“Plunder” #3 builds off of the reveals from the last two issues to open with a load of exposition. Luckily this only lasts two pages and within it Swifty Lang treats readers to understanding more about the horror on the page. Sometimes added definition can hinder a horror story, but here it only serves to take the terror to new depths.
WRITTEN BY: Swifty Lang
ART BY: Skuds McKinley
PUBLISHER: BOOM!
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: April 29, 2015
The arrival of a new character privy to all sorts of information that the heroes seek can be a difficult storytelling device to tackle. Last issue “Plunder” introduced the mysterious girl survivor, and here she spouts all kinds of knowledge about the creature hunting our pirates. Bahdoon doesn’t waste much time in this knowledge since he knows the creature is dangerous and should be avoided. Although the other pirates don’t really seem to care.
It’s interesting to watch characters who are unconcerned with the origin of the evil grapple with the explanation. They don’t want to know, nor do they care. Instead, the impetus for the story is survival. Skuds Mckinley really hits his surreal stride in this issue. Thanks to some fantastic hallucination scenes that truly command the page in a unique way. He’s tremendous at bending reality around the panel. It creates an intimidating threat on the page that almost consumes the reader.
His backgrounds elsewhere leave a little to be desired. They are basic color swatches that do nothing to define the environment of the ship. They are often too tight and restrict the sense of scope for the story. There are also a couple messy panels when the action gets thick. The pacing on the page becomes a little bit of an issue towards the end. It’s nothing too distracting, but a real shame when compared against the more surreal set pieces in the narrative.
Bahdoon seems to grow into a leader here. His motivation grows from a time of innocence and a tone of inspiration. The real shame though is that there really isn’t enough time spent with him. He’s been the center of the book since the beginning but often the colorful supporting characters stand out in most scenes.
Despite these issues, “Plunder” #3 proves to be another excellent chapter in this unique horror series. The characters on the page are unlike anything you’ve seen in comics before, and the threat is incredibly realized and terrifying. For the most part you’ll find a lot to love with “Plunder.” Sadly the depth of storytelling doesn’t penetrate quite like the deep seas, but the horror is very very real.