Skullkickers Vol. 3

Skullkickers Vol. 3: Six Shooter on the Seven Seas

By Jim Zub, Edwin Huang and Misty Coats

3 ½ out of 5 Covers

Note: Image shown is not the actual cover of the volume.  This is a variant cover to issue #15 created to avoid any spoilers.  I find the discrepancy between a title like Skullkickers and a cute kitten amusing.

 

Skullkickers is a wonderful comic book series about a dwarf and a big guy (I don’t think they even got names until this volume) who work as mercenaries in a medieval fantasy setting.  After the excellent Vol. 2, the duo find themselves on the high seas aboard an all-female pirate ship.  Being at sea also means an encounter with a monster that the big guy has sworn to kill.  The reason why also involves explaining why several mysteries about the bug guy: why does he have a golden six-shooter in a medieval  world?  Where does he get the bullets?  And why does he have to draw his eyebrows on?

The answers add dramatic heft to what has been an action-comedy.  Unfortunately, the story of the big guys past and what is happening in the present aboard the pirate ship don’t meld well.  The pirates themselves get particularly short shrift, never developing into full fledged characters despite the individually unique designs. 

What the creators do accomplish is a deft balance of telling a complete story in one volume that also develops the continuing storyline.  And the ending offers several potential changes to the status quo.

 
While this volume it not as well developed as the previous two, it’s still an enjoyable ride.