Blogger and author GW Thomas writes that Wolfman’s original intention “was to take a skyscraper full of people and put them in a dinosaur haunted past” (Thomas, 2015). The story focuses on Jim Scully (hence the nickname Skull) and three other supporting characters, all of whom were over the top 1970s cariacatures of the attitudes and stereotypes of the era.

There’s Dr. Raymond Corey, an African-American professor who consistently taunts Skull and acts as a cautious ally but frequent antagonist; Jeff Turner, a senator’s son who takes on the good-guy and peacemaker role (think Ned Malone from The Lost World); and finally, the token blonde bombshell and damsel-in-distress, Ann Reynolds.

As the group’s plane goes down in the Bermuda Triangle, they find themselves in a land outside of time, and battles with dinosaurs and primitive cave-folk ensue. There are aliens too, whom these primitives worship, and it’s from a mummified alien that Scully retrieves a belt that gives him superhuman strength – what better way to tackle the dinosaurs, Ka-Zar style!

It’s a fun ride, but Skull never quite finds its footing. The series is never consistent in its storytelling, despite a solid stable of writers (who I’ll list below) and artists like Steve Gan (#1-3), Gil Kane (cover artist) and Sal Buscema (#4-8). Ernie chan took over the penciling duties for the series conclusion in a long-running team-up title. Sadly, it seems like this storyline was re-booted several times over the course of the run in an attempt to appeal to different readers.

Skull the Slayer ran a mere eight issues, with a mix of different writers. Marv Wolfman, the creator and writer of issues #1-3, was replaced by Steve Englehart, who wrote issue #4, and then by Bill Mantlo, who finished the last three issues of the series. Issue #8 ended with a cliffhanger storyline which was resolved in a two-issue story arc in Marvel Two-and-One #35-36.

 

Where Conan, Kull, and even Ka-Zar were all characters with their own distinct agenda – Conan being a mercenary barbarian, Kull an Atlantean king and Ka-Zar a noble savage – Skull wasn’t quite as fleshed out. He was a former army soldier en route to federal prison for murder who stumbled into the unlikely role as hero after a plane crash. There’s hope and optimism at the end of the story, though – as Ben Grimm suggests contacting Ka-Zar and finding a home for some of the pteranadons who made their way through a portal into modern times. Perhaps Skull could have found a new life in the Savage Land, too.

CAPSULE REVIEW:  A fun read if you’re a fan of the pulps and dinosaurs in your comics, but not much else to see here. If you can pick up the trade for a good price, it’s worth picking up. The artwork by both Steve Gan and Sal Buscema is a treat, and if you enjoy good battles, prehistoric monsters and pyramids, you’ll want to add this to your collection.

Some part of me believes this comic was ahead of the bell curve – at a critical time in the industry, Marvel didn’t have time to fiddle with a series that had no clear direction. Had Skull been fleshed out (and plotted) a little differently, the ingredients for success were all here. Unfortunately, Skull just became another in a pile of would-be heroes with superhuman strength.

It’s a shame that the series picks up its stride not in the title itself, but in the two issues of Marvel Two-In-One that bring the tale to a close. It’s only in those two issues that Skull finds some consistency.

On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this series a 6. The issues of Marvel Two-In-One that conclude the story earn a 7.  On eBay, copies of this trade paperback were available for less than $10. Individual issues can be purchased there for less than $5, and in some cases as low as $2.

As always, I am – Wally (AKA Paint Monk)