Skybreaker #4

by Michael Moreci and Drew Zucker

Since the opening issue and introduction to Skybreaker, readers have learned little by little about the titular character. Initially he was a man who had narrowly escaped death, upon which he swore vengeance. Last issue, readers learned of his relationship to the tribesmen of the series. Issue four continues to provide more information about the characters of the story and how their paths are woven, as well as move things ever closer to the impending battle.

The book opens with a conversation between Skybreaker and the tribeswoman. Here readers not only learn what took place to create the hatred between them, but the man’s birth name. The issue, in its other moments, is mostly a set-up chapter. Characters continue to move into place. Alliances, however thin, are formed, and Moreci is even able to get the audience to sympathize with Cutter to a degree. General Taylor, on the other hand, continues to function as a truer evil.

Overall, there is not much ground covered in the issue, with a majority focusing on getting characters where they will need to be. As a result, Skybreaker #4 is not as compelling as the other issues of the series. To some degree, the further unveiling of who Skybreaker was has dampened the ferocity and tension surrounding him. For readers who find his back story compelling, this issue might carry more of an impact. Others, though, may see him as lesser or simpler than he once seemed, a risk of answering an established unknown.

The fourth issue of the series is not without its great moments. Drew Zucker’s panel work and Moreci’s scripting of an assassination sequence play incredibly well. There is a real great dread and suspense building for this portion of the chapter. The creators here offer a fantastic sequence, and it effectively resonates through to an enthralling crescendo of violence.

Skybreaker, despite his initial rabid presentation, has sobered enough to amass a bit of a team. This group of very different individuals is uniting against an enemy that is agreed to be a greater evil than any one of its members. This alliance seems to only exist while those united have a common enemy to work against. Moreci clearly presents to the readers that once this individual is taken out, there is nothing left to keep all remaining from turning on each other. This new development creates a drama possibly even grander than the inevitable showdown with General Taylor. Skybreaker continues to be a compelling series as it further elevates the anticipation for the eventual implosion of this town.