Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Christopher Jones
Colorist: Charlie Kirchoff
Letterer: Andworld Design
Editor: Louis Yamani
Designer: Dan Bura
Cover Artists: The Knott, Christopher Jones & Diego
Yapur
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: August 6, 2025
Charlie provoked a fight between Kong and the Kraken to save
his friends. The Human inhabitants of Skull Island regard Kong as their king.
So Kaia, their queen, is displeased that Charlie would endanger the giant ape.
When she sacrifices him to the beasts, Charlie's father rescues him. But now
they are both prisoners of Kaia. And while Kong triumphed over the Kraken, he
is now injured. Can Charlie and his dad appease Kaia? And can they help heal
Kong? Let's grab our weapons, leap into Return To Skull Island #2, and see!
Story
Giant insects, carnivorous plants, and prehistoric animals
call Skull Island home. It's a toxic mix, particularly when you consider its
Human inhabitants. But Kong keeps everything in balance. At least he used to.
Now Kong sits in a cave. While Kaia's people tend his wounds, the Kraken's
poison flows through his veins. Each time another giant animal, bug, or insect
attacks her people, Kaia reminds Charlie how he endangered her tribe. Charlie
may not be a college student yet, but her lesson is starting to sink in.
While Skull Island shakes and roils, Annie struggles to fit
in back home. She's been alone for so long that Irene feels more like her
jailer than her mother. And this new life, where she must attend school and
obey society's rules, feels more like a prison. But then, things aren't any
easier for Irene in Return To Skull Island #2. She lost her husband and child.
Irene told herself they were gone forever. Suddenly, she has her daughter back.
Yet all Annie wants to do is return to Skull Island.
While Simon Furman transports us between Skull Island and
the United States, he leavens the action and drama with humor. Still, we see
that everyone on Skull Island is in peril. In the United States, everything
hinges on Irene finding a way to protect her daughter from her
short-sightedness. On Skull Island, Charlie assists the native inhabitants he
has endangered, while his father helps tend to Kong’s wounds. But in Return to
Skull Island #2, everything hinges on Kong. Charlie hopes Kong will arise to
put all the animals and wildlife in check. But Kaia senses a greater evil than
another monster like the Kraken.
Art
Mike and Annie find their new gray, white, and blue school
uniforms constraining. Outside the gray and terracotta Cooper Academy, the
green lawns, bushes, and trees beneath the cloudy blue sky evoke Annie’s former
home. Charlie Kirchoff links Irene’s red SUV with the blood splattering an
animal that used to live in harmony with her tribe. Pink and gray surround Kaia
as she reenacts Han Solo's rescue on Hoth in reverse. But after she leaves,
dark specks rise from the slain animal and drift over an orange centipede.
Christopher Jones contrasts Charlie’s nightmare on Skull
Island with Annie’s struggles in suburbia. Like the imbalance on Skull Island,
appearances can be deceiving in the place Annie came from. Irene and her new
husband observe Annie sneak out of the house and race across the walled
compound. The blue night sky outside the window contrasts with the purple,
heavily inked figures inside the bedroom. Yet inside Irene and Sam’s red barn,
Annie finds technological marvels in Return To Skull Island #2.
Andworld Design fills white dialogue balloons and colored
narrative boxes with delicate italicized black letters. The letters grow bold
for intonation and swell for raised voices. Creatures growl and roar as a native
in a guard tower shouts words into spiky balloons. Sound effects fill panels as
Something Wicked Looking This Way Comes. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a
review copy.
Final Thoughts
Charlie doesn’t want to be on Skull Island while his dad
loves it. Annie hates living in the place of her birth. Her mom looks on,
feeling her dream of a happy future together dissolving. Return To Skull Island
#2 reminds us of the sacrifices people often make to help a family member live
their dreams.
Rating 9.4/10
To look inside see my preview of Return To Skull Island #2.
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