Skullkickers #17 Review

Continuing its trend of hilarious takes on fantasy tropes and lore, Skullkickers #17 ends a successful 3rd story arc for the series.

The official description from Image:

“SIX SHOOTER ON THE SEVEN SEAS,” Conclusion
Somebody DIES! Or, everyone DIES! There’s lots of DYING! Oh man, it’s some kind of DEATH-fest goin’ around. It’s all epic and brutal and a major character DIES so you better order a ho-jillion copies. No, seriously, someone DIES. Big DEADING in the house. Also: The end of our incredible third story arc. Sweet.

Yes, someone dies. Yet that’s a very small part of Skullkickers #17. As always, this title is just outright funny. Whether its the narration or the dialogue itself, there is an intelligent sense of humor at work behind the scenes of Skullkickers. Key moments in this issue include the interaction with the giant squid itself. Whereas any other fantasy title would play this deadly serious, Skullkickers is all about deadpan comedy and slapstick – which is awesome.

But this isn’t all about jokes, either. There’s an actual plot at work, and regular readers are well rewarded with Skullkickers #17. Whether its the death of a character or the development of the current ones, the actual narrative itself is sustainable without all the jokes and humor; but it is the funny take that makes it so refreshing.

As always, the artwork is great. This is the style of artwork I associate the most with Skullkickers. The bright and vibrant style makes it very appealing, with crisp lines that make for good definition. Some might not like the lack of shading or realism, yet this approach suits the title perfectly for me. Like the rest of the title, the artwork is lighthearted, never taking itself too seriously. Entertaining the reader seems to be the biggest priority here, and that’s never a bad thing. There are, after all, entire pages in this issue with no dialogue or narration, so the artwork has to live up to its standards.

In summary, this is an excellent issue of Skullkickers. Its also a great starting point for new reader’s too, since the next release sees a new arc in full swing.