Five friends set off to shoot a short film on a forbidden rock near their home the summer before they all go their separate ways. But that’s not really why they’re there. One of them has lied. And that lie will change their lives forever. The Cull #1 kicks off a story whose roots feel very much planted in classics such as The Goonies.

Written by Kelly Thompson, The Cull #1 is an interesting start full of mystery but more importantly, characters we can relate to. Focused on a group of kids, each is struggling in their own way delivering characters who feel grounded and ones we might know growing up. With homelives that each deliver their own challenges, we’re led to believe their journey involves shooting a film but by the end, the dots are connected and it’s one that’s so much more. It’s a debut that delivers wonder, dread, and a lot of feels too.

Thompsons does an excellent job in the setup. We get a very good sense of each character and their struggles. We get a good sense of their homelife. We also get some teases as to the group interaction and the conflicts that might arise due to that. All of it feels like an adventure a certain group did to get treasure but in this case, the treasure is far more important than some rubies.

Mattia De Iulis handles the art with color by Iulis and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. The art is solid with such personality for everyone. Each character looks very unique and their own personality. The various settings we’re taken to all tell a story. And Iulis does an excellent job of framing the panels with interesting focuses and angles for the imagery. This is a great example of the art providing a lot of information and helping to tell the story about the world we’re being introduced to.

The Cull #1 is a really solid start. There’s the quibble that there wasn’t much more pushback about what the individuals do at the end, but where’s the fun in that? It’s a debut that gives us some adventure but also emotional heart as well.

Story: Kelly Thompson Art: Mattia De Iulis
Color: Mattia De Iulis Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle