Sky Sharks Recommended

Publisher
Antarctic Press
Writer
Fred Perry, Wes Hartman
Artist
Fred Perry, Wes Hartman
Country of origin
US
Year
2007

Sky Sharks #4 to #5 of 5

By David Rasmussen
7th Jun 08

Previously on SkySharks
We were still on War Island, and it looked like some of the noisy minor characters were bothering Frank and his Sky Sharks… oh, and a backstory begins developing with this guy named Kassle and this mysterious conversation over the phone at the start of Issue #2.

Meanwhile a former female member of the Sky Sharks pops into the title this issue, and she’s older… less hyperactively excitable over becoming rich… and mostly a total freak (right up the alley of the blonde weirdo who caused the trouble last issue by getting between the sheets with that Middle Eastern ruler’s daughter… yeah, you two were so made for each other…). Present female teammate decks this “Monica” (the slinky weirdass former team member slash title’s… well… nuff said about that) and it’s on (fight wise, if only briefly).

But since we’re here to watch work, on assignment to swap paint (and ammo shots) with Russian air forces over the skies of fake Eastern Europe country Tsiurupyns’k… whatever. Important point is while trading fire with armored ground forces who should arrive but Monica in the next gen of air technology (a fighter jet), and she’s gunning for Sky Sharks (wouldn’t you know it).
As Issue #3 starts the little side story from issue #2 begins to play out, the drama moving to War Island (because really, nobody can get enough of the large WWE/Village People commander dude)… yeah. This can’t be a good thing. In the meantime jet tech proves to be too much for the “present” tech of the Sky Sharks, and dammit they had to shoot Joselyn (the only female team member) into the no man’s land of a war zone… yeah, that can’t be good. Too bad a little miscalculation with the fuel breaks off further ammo swapping between the combatants.

In order to get Joselyn out of the battle zone, however, it looks like they’re going to send the blonde weirdo over to team up with Monica for a “rescue mission”… no, no, foreplay AFTER the mission.

Oh, and a guy dressed like the Rocketeer shows up, which is good because Joselyn is in serious need of an “extraction” from the not so nice hostile natives -- only to find out Monica is about as bad (if not worst) than the hostile natives (rocket boy isn’t going to like how this issue ends).

But then we head into Issue #4 and things only get worst from there.

Joselyn is having a bit of a hard time getting over the events of last issue (quite abit of the issue covers either flashbacks or her difficulty), but it seems she should try harder to do so since the little growing “Masters of Evil” this story’s got has just brewed up a new sort of “Weapon of Mass Destruction” (which comes in this simply smashing Hulk Smash deathglow green color!) that the final issue will need sorting out (one more ride into glory as it were with one final issue to wrap up the story!)

So the five parter is over and from start to end. A nice whimsical swashbuckling good time of aerial dogfights, abit of the sexy sexy, and drama, betrayal/double cross, and layers of deception and bad guys with evil plots waiting in the wings (only for said plots to be brought crashing down in big fashion at the end).

So, did I like the ending? Without telling you too much about how it all ends… it’s abrupt. Not painfully evilly abrupt as say, well, the ending of Final Girl. Hmm… ahh… think Die Hard end abrupt only the ending credits kick in 30 seconds after you know who (he who only had a bit part in Die Hard 2) plugs the last bad guy at the very end. That abrupt. Otherwise it’s a good end and, yes, if we are ever “graced” with a sequel I would actually welcome reviewing what comes next.

Fred Perry draws it nicely and Wes Hartman writes it well (and at the end of it all I have to admit that I was much fonder of it than I guess I led on overall). So by now there should be a Graphic Novel release of this, collecting all five issues, so if you want something with a bit of the snapbang, whimsy and sexy fun? This should do right by you.
It’s not perfect, but it’s a damn good read. 4 end of the roads (for now) out of 5.
Sky Sharks 2007 © & ™ Wes Hartman

-- David Rasmussen 7th Jun 08