Skyman has been a very nice miniseries edition to Dark Horse Comic's Project Black Sky line of new of superhero offerings. It has been a real nice tie in with the Captain Midnight property. In fact, Skyman has held its own as a stand alone as writer Joshua Hale Fiakov and artist Manuel Garcia have made it their own featuring disabled Sergeant Eric Reid as the man who would become the public face of this secretive program. Not everyone is pleased with this selection, least of all the men who have trained most of their lives to be the Skyman. Add that the program itself may not be what it would seem, having a more sinister underpinning that goes against the good Sergeant's values, and you get just a super tale of what it means to be a real hero. In issue #3, Reid has gone rogue from the program and he finds an ally in the one and only Captain Midnight in which to confide and figure out the next steps in the chess match that has been occurring between the government and our two heroes of renown. The government is looking to strike back at Reid for his insubordination, and having Midnight in the mix might just kill two birds with one stone. Of course, those two birds are pretty bad assed. Might be a tall order for the G-Men.
This issue goes at a perfect pace from beginning to end. Joshua Hale Fialkov continues to write Skyman with a hero at heart. He delves deeper into what is under the Skyman suit as well as the Captain Midnight goggles. The exchange between the two is solid, really working that hero angle. The added dimension added by Fialkov for this particular issue begins to ask what it means to be a patriot. Both Skyman and Captain Midnight represent the patriotic angle well, even as their fellow countrymen are looking to wipe them out from existence. We can only hope that justice prevails as we are one away from the final issue.
Manuel Garcia has proven to me in this issue that he is a top notch artist. He has given some impressive artwork to an impressive character and he shows no sign of slacking. I will be watching for this guy elsewhere. He has got the skills. The fight sequence between the government men vs Skyman and Captain Midnight is as an impressive artistic sequence as I have seen all year.
It is my sincere hope that Skyman will make some more appearances well after this mini is completed. Like Eric Reid, this title has the heart, the skill, and the creative mojo that can endure for the foreseeable future.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Joshua Hale Fiakov Artist: Manuel Garcia Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 3/19/14