KING KONG: THE GREAT WAR #3, from Dynamite Comics on 8/23/23, continues the German U-Boat crew’s long trek through Skull Island to reach higher ground.
The Details
- Written by: Alex Cox
- Art by: Tommaso Bianchi
- Colors by: James Devlin
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Jae Lee, June Chung
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: August 23, 2023
Is It Good?
KING KONG: THE GREAT WAR #3 from Alex Cox guides the U-boat crew through one hellish nightmare after another in the thin hope of reaching the high ground on Skull Island. “Hellish Nightmare” is an apt description because this issue is the most violent and goriest visit to Skull Island yet, including the films.
When last we left the Captain and his men, they narrowly escaped mud pits harboring multi-legged beasts hiding under the surface and ravenous packs of raptors. The crew lost more than a few good men. Now, the crew must survive T-Rex’s, precarious cliffs, swarms of Pterodactyls, and giant spiders before they dare make camp.
If it seems there’s not much meat to this review, that’s because there’s not much plot to this story. The crew survives a gauntlet of horrors, taking losses for their trouble, but that’s all there is. In fairness, the horrors are violent and devastating for the crew, so the issue doesn’t pull any punches to shock you.
What’s great about this comic? The succession of challenges the crew endures are fast-moving, brutal, and unrelenting. If you’re a fan of King Kong and are up to speed on all the films and assorted media adaptations, this comic comes closest to making you genuinely afraid of Skull Island.
As a plus, the art team leans into the gore to show you just how brutal Skull Island’s wildlife can be. Bodies are skewered and eaten in a myriad of ways. There is no pretty, sanitized death in this issue, so the atmosphere of dread rises considerably.
What’s not so great about this comic? The down point of this issue is the lack of any discernible plot or character development. Monsters eat people, survivors move on, monsters eat people, survivors move on. Each attack is interesting enough to hold your attention, but there’s nothing underneath the shock factor.
How’s the art? Tommaso Bianchi’s wide brush stroke and painterly shading are not the cleanest, but Bianchi’s style uses shadows and wild-eyed mania in the characters to effectively convey their fear, panic, and growing shock. Again, Bianchi gets a thumbs up for leaning into the gore, but it’s the abject fear of the crew that sells the horror.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our KING KONG: THE GREAT WAR #2 review to find out what happened when the crew left the “safety” of the beach.
We begin with the crew slowly working their way through the jungle to reach the mountain and safety by reaching high ground.
First, they encounter a hungry T-rex that drives running mean over a cliff to certain death, eating whichever man stumbles first. Next, they find a narrow stone bridge to cross the ravine but are attacked by a flock of hungry pterodactyls. The men who fall from the bridge and survive encounter a new horror – gigantic spiders emerge from dens burrowed in the cliff to catch their next meal.
We conclude the issue with a rescue attempt, a deadly choice, and no hope.
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Final Thoughts
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KING KONG: THE GREAT WAR #3 leans into the shock, gore, and horror for the most terrifying depiction of Skull Island yet. Cox puts the U-boat crew through the wringer, and Bianchi’s art conveys heaps of shock and fear from the crew. Conversely, this issue is almost all shock, horror, and atmosphere without much plot underneath.
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