Review – Skybourne #3 (of 5) (BOOM! Studios)

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Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer/Art: Frank Cho
Colours: Marcio Menyz
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Release Date: 18th January, 2016

What do Merlin, a post-coital priest, dragons, a secretive paramilitary organisation, a two headed training lizard and an inept hero all have in common? Yep you guessed it, they’re all in this wonderfully warped comic.

Frank Cho does what any good creator should do with the third issue of a five issue limited series, and that’s allow the reader to – if they squint their eyes enough – see something of the bigger picture being woven in the tapestry. Cho does this really confidently here with his well realised dialogue and his always exceptional pencil work.

It was also quite refreshing that when the focus was on the antagonist, Cho used no dialogue. Of course there were some dialogue boxes used to give us a smattering of information as our hero Thomas told us more about the villain himself, but Merlin never spoke in this issue. For me this was a particularly good way to imbue the character with a steely determination to see his task complete. It serves as a pleasant departure from issue one where Merlin was quite relaxed in his use of “wench” to describe Thomas’s sister Grace Skybourne right before he plunged Excalibur into her chest. I’m also trying to figure out if I would be particularly chatty if my only companions were a horde (Cho’s word, not mine, I’ve read Anne McCaffrey, I would have said flight) of dragons.

Cho has imbued this book with an impressive sense of momentum, just as he did with issues one and two, and it’s easy to tell that he’s not exactly new to this comic creating malarkey. This level of accomplished pacing isn’t easily achieved, after all. This is a cleverly crafted comic book, packed with comedy, pathos and impressive concepts, even if his Taggart is a little Alfred Pennyworth and His General Morger is a smidge Thunderbolt Ross.

Rating: 4.5/5.

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