Finales can make or break a story in a brand new universe, and Lands Unknown: The Skinless Man #2 has a lot riding on how it brings its brutal folklore to a close. Most comic book stories go five or six issues, but wrapping up two makes this series feel particularly tight. Ben Stenbeck picks up where he left off, continuing the Skinless Man’s bloody pursuit of the warlocks who betrayed him. The first issue leaned heavily on myth, atmosphere, and a storybook structure, but with the focus toward confrontation and payoff, there’s no doubt that even more satisfaction can be had here, right?
At its core, this is a story of a great king attempting to get a new skin from a magical baby, but ultimately, the resolution of that story, which is a story within the story after all, doesn’t matter as much as how Stenbeck is treading new ground in this vast and imaginative new universe. More importantly, this story acts as a way for more stories to spin off, and for more lore to embellish what we know of this strange new world.
Lands Unknown: The Skinless Man #2 opens with a mysterious man and his talking rabbit and wolf near a fire, while a witch tells them a tale of the skinless man. The animals add a sense of cuteness to the scene, as if they were children listening to an ancient story. She soon details where the skinless man is in the story, and the battle with a warlock who is a necromancer. That leads to a tale of another brother and their cursed powers, and yet another with a monstrous bodyguard, and finally to a jungle that is more ancient than anything we’ve seen before. The storybook’s mythic qualities are great at capturing your imagination and making you fall in love with the world.
Yikes!
Credit: Dark Horse
Somewhat cleverly, the last confrontation ends with an admission that the witch doesn’t know exactly how the tale ends. It’s a reminder that a story is but a recollection of actual events, or a muddier, not-quite-factual recollection at that. Much like Mignola’s Hellboy universe, Stenbeck is playing into the notion that it’s the act of storytelling they’re after, not necessarily the canon and world-building, adding a mystique to the tale.
This adds somewhat befuddling elements that I’m honestly still wrapping my head around. From the final panel of the bunny to a cutaway of two animals, just bones deep in the earth, speaking, I didn’t quite get every aspect of the story. And yet, I wasn’t left feeling stupid, just unclear how this new universe functions.
The art is, in a word, stupendous. Stenbeck and Dave Stewart put on a clinic of creature design, background details, and intense, action-packed moments. A montage of what the skinless man endures to reach a warlock features a bat attack on a rickety bridge, a tiger with some kind of power, arrows raining down, and the skinless man’s bodyguard riddled with fear. The storytelling is absolutely fantastic, with art at times reminding me of Richard Corbin.
Lands Unknown: The Skinless Man #2 delivers a finale that stays true to its mythic roots, even if it resists a clean or traditional resolution. Ben Stenbeck leans into the idea that stories evolve through telling, not through tidy endings, giving this issue a dreamlike, almost elusive quality. The narrative may not answer every question, but it expands the world in compelling ways while showcasing some truly stunning visual storytelling. It is a finale that prioritizes mood and mythology, leaving a lasting impression even as it keeps some of its secrets.
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