Return To Skull Island #1 Review

 

Writer: Simon Furman

Artist: Christopher Jones

Colorist: Charlie Kirchoff

Letterer: Andworld Design

Editor: Louis Yamani

Designer: Dan Bura

Cover Artists: Inhyuk Lee & Chris Jones

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 9, 2025

 

Charlie was supposed to go to college. Instead, he helped his father pursue his dreams. Now, the natives hold Charlie at spearpoint. While Kong battles a Kraken, the islanders bind his wrists and ankles and drag him along the ground. Charlie tries talking with them, but if they understand him, they don't answer. When they reach their village, the warriors toss Charlie at their chieftain’s feet. How did Charlie get here? And what will Kaia do to Charlie? Let's grab our weapons, leap into Return To Skull Island #1, and see!

 

Story

Validating his beliefs of Hollow Earth meant everything to Cap. So, when he went on this mission, Charlie accompanied him. Charlie got separated from his father. Then, fate prompts Charlie to provoke a fight between Kong and Kraken. When the village chief asks Charlie if he's sorry, Charlie explains that he did so to save his friends. But Annie and Mike can’t return the favor as Kaia orders the natives to bind Charlie to a wooden platform.

 

Return To Skull Island #1 follows Charlie’s ordeal among the natives. As he hangs above the chasm, Simon Furman interweaves past and present to summarize how Charlie got here. The story's point of view switches to the camp where Cap, Mike, and Annie are. Then, it follows Cap's search for his missing son.

 

There’s more going on than Charlie’s contretemps with the natives in Return To Skull Island #1. In provoking a fight between Kong and the Kraken, Charlie risks Kong getting injured or killed. Kaia and the islanders live in fear of this happening. They revere Kong because he keeps them safe. Worse creatures than the Kraken inhabit the Hollow Earth. Without Kong to protect them, who knows what would take his place?

 

Art

Christopher Jones opens Return To Skull Island #1 with a splash page showing Charlie in trouble. Then, he celebrates Kong's battle with the Kraken with a two-page spread. Thereafter, the irregularly shaped panels that fill the pages enhance the story's savage, prehistoric appeal. The natives have cobbled their village together with what nature provided and wreckage from the surface world. Giant birds and creatures populate this island. While some are readily recognizable, Annie's "dog" takes nods from apes and lions. Yet it evokes the same feelings as Aang's sky bison Appa in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

 

Charlie Kirchoff contributes bright colors to this jungle island. While Kong seems closer to us with his brown fur, the bright blue Kraken seems alien by comparison. Kaia's short red cape provides a link with another animal that helps Humans survive in this savage land. As the natives strap Charlie down on a greenish-beige bamboo platform, Charlie relives past events in muted tones or sepia colors. The brown skulls adorning the surrounding pillars hint at Charlie's future if he doesn't pass their test.

 

Andworld Design fills white dialogue balloons and beige narrative boxes with delicate italicized black letters. The letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. Creatures roar and squawk as larger colored words in dialogue balloons. Sound effects accompany battles that could change the future of Skull Island. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

As Humans, we tend to think of ourselves as the dominant species. Our impressive cities, technologies, and the interconnected systems that unite people across the planet make us feel like we’re in control. Return To Skull Island #1 reminds us how little we know about other people and that an unexpected event (a car accident, an illness, or a kaiju rising from the ocean) can strip away our illusion of control. 

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside and view other covers see my preview of Return To Skull Island #1.