Calling Robert Kirkman and David Finch “legends” is a big understatement. Kirkman’s written genre-defining hits won hits including Invincible and the Walking Dead, launching the Energon universe with a blank rival. Finch draws many superhero icons (including Batman and Moon Knight), earning the distinction with his rough, detailed style. Now, the two are finally joining forces for Image Comics/Skybound’s latest fantasy epic, Skin Breaker.
Skinbreakers take place in a world where tribes of orc-like creatures live in forests filled with all the problems of strange plants and strange (and starving) creatures. The tribe’s leader, Eno is slowly aging, clutching an ancient weapon known only as a skinbreaker, with Anok, a member of another tribe, hoping to take his place. Anok is reluctant, but soon the situation forces his hand. If it seemed like a magical story, it mostly started like that.
Main cover by Annalisa Leoni and David Finch.. Courtesy of Image/Skybound.
“Well, that’s a really tough question… ether?” Kirkman joked when asked about the origins of Skinbreaker. “I had a raw nugget of this primitive civilization, and this struggle idea they were experiencing. When I started talking to David about this series, I wanted something that would allow him to succumb as an artist… and exploring with him seemed like a great idea.”
Then, as Finch quickly added, “And I praised the leaves on every tree and squeezed it with every leaf!”
Seriously, Finch was happy to put his own spin on a whole new world.
“It was incredibly satisfying,” Finch said. “The script was incredible. It always makes a huge difference. You can really put yourself there and go with the characters and feel that you can feel what they’re going through. It took me a long time since I did anything I could create from scratch.
Courtesy of Image/Skybound.
Just as Finch had to get used to drawing the world of skinbreaker from scratch, Kirkman found himself adjusting his writing style to suit Finch’s art style.
“I definitely tried to adjust everything to him. I’m a huge fan of comic book art, so I went into this,” Kirkman said. “The idea of sending a script to someone like David Finch and retrieving the pages they built in the form of a script… that’s a real joy in the comics, and you’ll be able to sit and go in the script stage.
Still, what really surprising about SkinBreaker is that it took about eight years to reach the comic book format.
“Personally, if it’s up to me, I’d never release a comic… I love having a secret! I’ve been working for eight years on a project with David Finch, which I know. It’s exciting! It’s a shame that everyone knows it.” What’s more, in a world where most comics stick to a fierce schedule, it was great to spend that time.
“There’s the luxury of taking the time to do things that are not suitable for your schedule, but suitable for your project,” Kirkman said.
Courtesy of Image/Skybound.
Getting off such a big head start in Skin Breaker’s creative process allowed Finch to immerse himself in an area he normally didn’t describe: fantasy.
“I’m a huge Bernie Wrightson fan. There are things that came into it, some movies, some historic things that I could bring to it,” Finch said, adding that it’s a learning process for him to build a mostly organic world.
Kirkman and Finch also conclude the interview by saying that Skinbreaker is different from stand comics, with Kirkman describing the series as “a singular piece that people have been talking about for decades.” Meanwhile, Finch should place it there along with the others from his rich catalogue.
“It’s a very moving and resonating story,” Finch said. “I put everything I had in it. There’s no shortcuts. That’s the best job I can do.”
Skinbreaker #1 will hit the shelf on September 24th, 2025 (FOC is today, August 18th).
Courtesy of Image/Skybound.
