Review by Frank Plowright

The first four Books of Clash have focused on members of the Jazzypickleton Cucumbers, but Gene Luen Yang began exploring the wider world in Vol. 5, and continues here with a focus on Skeletons. In the opening volume Skulgar left his tavern for a mysterious mission on a mysterious mystery island and never returned. Now his niece and nephew Riley and Wylie begin a quest to find him. As they’re not warriors but tavern keepers, and substitute tavern keepers at that, it’s just as well Cucumber members Jane, Pim Pim and Terry accompany them.

The previous book was the best of the series to date, but here there’s a feeling of Gene Luen Yang struggling. He repeats a plot of insecurity, uses foes seen in previous books, and references those books several times in a quest that never greatly comes to life. There’s the requisite action and lessons to be learned, but the path of overcoming fear is predictable, and what’s set up by constant references to being mysteriously mysterious doesn’t merit the billing.

Having drawn two previous books and being noted working on Vol. 7, Kendall Goode is now the artist in place, and very good at bringing the assorted mismatched characters to life. Giving skeletons a personality isn’t an easy matter, but he manages it with Riley and Wylie, and the designs for new characters also hit the spot, if perhaps bringing Masters of the Universe to mind. Perhaps that’s inevitable if skeletons feature greatly.

The only real surprise comes at the end. The expectation would be that everything resets to the way it was, but that isn’t the case, and for a while at least the Jazzypickleton Cucumbers are separated.

Because Yang is a good writer he’s able to supply enough in the way of talking points to keep the younger audience happy, and they should delight in the art, but Vol. 6 is a step backwards.