Hey, y’all, I’m back from my sabbatical.  Thought I’d try my hand reviewing the latest and greatest BOOM! Studios comic, Kong of Skull Island #1.  I enjoyed it, but the themes are awfully familiar – not necessarily to other comics or stories, but to our actual everyday lives.

King Kong has been around since 1933, and Skull Island has been part of the mythos for the 85 years or so that Kong has been King.  This story is a prequel to the latest BOOM! stories of Kong – primarily focused on the people.

Basically, 2 tribes are in the game of Kong (meaning big apes – but I’m not going to tell you what that game is because SPOILERS – duh).  One tribe is all… natural resource consuming, aggressive, kind of (I’m just gonna say it.) stereotypical Republican; the other tribe is more tree-huggy and hippy – stereotypical Democrats.  Basically, they get into some conflict, the world forces them to (perhaps) work together or (perhaps) go to war, and we have some epic shizzle in the middle.  That’s your non-spoiled story.

Solid.  This is good if you haven’t given up hope in humanity based on the last 3-5 weeks of news stories in the US.  If you have given up, the themes may seem a bit tired.  So, who should read this?  Younger folks, optimists, and young-at-heart believers, which is hopefully you.  The tale is told wonderfully – the writing of James Asmus is good (maybe a little verbose at times in explaining what’s happening, but we kind of need that); the art of Carlos Magno is typical BOOM!, meaning it’s tight, clean, and beautiful. 

Let’s face it – if Kong of Skull Island calls to you, no amount of positive (or negative) reviews will convince you not to buy it.  For the rest of us, it’s a choice whether we want this comic or the other.  Kong is a worthy choice – it’s a fun start to what promises to be an epic adventure.  There is romance, crazy huge monsters, bad guys and good guys (Democrats and Republicans in no particular order), and a bit of a cliffhanger.  Check it out if you’re into that stuff.