Skinbreaker #1 is a comic that’s been years in the making, according to co-creators Robert Kirkman and David Finch. Reading through it, you’ll be able to see why: this is a comic that’s not only rich in visual detail, but also packs an emotional heft. It’s a lot for any comic, or any creative team, to balance, yet Skinbreaker#1 handles this juggling act with ease while immersing the reader deep into a fantasy realm. Inhabiting this realm is a race of orc-like creatures whose chieftain Enor wields a mystical blade known as the Skinbreaker.
Enor is beginning to age, and soon other members of his tribe will be able to challenge him for leadership, not to mention possession of the Skinbreaker. Another member of the tribe, Anok, is urged by Enor to issue a challenge for leadership. Anok can’t bring himself to do it, but other forces soon drive him to make an impossible decision, not to mention his own son is an outcast within the tribe.
The major draw for Skinbreaker #1 is seeing Kirkman and Finch working together. Both of them have established their mark on the comics world; Kirkman’s crafted epic sagas, including Invincible, The Walking Dead, and the Energon Universe, while Finch has put his artistic stamp on blockbuster titles like New Avengers and Batman. In Skinbreaker, the two take their craft to the next level.
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Kirkman opts to use minimal dialogue, but when the characters speak, you slowly learn more about what drives them and where they stand in this world. Enor knows that his time in the world is near its end, and wants to go out at the hands of someone he trusts. Anok is reluctant to grant Enor’s wish, mainly because he looks on his chieftain like a father. A tender scene with his son also shows that Anok has a big heart, immediately putting him at odds with the harsher edges of his society. Kirkman is best known for stories that feature shock value, but Skinbreaker #1 shows that he can still hit readers in their emotions.
Finch’s artwork crafts an entire realm from the ground up, to the point where your eyes will be drinking in every detail. A forest is full of twisting, towering trees whose bark looks like stone. Strange creatures, who look like a cross between a wild boar and a piranha, stalk in the shadows while sporting jet black eyes and rows full of razor sharp teeth. But the biggest draw are the orcs. They vary in shape and size – Enor is wiry and slow, hinting at his advanced age, while Anok possesses a modest build – and their faces are extremely expressive. In the space of one page, Finch draws Anok’s face shifting from determined to indecisive when Enor makes a request, and that one moment speaks volumes.
Topping things off is Annalisa Leoni, who brings her amazing mix of vibrant colors to the world of Skinbreaker. Whether it’s a shining golden landscape, the various shades of tan for each Orc, or the glowing pink crystal that is the Skinbreaker’s blade, Leoni approaches this comic with the same unbridled energy that she’s bringing to Invincible Universe: Battle Beast.
Skinbreaker #1 is both a visually rich and emotionally charged slice of fantasy, uniting two legendary comic creators to deliver some of the best work of their careers. Kirkman and Finch may have taken a while to get this comic out on the stands, but it’s clear they’re crafting a comic that can stand with the likes of Saga and Die.
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