Prairie Gods is The Twilight Zone meets Sin City, with a B-Movie/Tarantino look and feel. Each self-contained issue centers on supernatural events and characters in and around the small prairie town of Broadacres. The series will resonate with fans of Hellboy, while the shifting genres and themes will appeal to fans of westerns, crime, race car movies, lost treasure serials and war stories, with a good dose of action throughout.
The Tetracide was a much greater threat than Wonder Woman had imagined for her first battle on the surface–but The Tetracide was child’s play compared to negotiating the complexities and evils of man’s world. The mysterious Area 41 and its Black Box Maze will be Diana’s greatest test yet…and what she finds inside will shock you!
Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site
Trapped between a surviving assassin and the butchers awaiting them at the train yard, Vanessa and an unexpected companion must find a way to get off the final train car before it reaches the end of the line. Don’t miss the gutwrenching last issue of this terrifying thrill ride.
(W) Fred Van Lente (A/C) Chris Panda (L) Becca Carey (CA) Paulina Ganucheau
Once upon a time, in a strange land called Florida, a masked psycho starts murdering cast members of the Storybook Kingdom theme park in ways identical to the gory original Grimms’ Fairy Tales. Princess-turned-detective Tanith is the only person who can unmask the killer before she and her friends are all Dying Unhappily Never After!
Toon-themed terror from six-time New York Times bestselling writer Fred (Marvel Zombies) Van Lente, artist Chris Panda (Chocklit Shoppe of Horrors: Night Shift, Rom First Strike), and letterer Becca Carey(Radiant Black, Golden Rage).
Exquisite Corpses #1 delivers an opening salvo that’s drenched in pop punk video game inspired visuals with a story that feels familiar but a hell of a lot of fun.
Story: James Tynion IV Art: Michael Walsh Color: Jordie Bellaire Letterer: Becca Carey
Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site
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. Exquisite Corpses #1 delivers an opening salvo that’s drenched in pop punk video game inspired visuals with a story that feels familiar but a hell of a lot of fun.
Written by James Tynion IV, Exquisite Corpses #1 feels like a comic inspired by today’s popular video games. Fortnite with its battle to the death arena and colorful characters is the one that jumps out as inspiration to this series which delivers a flashy start that sucks you in. It’s a mish-mash of familiar concepts and stories but presents it all with a flair that has you wanting to come back for more.
The concept of families secretly controlling the world and battling it out is a concept that’s been done over and over as well as colorful characters dropped in an arena to battle to the death. It feels like the two have been mashed together as well but Tynion deftly focuses in on the flash and the characters impacted by the deadly game.
While just having a comic about random characters with message board handles killing each other would be entertaining enough, Tynion gives us something more by adding a touch of depth to the characters we meet and even the killers themselves. What makes the comic feel unique is that it takes place in a small town chosen by the ruling families to be used as a board for their avatars to battle in. Some are playing to win while others have side bets as to the kills they can wrack up. It’s eSports being LARPed with high stakes. But Tynion introduces us to residents and get us to care about them to have an emotional connection to see what happens to them next making the comic more than just entertaining kills. And, Tynion makes sure to not just give the killers entertaining extreme personalities but a little something extra as well. One at the end of the comic makes a surprising statement showing there’s more to him than just murdering others.
The art by Mirchael Walsh, color by Jordie Bellaire, and lettering by Becca Carey is fantastic. They give a style that’s both grounded at times but also feels like intro screens just before you enter the virtual battlefield. The characters all come off as creepy and deranged with a comic that bounces from grounded to extreme in its deliver. While the residents of Oak Valley are grounded, normal, and somewhat bland in a way, those battling are all caricatures or feel like downloadable avatars to PWN the noobs with. It’s a fun blend of comic infused with video game visuals.
Exquisite Corpses #1 is a solid start that seems to be having fun with its over the top concept and delivering on it in both story and art. It might feel familiar and not totally original, but it’s executed in a way that stands out from the pack.
