Uncanny X-Men #532 – We begin the handoff of Uncanny from Matt Fraction to Kieron Gillen.  Fraction had his high moments with the Utopia and Second Coming events, but the rest of his run was pretty uneven and this issue illustrates a lot of the problems that I have.  There are three story lines in this issue, but none feel very important.  First you have Emma, Fantomex & Kitty Pryde fighting with Sebastian Shaw.  I’m very unclear on what this story is supposed to do.  It isn’t interesting and if they just wanted Shaw back in circulation (which is a good idea), there surely are more entertaining ways to do it than this.  Two, we have Lobe and the Sublime Corp who have engineered mutant pills so that regular joes can gain mutant powers.  That just isn’t interesting or threatening and it has a lot of the pseudo-science that Fraction likes to use, but doesn’t pull off very well.  It’s very much what happens when someone who doesn’t know science tries to write something that is very hip about current science topics.  Three we have this Collective Man story that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.  Unclear why this title can’t copy the formula that makes Uncanny X-Force so kick ass.  And Greg Land’s art is just bad.  I don’t mind his art the first few times I see it, but he’s been on this title for a while and we know his tricks now.  Marvel would be best served to just rotate him around their titles.  Grade: D — Dean Stell

2nd Opinon: There’s a clever idea to be found in the character of Lobe, but I’m not sure that it’s being used to it’s full potential.  A character who genuinely doesn’t hate mutants but merely wants to exploit an untapped natural resource is a nice change of pace, but the entire melodramatic quarantine gambit and the cookie-cutter personalities of his wannabe X-Men are somewhat sabotaging a story with lots of potential.  Throw in the obvious space-filler of the Collective Man sub-plot and the going-on-way-too-long side-plot concerning Emma Frost’s mission to disappear Sebastian Shaw (I’mnotgoingtopickontheGregLandartI’mnotgoingtopickontheGregLandart…) and I unfortunately found myself with a strong urge to go reread this week’s issue of Uncanny X-Force. Grade: C- — Joe Lopez

Ultimate Spider-Man #152 – Bendis continues his great second wind on this title this month as we simultaneously discover just what Black Cat was doing during his battle with Mysterio many months ago and , in the present day, watch as Iron Man nearly outs Peter’s secret identity to all of Forest Hills, Queens.  There are plenty of standout moments in this issue, ranging from Aunt May’s reaction to Stark’s entrance gaff to the “Amazing Friends'” reunion with the just-returned Gwen Stacy.  Peter’s conversation with Gwen was particularly touching and felt honest and real in a way that most complicated relationships in fiction fail at.  While I do have to admit to being slightly annoyed that after three months of teasing, we still haven’t seen any actual super-hero schooling, Bendis hits the rest of the notes wonderfully and has gotten me one more invested in this comic’s cast.  Extra kudos have to go to penciller Sara Pichelli whose work here has improved greatly.  I’m not sure if it’s just a matter of her having become comfortable with the characters and their world, but this felt like an issue of Ultimate Spider-Man in a way that is usually reserved for one produced by a more regular artist.  Great stuff.  Grade: A — Joe Lopez

Thunderbolts #152 – This has been a superstar of a title over the last year.  Jeff Parker always keeps the title clicking along at a swift pace.  No drawn out, overly long 6 issue story arcs from Parker.  Here the action builds on a storyline that has been in Hulk (also by Parker) having to do with some mega-monsters that are escaping from a MODOK island and wreaking havoc on Japan.  I love how the Tbolts are all such a neat team, yet you never know when one of them might turn on the others.  Great action in this one as they fight the mega-monsters and deal with a new threat form Hyperion.  Kev Walker’s art is really tight too and perfect for this book with lots of oversized, hulking characters. Grade: B+ — Dean Stell

Secret Avengers #9 – While the kung-fu pulp element is dialed way down this month, this issue is solid if only because it’s one where the Secret Avengers live up to their namesake.  It’s shadowy superhero covert ops stuff with Steve Rogers and John Steele dueling one another.  In other words, it’s a pretty good time.  There’s even a superhero trade that almost seems like a spy-swap of sorts.  More than that though, Rogers looks particularly clever this month and truly feels like the leader of a covert squad.  If anything, the superspy tone makes for an Avengers book that has its own clear identity and, in some ways, it’s own little corner of the Marvel Universe.  It’s a unique read with solid writing and solid art.  The only thing wrong with it is that I’m finding John Steele a bit bland in concept and appearance as a bad guy.  There’s really just not that much to the guy, and certainly not much at all that we haven’t seen before.  Max Fury is far more compelling.  Grade: B — Alex Evans

Skullkickers #1 – Review

By: Jim Zubkavich (writer), Chris Stevens & Edwin Huang (pencils), Edwin Hang (inks), Misty Coats (colors) & Marshall Dillon (letters)

The Story: A pair of mercenaries finds adventure in a swords-n-shields tale.

What’s Good: This book has gotten a lot of hype and was selling for several times face value on eBay before it even hit comic shops on Wednesday.  Hype around a comic is usually a good thing because it plays into the periodic nature of comic books and creates anticipation for the reader.  But, hype can be problematic if the book fails to deliver.

Skullkickers is (so far) a very solid offering featuring two nameless mercenaries (a dwarf & human) set in a medieval setting.  There is lots to enjoy as the brash dwarf charges into battle yelling in typical dwarf-speak while his more calculating partner lays back a bit.  And, that is pretty much the set-up for this first issue as only the vaguest suggestions of the bigger story are revealed.

The issue also had a mystery: why does one of the mercenaries (hint: not the dwarf) have a pistol in a medieval setting?  Is he “out of time” somehow?  Is this setting more steam-punk than it would seem?

The art is solid: characters are recognizable, nice linework, etc.  There is no “ooooohhhhh, ahhhhhhh” moment for the art, but it effectively tells the story.  It is also a very respectable effort considering that the art team seems to be fairly new to comics.