Initially I was not sure what to make of this. The cover art and description made me curious, plus Half Price Books had it on clearance when I got it, so I took a chance.
The Whistling Skull is a hero and secret agent who works for the organization Skeleton. He has the ability to draw on memories of his predecessors to solve problems and accomplish his missions. Knuckles is his assistant.
One of the mysteries he has to solve is the disappearance of his predecessor, who was working out in Japan. However, that case has to wait because first he needs to solve the mystery of townsfolk disappearances in remote Swiss village during World War II. Is there a connection to a traveling caravan of freak performers? Is it something more sinister?
The story starts in the midst of the action. The story then flashes back to show glimpses of Skull and Knuckles as children giving us a look at their early days and hinting at how the current Skull is connected to his predecessor. The story then moves to Switzerland where the main story takes place and Japan where the previous Skull disappeared. After the first issue in this collection, the story's pacing settles in, and we get a pretty good story. The story combines action with a mystery to solve. The Whistling Skull is more detective and secret agent, and this is a good character. The art is very good. It combines a bit of darkness and macabre with good color.
Overall this was an entertaining and fun read. It's different than the usual super powered hero tales, and I liked that. If you like comics like The Shadow you might like this one. The story stands on its own, but there is an opening for further adventures. The volume also includes an appendix of character files presented as top secret memos, a nice touch. I really like this one and would recommend it.
4 out of 5 stars.
This book qualifies for the following 2021 Reading Challenges:
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