Skull Kickers #1

To be completely honest, I don’t know what to really think of Skull Kickers. When I first opened the issue the first impression I got was that it was going to be awesome, due to the fact that on the first page there was a man fighting a bloody battle against a werewolf. As I continued to read, my original opinion became more and more skewed.

The art that is used for the book looks like art that I would see used for a cartoon that was slated for Cartoon Network and would be watched by kids across the U.S, it does not look like the art you would expect to see in a book called Skull Kickers. I could totally understand if the artist is trying to have more of a cartoon feel to it, there is nothing wrong with the art style and it is a great way to attract more children to a book. The thing with Skull Kickers is that the artist uses a good amount of blood in the book. The title, plus this little tidbit would deter any responsible parent from purchasing this book for their kid.

Now for the writing, I feel as though the writing had the same problem, it could not decide which age group the series was being marketed for.

The story line that is being used for this first story arc is actually pretty well thought out, the way it flows is great, and it will probably have a good resolution. My big problem is that the book is full of lame, childish, and all around crappy jokes. I knew that after I read the first bad joke the whole book would be filled with them and I was absolutely correct.

Even after writing this review and going over the book one more time, I still cannot decide what I think about it. I really did enjoy the story, and I am a fan of cartoonish art styles, but the fact that the creators could not pick an age group for the book is where they lost this battle. I am not trying to say that comics have to have a distinct age group, I am saying that there should not be this large of a gap. The story and violence content, along with it’s title makes it so any age group could enjoy this book, but once the childish/bad jokes are factored in, plus the art style it makes it so kids more around the age of 10 would favor the book.

Overall, Skill Kickers was really middle of the road. Its negatives did not overwhelm its positives, but there was nothing really special about this book. I would say that if you enjoy a more cartoony art style, then definitely check the book out, and if the writing and story has more of a profound effect on your comic tastes then this book would also be good for you. If neither of this stuff sounds appealing, and you really hate corny jokes, steer clear.

5.5 out of 10