Skullkickers is a fantasy themed dark comedy and action epic by Jim Zub about two not very bright monster killers for hire, and it’s a lot smarter and far more subversive than it looks. It oozes blood and testosterone, but I don’t think the main story ever gets to the point of bad taste. In between major chapters there are short Skullkicker “Tavern Tales” by other artists and writers, and a number of them fell flat with me. But the main canon definitely makes up for that.
I imagine this is what would happen if Beavis and Butt-Head decided to play Dungeons and Dragons. Zub has a very droll writing style that doesn’t take anything especially seriously, in the same way Mike Judge does on occasion. As moronic as the titular duo are, the comic doesn’t exactly glorify their stupidity.
When the story begins, the two leads are initially only known by their nicknames- Baldy, a Vin Diesel lookalike with twin pistols, and his axe wielding dwarf partner Shorty. Their botched attempt to rescue the body of an assassinated noblemen from a necromancer somehow results in them saving the town of Mudwich from a giant undead monster. Sadly, their hero’s reception in their capital city of Urbia is cut short when an elf named Kusia (and her band of fairies) frames them after murdering a number of politicians.
Kusia’s eventual goal is to punish humanity and bring the world back under control of its version of mother nature, but eventually she finds herself reluctantly partnering with the dopey mercenaries as their real names, backgrounds and presumed destinies gradually come to light. The tone is nevertheless strictly tongue in cheek throughout the story, even as the universe gradually expands and a more serious plot emerges.
Zub pokes fun at the plot, his own characters and various other fantasy clichés as the narrator, and the banter between much of the cast is funny and witty without resorting to breaking the fourth wall. Most of the comedy is rooted in the inherent humor of the situations as opposed to just random gags, and the mythos of the comic’s universe is structured to where everything just flows well.
The Skullkickers are generally all about money and fighting, so most of their heroics tend to be happy accidents, but they approach their job with a sort of impish glee that makes them a lot of fun. Shorty is arguably the dumber of the two given the number of times Baldy has to rescue him, though given how reckless Baldy is that’s not saying a lot. They’re quite good at their job, but the story throws enough obstacles and shocking revelations their way to keep things interesting.
Their chemistry isn’t pushed on the reader with mushy moments, and while I’m usually a sucker for that kind of stuff, I think the lack of that big, profound scene actually works here because it would take away from the loose and snarky vibe.
The art by Edwin Huang is vibrant and dynamic, with some creative designs and an interesting style that’s pretty expressive. In spite of many characters being drawn with small dots for eyes, some of their reactions make for the biggest laughs. The action scenes are impressive from the first page onward, and they gradually get more ambitious as the plot progresses. In fact, some of the splash panels are so nice I dare say they could work as covers.
Your opinions may vary on the short stories, but the original Skullkickers is a very funny comic with high quality artwork, an interesting plot and a fairly fresh take on the usual fantasy tropes, so I’m looking forward to its conclusion. Click here to go smash some heads in.