Halloween has descended upon Oak Valley, Maine, but Exquisite Corpses is not your typical spooky night. James Tynion IV, along with Michael Walsh and a slew of comic creators bring together twelve of the deadliest and most colorful killers in the world in this high-octane horror to see who will be the last killer standing.
Every five years on Halloween, the wealthiest families in America play a game. Twelve of the deadliest people in the world are dropped into a small town with just one goal: last killer standing wins. For the citizens of Oak Valley, Maine – this year’s unlucky arena – the goal is much simpler. They must survive the night.
The big pull for me was the creative team, beginning with Tynion and Walsh. However, the bigger draw might be the fact Exquisite Corpses takes place in a fictional Maine town, the State I grew up in and have spent most of my life. Being from Maine, we are not rookies when it comes to horror stories set in our great state, as Stephen King has been crafting stories in Maine for over 50 years. But it still is fun to see tales such as these set in our fictional backyard.
This trope of using a game of such evil to entertain or gain power is not unheard of, as we have seen it in such stories as The Hunger Games or The Purge, but Exquisite Corpses carves it’s own path, bringing something new to the table. A political horror where characters battle to the bitter end, all for viewing pleasure. The story is about those killers, the people of Oak Valley who have to survive their deadly melee, and the wealthiest families in the world that sponsored the killers and unleashed them in the first place.
Another feature that sets this story apart from the crowd is the characters within the pages. The character designs and specific features are incredible. While the plot is fantastic, it’s the characters that will stand out in this new series. In the first chapter we get introduced to all the killers representing each of the states involved with amazing splash pages connecting them to the story at large.
The opening volume includes the first three chapters of the story and features story and art from some of the best in the industry. Tynion and Walsh kicks things off in the first chapter, introducing each of the killers, while the second chapter is scripted by Walsh with artwork from Marianna Ignazzi. The third and final chapter of the first volume is written by Pornsak Pichetshote with artwork from Valentine De Landro. Of course Walsh and Tynion assist along the way.
One might think the inclusion of this number of writers and artists would make the story and artwork feel a bit disjointed. However, the team works together in a way to make Exquisite Corpses feel cohesive and complete.
Exquisite Corpses is a keeps you on the edge of your seat with tension, suspension, gruesome kills, and so much more. The creative team has knocked this one out of the park with a stellar story and incredible artwork. If the rest of the series is even close to this first volume, we are in for one hell of a ride.
Exquisite Corpses Vol. 1 is available at bookstores everywhere from Image Comics.
Exquisite Corpses Vol. 1 Preview
