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| Cover A: Harvey Tolibao & Kevin Tolibao |
Escape From Skull Island #3 Review
Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Christopher Jones
Colorist: Charlie Kirchoff
Letterer: Andworld Design
Editor: Louis Yamani
Designer: Dan Bura
Cover Artists: Harvey Tolibao & Kevin Tolibao; Christopher Jones; Fred Pham Chuong
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: April 15, 2025
Charlie provoked Kong into fighting a Kraken. Kong may have prevailed. But while Kaia’s tribe tended to the Titan’s injuries and treated the infection raging through him, Yuggoth rose to usurp Kong's dominion. When Kong returned to health, Charlie and the others forced Yuggoth to retreat. But when Charlie's dad, Cap, and Sam depart to discover what the mercenary Druid is up to, the monsters from Yuggoth’s domain start to reappear.
Annie isn’t a native of Skull Island. But she has lived long enough on the neighboring island to see how Yuggoth threatens to disturb the balance of life on the surface. When she heads to Kong's temple with a plan, Yuggoth’s creatures frustrate her efforts. Like Charlie, her plan may have succeeded. Still, someone pays the price for Annie's victory. What has Charlie’s dad learned about Druid’s plans? And will Yuggoth find another way to threaten Skull Island? Let's grab our weapons, leap into Escape From Skull Island #3, and see!
Story
They don’t have a body to bury. Still, they made a grave marker for Irene. But that’s not good enough for Annie. While she fought her mother tooth and nail, Annie refuses to let Irene’s death go unavenged. So, she leaves to find another way to prevent Yuggoth from returning to Skull Island.
Charlie arrived on Skull Island as a reluctant visitor. He didn’t care if he endangered Kong’s life. Nor did he realize how Kong protected the inhabitants from dangerous plants and even more aggressive monsters. When her king lay injured and helpless, Charlie told Kaia that he wasn’t sorry for his actions. But in Escape From Skull Island #3, Charlie assures Kaia that he stands by the island's protector. And despite missing out on college, Charlie realizes he's starting to feel as comfortable with their back-to-basics lifestyle as Annie did on the neighboring island.
The stakes are high in Simon Furman’s story. While Yuggoth still seeks to return to the surface, one of the people Irene hired plans to exploit both islands. Once his people complete the bridge between the islands, Druid hopes to lure rich thrillseekers to hunt the ferocious beasts. But Kaia’s tribe sought refuge on Annie’s island when Yuggoth and his monsters invaded Skull Island. Once Druid completes the bridge, Yuggoth’s monsters can easily attack Kaia’s tribe in Escape From Skull Island #3.
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| Cover B: Christopher Jones |
Art
Annie knows these islands can be deadly. Still, seeing the wooden cross protruding from the rubble knocks her for six. Yet when Charlie reaches for her, she snarls. Despite Kaia's claim that Charlie and Annie have strange courtship rituals, Annie stalks away and climbs atop Dog. As the maned creature trots away, Mike embraces Charlie instead. As they stand on the patio of Kong's Temple, rubble nestles against the broken edges of the stone platform. In the interior courtyard, Kong pauses amid the plants and statues when a stream of light transfixes him.
As Christopher Jones crafts engaging characters and spectacular settings, Charlie Kirchoff applies rich colors to the drama and action in Escape From Skull Island #3. The vivid greens imbue the islands with a tropical feel, while the surrounding sea and sky fill panels with a range of blues. The gray stones, boulders, and rubble link the majestic temple of the island's protector with the mercenaries endangering his island. And as Charlie vows to stand with Kong, Mike's red shirt and Kaia's red cloak link them as his greatest supporters.
Andworld Design fills white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes with black uppercase letters. As yellow block letters locate us in time and space, Kong’s roars enlarge the letters and deform balloons. Sound effects accompany a surreptitious mission and a battle for survival as smoke and lightning emerge from the Hollow Earth. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.
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| Cover C: Fred Pham Chuong |
Final Thoughts
There's a little bit of everything on Skull Island, but not always where you expect it. As Annie seeks a way to complete her mother's mission of destroying Yuggoth, and Cap and Sam try to escape Druid’s clutches, Charlie makes a surprising discovery in Escape From Skull Island #3.
Rating 9.6/10
For what happened last time, see my review of Escape From Skull Island #2.
For how this series started, see my preview of Escape From Skull Island #1.
For how the previous series started, see my review of Return To Skull Island #1.
