Skybourne #1 –
Boom! Studios
Written by Frank Cho
Art by Frank Cho
Colors by Marcio Menyz
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
(Cover shown is the Frank Cho variant.)
If you love comics, Frank Cho is probably a name you know. He has drawn a lot of the characters you, and even caused quite a stir regarding one of them recently. So what happens when Frank Cho puts down the pen and picks up the keyboard? This week I dive into his creator owned series Skybourne from Boom! Studios. What has been billed as “Indiana Jones meets James Bond” certainly intrigued me, so let’s see what we have.
I will preface this by saying, it is VERY important that you read the credits page right after the cover. It introduces us to Abraham, Thomas and Grace Skybourne, who will be the major players in this story. It also explains their abilities, which will prove to be an important piece of information as the story goes forward. The focus of this first issue is more on Grace Skybourne trying to acquire something for her family. As these things often do in comics, it doesn’t go so well, and the action begins. Actually, saying action doesn’t even really begin to describe it. Some of the scenes that follow are brutal, but great. Grace does one thing in particular that was a huge WOW moment when her team drops the ball. Once we find out what she was trying to acquire, you realize just how big of a deal it is. Just when you think it’s over, another player enters the fray and another battle begins. That leads us to quite a shocking ending and a lot of questions going into Issue 2.
I know that Frank Cho has experience as a writer, but this may be his finest work. The way he writes the final scene alone, and the way it’s depicted, is top notch. To address the elephant in the room, whoever thinks Frank Cho doesn’t know how to portray strong women, needs to introduce themselves to Grace Skybourne. She is tough, she is commanding and she does not react well when she is disrespected by the men in the story. Imagine Lara Croft growing up with more edge, starting a foundation and suddenly becoming a metahuman. The art is top notch, as expected, and really lets the action sequences jump off the page. This series is a huge win for Boom! Studios, and I believe, could end up becoming one of their top titles.
RATING: PULL / BUY