Tradio #9 - Skull Kickers

Welcome back!  Sorry about the day off, but the surgery really screwed with my plans for the day.  This week, we continue with the indie love with Skull Kickers: 1000 Opas and a Dead Body by writer Jim Zub and artists Edwin Huang and Chris Stevens published by Image Comics.

Since the comic book world seems to be hung up on mainstream relaunches of characters that in many ways had started to break down under the weight of their own continuity, I wanted to continue with the indie love that I started last week with another creator owned property.  Skull Kickers tells a tale about a pair of mercenaries and their adventures that focus on earning a days wage through brawling and drinking.  The two characters, one a hulking strong man and the other a cantankerous dwarf, fight there way through this swords and sorcery tale with swords, fists, severed limbs, and guns...yes...guns.  Oddly out of place, but a nice twist all the same.  Fighting through legions of the undead and double crosses at every turn, our two protagonists inject a lot of humor into some pretty grim circumstances that harkens back to the best of the Conan works, but with a modern spin that doesn't feel tacked on, but rather very refreshing.  Zub crafts a great tale that sets up events for the series to come and the main art by Huang sets a great tone that is comical and yet visceral. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the book.  The characters are likable, the bad guys are really bad, and the action is a lot of fun.  If anything, I like some scantily clad women in my fantasy stuff...maybe that is to come.  Anyway, it is a great read and I really recommend it.  Oh...but you don't have the money to try it you say?  Well, this is another one of those give aways.  Just send me an email to paleriderofdoom@gmail.com before next Wednesday (the 21st) and I will pick someone at random to receive this trade.  Here is hoping that the US Postal Service does a better job than it did last time.  grrrrr  Anyway, thank you for reading and talk to you again soon, imaginary readers.