Story: James Tynion IV Art: Michael Walsh Color: Jordie Bellaire Letterer: Becca Carey Story: 8.5 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Kara Zor-El has been a key member of the Super-Family in Metropolis, but what happens when she strikes out on her own? Follow Kara as she returns to her roots in Midvale…home of Supergirl! But how could this be?! Our hero has not been back in years, and the protector of that town has been saving the day for weeks. Can Supergirl stop the impostor before they steal her fresh start and life? Supergirl #1 is an intriguing debut that while it starts with some action, it shifts to a story and tone that’s more of a classic vibe of comics from yesteryear.
With story and art by Sophie Campbell, Supergirl #1 is a charming start. It’s cute and fun with a whimsy about it that feels more like Archie than it does the rest of DC’s superhero line. Campbell dives right in giving the Cliff’s Notes towards the beginning for readers who might not know much about Supergirl. You get the basics and there’s a bit more for those who have been keeping up with the Super-family and its various comics. From an initial fight to the Fortress of Solitude and a quick trip to the City of Kandor the story eventually settles on a visit to her parents and an impostor that has arrived.
Campbell’s story feels a bit like the comics from the 50s and 60s where character body swapped or people lost their memories. It feels like a low stakes start that’s more fun and a smile and a wink and a nod than world level threats. There’s teases and hints as to what’s going on but overall, there’s something rather quaint about it all.
Campbell’s art is good. With color by Tamra Bonvillain and lettering by Becca Carey, the comic is bright and cheery featuring an artistic style that matches its story. The kids from Riverdale could show up and the art would completely work which should give you an idea of the tone of the comic in both story and look.
Supergirl #1 is a fun comic to read. There’s a retro charm about it that’s a throwback to the days of goofy stories and wild ideas. But, as a debut, the issue doesn’t make me need to come back. It feels like a casual read instead of a need to find out what happens next. That’s not a bad thing overall and there’s an audience that’ll love the classic feel of it all but for a start. It’s entertaining, the type of comic to relax and read and enjoy during a nice sunny day.
Story: Sophie Campbell Art: Sophie Campbell Color: Tamra Bonvillain Letterer: Becca Carey Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Let the Exquisite Corpsesgame begin… The twelfth and final hired killer, The Lone Gunman, was revealed. Now all 12 of the hired killers will hit the small town of Oak Valley, Maine, for this year’s bloody battle royale as fans speculate on who will be the last one standing after the gore hits.
Tiny Onion and Image Comics’ Exquisite Corpses—crafted by masterminds James Tynion IV, Michael Walsh, and the “Corpse Crew” of creators—launches with the first issue hitting shelves next Wednesday, May 14, followed by the kickoff of the Corpse Tour ’25 at Revenge Of next Friday, May 16, with a Halloween-themed bash.
Exquisite Corpses will launch as an initial 13-issue story arc, but will expand with additional stories in the future. There will also be a companion trading card game launching soon, and fans can start collecting killer cards early with ones exclusively found in polybagged Cover C variants of each issue.
In Exquisite Corpses, 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: the 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 series uniquely came together in a writers’ room led by Tynion IV and Walsh and made up of “Corpse Crew” comics superstars Adam Gorham, Becca Carey, Che Grayson, Claire Roe, Gavin Fullerton, Jordie Bellaire, Marianna Ignazzi, Pornsak Pichetshote, Tyler Boss, and Valentine De Landro. Each issue of the series will build upon the last in a true ‘exquisite corpse’ game style, with a passing of the baton, from creator-to-creator, to unfold the story in a collaborative and competitive fashion.
The first round of hitters was previously revealed, and now a new contingency of cold-blooded killers are entering the game to fill out the roster. In the spirit of March Madness, each issue of Exquisite Corpses will feature playoff brackets that track the in-world competition—and readers will be able to play along at home, guessing who they think will live, who will die, and who will ultimately win the game.
The Lone Gunman is a tall, dark, and mysterious player who never misses his mark. Here’s his official description from the confidential game dossier files:
MASSACHUSETTS selects LONE GUNMAN to wield THE GUN. Kill Count: REDACTED, Height: 6′ 3”. Highly trained and highly dangerous, LONE GUNMAN puts years of combat training to use as he efficiently dispatches his opponents—or any collateral damage who get in the way. Dishonorably discharged for battlefield atrocities now sealed in government records, LONE GUNMAN’S penchant for excessive violence has become a benefit, not a hindrance, to his performance in this tournament…
LEOPOLD STRONG: NORTH CAROLINA selects LEOPOLD STRONG to wield THE HAMMER. Kill Count: 23. Height: 6′ 5″. Some killers might be afraid that an opponent could steal their signature weapon, but not LEOPOLD STRONG. He alone is strong enough to heft the massive mallet that he wields to pound flesh and bone into so much bloodied paste. It’s unknown if he truly comes from the circus or merely likes the theatricality of the look, but what is clear is that LEOPOLD STRONG is easily the most physically imposing murderer in this year’s games. Heave ho!
