Throughout the years, the Phantom has described his mission as being dedicated to “the destruction of all forms of piracy, greed, cruelty, and injustice.” That carries over into The Phantom vs. the Sky Band #1, a one-shot that puts a modern spin on the titular Sky Band, an all-female band of smugglers and pirates that threaten the Phantom’s hidden village. The Ghost Who Walks decides to take the fight to the Sky Band, systematically taking out their members one by one and finding an unlikely ally in the process.
Though this book spins out of Ray Fawkes’ ongoing Phantom run at Mad Cave, I love that it’s a standalone story. Longtime fans of the Phantom will appreciate the role that the Sky Band plays in the story, and that the Phantom hasn’t lost his touch for fighting evil. Newcomers will quickly learn why the Phantom is called “The Ghost Who Walks”, and why he’s a terrifying figure to criminals. Fawkes’ skill at scripting a story that builds on past events while standing on its own two feet is pretty impressive.
So is the bond that the Phantom forms with Sala, one of the Sky Band’s members. At first, they start out as enemies, but Sala starts to see how the Phantom isn’t just a terrifying figure of vengeance when he saves Loni, another Sky Band member, from a ghastly death. It’s a small but important moment that showcases that the Phantom cares for all life, which leads to another moment that will hit you emotionally when you least expect it.
Mad Cave
The Phantom vs. the Sky Band #1 also looks incredibly gorgeous thanks to Federico Sabbatini’s art. If you’ve seen Sabbatini’s work on Jed MacKay’s Moon Knight, Cody Ziglar’s Miles Morales: Spider-Man or the original BOOM! Studios run of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, you’ll know that he has a gift for drawing frenetic action sequences that immediately capture the eye. That’s especially true of the Phantom’s fights; a knife fight with a Sky Band member is laced with tension, while the climax features him diving through a hail of gunfire as bullets chew up the ground around him. Colorist Juancho! fills the page with bursts of red whenever the Phantom is wounded, and keeps the page saturated in royal purple hues to match his costume. That purple even bleeds into Taylor Esposito’s lettering, highlighting the Phantom’s inner thoughts as he tracks down the Sky Band.
Another thing to love about The Phantom vs. the Sky Band #1 is that it showcases Sabbatini’s art process. It’s very rare for a comic book to delve into the creative process, but I always love it when it does. It’s great to see Sabbatini’s art come to life, and it makes me hope he gets to draw even more Phantom adventures. Whether you’re a fan of The Phantom or not, The Phantom vs. the Sky Band #1 is an adrenaline-filled, swashbuckling adventure that highlights one of comics’ most iconic characters. And the ending teases that there’s more on the way!
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