Oh man have I been sitting on this review! Deadskins is a strange book and the first two issues have dangled a mystery in front of the reader while becoming stranger and stranger. Well this issue looks to answers some questions… while getting stranger of course. It’s a solid issue, but one thing happens that I did not like… the art takes a dip in quality. For me, Deadskins, has been successful due to the artwork. The sketchy line work gives it an animated quality and frankly it just fits the quirkiness of the story. In this issue though the line work looks rushed and lacks the clean look that it previously had. Around the half-way point the quality starts picking up again and the ending is wonderful, but the beginning there are characters and entire pages that looked rushed and inconsistent. It’s a shame because it really is a big reason that I like the book. It doesn’t keep it from being enjoyable, but it does keep it from being great.
The story itself is hilarious. We meet General Custer and he’s an amazing character… there is nothing else like him in all of comics. Custer is very short; maybe like four feet tall and that’s it. Also he doesn’t like to talk to people directly, but rather he dictates his memoir and so everything is in third person and comes across like he’s reading a book. It’s fucking brilliant and hilarious at the same time. His biographer is also quite funny as he reads segments of the book that Custer asks him to refer to and it’s almost as if he’s supposed to be invisible to others.
I really didn’t have any problems with the story. It continues to be strange and goofy and hey our love birds are finally reunited which is good since it couldn’t have been stretched out any further. Of course Custer looks to keep them apart until his goals are met, so they’re separated again. Also the ending of the issue is fantastic and just goes to show that the story has plenty of room left to run.
The dialogue in this issue was as sharp as ever. If you haven’t picked up on the fact that this is a dark comedy then know you know. With that come things that normal people wouldn’t laugh at, but I loved it. The dialogue always steals the show and that is very much so the case with this issue.
Really the only dip for me was the art. I hope that it finds its consistency again because it is the aspect of this comic that sucked me in the most. I laugh at the story and all of its ridiculousness, but the art is what brings that comedy to life. It’s still a good issue and worth the price (actually worth more), but I hope that it’ll reach the bar it set with the first two issues.
Score: 3/5
Writers: Clay Adams & Alexandre O. Philippe Artist: Leila Del Duca Colorist: Brett Nienburg Publisher: Fried Comics Price: $.99 Website