RECLUSE: RHODE ISLAND selects RECLUSE to wield THE ROPE. Kill Count: 64. Height: 5′ 10″. An artist with wires and ropes, RECLUSE sets her own field of battle, drawing opponents into traps from which few leave intact. Though she’s deadly on the move with a garrote in hand, RECLUSE prefers a patient approach, lying in wait until her razor-wires snare her opponents. Some say her love of ropes borders on fetishism, but few get close enough to find out the truth.
FOX MASK KILLER: NEW YORK selects FOX MASK KILLER to wield THE SWORD. Kill Count: 87. Height: 5′ l”. Among killers-for-hire, there are a select few feared even by other assassins. The enigmatic swordswoman known as FOX MASK KILLER is at the top of that list, having achieved a reputation for completing her jobs with ruthless efficiency–and for chasing increasingly challenging targets. Whether she sees the tournament as just another paycheck, or a chance to push herself past her limits, remains to be seen.
PRETTY BOY: GEORGIA selects PRETTY BOY to wield THE AXE. Kill Count: 36. Height: 6′ 2″. Despite what Hollywood tries to sell the masses, most serial killers are charmless, asocial monsters. Most, anyway. PRETTY BOY, on the other hand, could kill with a wink and a flash of his pearly whites. He prefers an axe, though. Like many a heartthrob, PRETTY BOY takes out his pent-up rage through wanton violence, splattering his six-pack abs with gore with every swing of the axe. He has the honor of wielding the weapon that won the very first game ever conducted, but the significance is lost on him–he’s just here to look good and get bloody.
LADY CAROLINA: SOUTH CAROLINA selects LADY CAROLINA to wield THE ARROW. Kill Count: 7 Height: 5′ 8″. No one from the patron families enters the games themselves. It is simply unheard of. So when LADY CAROLINA stepped foot inside the arena, the other families were aghast. She comes from noble stock and received the best training their money could buy, but it still feels like a transgression. Is she simply seeking a death-defying thrill? Or does she have a more personal reason for aiming her crossbow at this year’s set of killers…
THE CONGREGATION: NEW HAMPSHIRE selects THE CONGREGATION to wield THE KNIFE. Kill Count: 39. Height: 6′ 0″. The only killer in the game to turn down a fee from his patron family, THE CONGREGATION feels that taking a life is a higher calling–a monk-like tribute to whatever dark gods whisper in his ears. And while he’s almost certainly a raving lunatic (you’d have to be, to cover yourself in the sliced-off faces of your victims), THE CONGREGATION’S knife has brought many offerings to his altar, and will no doubt bring many more still before his prayers are finished.
RASCAL RANDY: NEW JERSEY selects RASCAL RANDY to wield THE HANDS. Kill Count: 19. Height: 5′ 11″. There is a man inside the RASCAL RANDY costume, but that man doesn’t matter. That man has never mattered. He was no one until he put the mascot head on for the first time, until he felt the life leave someone’s body through the thickly furred gloves of the suit. The man inside the suit will wear any disguise if necessary, but his true skin is RASCAL RANDY, and god help anyone who sees him coming toward them on a dark night.
LAYLA BLAZE: DELAWARE selects LAYLA BLAZE to wield FIRE. Kill Count: 335. Height: 5′ 3″. They say some people just want to see the world burn, but LAYLA BLAZE will settle for seeing anything go up in flames. It’s unclear if the burn marks that criss-cross her body are the results of fires that got out of control…or LAYLA BLAZE running out of any other kindling. All that can be said for sure is that she burns hot in life, love, and the act of killing, and leaves only ashes in her wake.
SLATER: MARYLAND selects SLATER to wield EXPLOSIVES. Kill Count: 124. Height: 5′ 10″. Tick…tick…BOOM! The hot young thing known as SLATER has never had a problem attracting attention, but his entourages have a habit of blowing up—as does anything else in his vicinity. Under the right circumstances, SLATER might have channeled his fascinations with pyrotechnics into something productive—instead, he’s just a walking powderkeg.
NURSE PETE: VIRGINIA selects NURSE PETE to wield POISON. Kill Count: ???. Height: 5′ 6″. No one would guess that the unassuming, schlubby NURSE PETE had a body count approaching three figures, and that’s just how he likes it. A compulsive killer who endlessly tweaks his deadly cocktails of paralyzing narcotics and tests them on patients around the country, NURSE PETE is usually content to slip from hospital to nursing home to pediatric ward, changing identities just in time to avoid being noticed. But the sum offered to him for joining this game would pay for oh so many tantalizing new chemical components…
G4M3R_KlD & CALVIN: CONNECTICUT selects G4M3R_KlD to wield ELECTRICITY. Kill Count: 9. Height: 4′ 0″. Aww, c’mon—you wouldn’t hurt a little kid, would you? A product of the iPad generation, weaned on slur-filled gaming lobbies, G4M3R_KlD has no business being anywhere near an event like this, but he’s so desensitized to violence that he has no qualms piloting CALVIN, his heavily armed drone, and aiming it at any target in sight. Kill counts are just high scores to this tyke, and he wants to see his name on the leaderboard.
Exquisite Corpses #1 will be a triple-length debut issue, featuring 60 pages of story content for just $4.99, and will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, May 14. The Cover C variant not only features the extra-length issue, but also an exclusive Exquisite Corpses: The Game killer card within a protective polybag for $6.99.
Cover A by Walsh – Lunar Code 0325IM247
Cover B by James Stokoe – Lunar Code 0325IM248
Cover C by Walsh (polybagged with game card) – Lunar Code 0325IM249
Cover D blank sketch cover – Lunar Code 0325IM250
Cover E “stealth variant” by Jenny Frison – Lunar Code 0325IM251
Cover F 1:25 copy incentive by Alex Eckman-Lawn – Lunar Code 0325IM252
Cover G 1:50 copy incentive by Nimit Malavia – Lunar Code 0325IM253
Cover H 1:100 copy incentive by Jae Lee & June Chung – Lunar Code 0325IM254
Exquisite Corpses #2 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, June 18 (Final Order Cutoff deadline for retailers is May 26):
Cover A by Walsh – Lunar Code 0425IM328
Cover B by Marianna Ignazzi – Lunar Code 0425IM329
Cover C by Walsh (polybagged with Killer card) – Lunar Code 0425IM330
Cover D “stealth variant” by [to be revealed] – Lunar Code 0425IM331
Cover E 1:25 copy incentive by Riley Rossmo – Lunar Code 0425IM332
Cover F 1:50 copy incentive by Martin Simmonds – Lunar Code 0425IM333
Exquisite Corpses #3 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 23 (Final Order Cutoff deadline for retailers is June 30):
Cover A by Walsh – Lunar Code 0525IM344
Cover B by Valentine De Landro – Lunar Code 0525IM345
Cover C by Walsh (polybagged with Killer card) – Lunar Code 0525IM346
Cover D “stealth variant” by [to be revealed] – Lunar Code 0525IM347
Cover E 1:25 copy incentive by Ricardo Lopez Ortiz – Lunar Code 0525IM348
Cover F 1:50 copy incentive by Joshua Hixson – Lunar Code 0525IM349
His stolen alien technology is at the heart of Lazarus Corp’s global success. But he operates out of a seedy lair, packed with bottled cities…cities he tortures relentlessly, just to hear the faint chorus of screams. Who is the mysterious Brainiac? And why is he so interested in the Last Son of Krypton?
Story: Jason Aaron Art: Carmine Di Giandomenico Color: Ulises Arreola Letterer: Becca Carey
Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site
Something strange happened in the American heartland several years ago. Something that brought fear and darkness to a small Kansas town…and forever changed the lives of one kindly couple. Welcome to Smallville.
Story: Jason Aaron Art: Carmine Di Giandomenico Color: Ulises Arreola Letterer: Becca Carey
Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site
