Tag Archives: idw crime

Preview: Fixation #1

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Fixation #1

(W) Amy Chase (A) Savanna Mayer

When superfan Taylor Van Owens wins a contest to stay in the legendary Mallard house—the most iconic filming location for the hit vampire book turned movie Blood Mountain—she and her best friend Karrah arrive in Vail expecting to sink their fangs into a weekend straight from a fangirl’s dream. The cast has reunited for a tenth-anniversary celebration, devotees have descended on the small town, and nostalgia hangs thick in the air.

But shortly before their arrival, a young woman is found dead inside the Mallard house. The death is quickly brushed off as an unstable fan taking her fantasies too far, but rumors swirl as the police quietly open a murder investigation. With cameras rolling and ravenous Blood Mountain buffs to appease, production works overtime to keep the story from leaking, insisting the fandom is “one big family,” but unease spreads through the town. Resentful locals, jealous superfans, sensitive actors, and desperate producers overwhelm Taylor as she moves in a haze through meet-and-greets, vigils, and book signings. Every interaction feels loaded. Every corner holds a potential threat. Every vampire has a taste for blood.

And the killer isn’t finished. They’ll stain the town red to ensure they go down in Blood Mountain history. This isn’t just a random act of violence—it’s a crime of passion a decade in the making.

Blending true-crime tension with razor-sharp commentary on fandom and toxic addictions, Fixation is a chilling mystery in which everyone has a motive and the least threatening person in the room may actually be the most dangerous of all.

Fixation #1

Preview: Killer Influences #2

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Killer Influences #2

(W) Joey Esposito (A) Valeria Burzo

Kylie and Melvin made a deal. Kylie would use her expertise in the world of serial killers and murder to give Melvin an identity, a mythology, a serial killer persona that would make him “famous.” She turned him into the Caddyshack Killer. The story took the country by storm, and she led that storm on her podcast, which brought her a great deal of fame and success. However, it didn’t bring Melvin what he wanted. He still feels empty. He feels unfulfilled. He feels violent. And he’s going to challenge Kylie for getting what she wanted while he got nothing. The epic IDW Crime series continues, and the tension is about to ramp up!

Killer Influences #2

Preview: Seven Wives #2

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Seven Wives #2

(W) Zoe Tunnell (A) V. Gagnon

The murder of Matthew Dunn — husband, father, and leader — has devastated the Dunn family. Or so they’d like outsiders to believe. As the detectives unravel the case before them by interrogating Matthew’s seven wives, they discover he was not the saint he painted himself to be. Although some of the widows mourn the loss, the Dunns may be safer free from the heavy hand with which Matthew ruled.

But his presence lingers, and the detectives sense the FLDS leader has more secrets hiding behind every door.

Seven Wives #2

Mini Reviews: Killer Influences #1, Beast of Boriken #1, The Shaolin Cowboy: Staying A.I. Alive #1

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Beast of Boriken #1

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Killer Influences #1 (IDW Publishing) – Joey Esposito and Valerie Burzo serve up a satirical look at the true crime genre in Killer Influences #1. This isn’t a “catch a killer” story, but more of a psychological narrative with podcaster/journalist Kylie joining forces with local serial killer Melvin to boost both their profiles. No one is likable, but the book is great commentary on the exploitation of mass murderers on pop culture as well as the banality of middle America. The cast of Killer Influences have really money and family issues which grounds the story when it gets more macabre. And speaking of macabre, Burzo has a great visual storytelling rhythm going from sleepy smoke stacks to a dead body that will haunt my dreams tonight. Overall: 8 Verdict: Buy

Beast of Boriken #1 (Dark Horse) – In Beast of Boriken #1, Julio Anta, Daniel Irizarri, and Patricio Delpeche tell a ripped-from-the-headlines horror story about the resilience of Puerto Ricans against hurricanes and Western developers. This first issue fleshes out the Flores family and their Paul brother-esque adversary Simon Hunt. And, of course, there’s the titular Beast who gets Delpeche’s darkest colors and Irizarri’s most dynamic line work. Beast of Boriken #1 welcomes you into this sad, yet cathartic world full of activism, a fighting spirit, and a serious badass monster. Justin Jordan and Tony Akins’ black and white backup “Seven Gates” is a different kind of atmospheric horror rooted in urban legends and a crush gone haywire. Overall: 8.7 Verdict: Buy

The Shaolin Cowboy: Staying A.I. Alive #1 (Dark Horse) – Geof Darrow’s laconic Shaolin Cowboy is back for a new miniseries set in a heightened version of our current right wing hellscape. The satire is broad, but there’s something cathartic about a king fu master kicking the literal shit out of some racists or taking a beat before refusing a MAGA hat and wearing a good Ol’ Stetson. Staying AI Alive has the pitch black humor and detailed art that Darrow is known for, and that’s the appeal with the initial plot being a little thin. I love the talking animals though. Overall: 7.6 Verdict: Read

Killer Influences #1 has some depth taking jabs at influencers, branding, and true crime podcasts

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Killer Influences follows Melvin, a serial killer who is aspiring to be one of the most infamous to ever do it, a true American nightmare. His problem? He’s so efficient and methodical that he doesn’t have a brand. No one has connected his crimes—except for Kylie, an aspiring true crime influencer who is flailing at a small-town newspaper. When she comes across Melvin’s crimes and reaches out to him…she figures out how she’s going to become a star. She will give Melvin the identity he needs to be the iconic serial killer he wants to be, while she follows his exploits on her channel and becomes famous. Kylie and Melvin make a pact that will make their dreams come true and destroy their lives in the process.

Story: Joey Esposito
Art: Valeria Burzo
Color: Inaki Azpiazu
Letterer: Alex Ray

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.

Zeus Comics
Kindle

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Preview: Killer Influences #1

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Killer Influences #1

(W) Joey Esposito (A) Valeria Burzo

Killer Influences follows Melvin, a serial killer who is aspiring to be one of the most infamous to ever do it, a true American nightmare. His problem? He’s so efficient and methodical that he doesn’t have a brand. No one has connected his crimes—except for Kylie, an aspiring true crime influencer who is flailing at a small-town newspaper. When she comes across Melvin’s crimes and reaches out to him… she figures out how she’s going to become a star. She will give Melvin the identity he needs to be the iconic serial killer he wants to be, while she follows his exploits on her channel and becomes famous. Kylie and Melvin make a pact that will make their dreams come true and destroy their lives in the process.

Eisner Award nominee Joey Esposito (The Pedestrian, Batman: Urban Legends) and rising-star artist Valeria Burzo (Castle Full of Blackbirds, EC Comics) deliver a scathing and thrilling true crime serial killer saga with Killer Influences!

Killer Influences #1

Preview: Seven Wives #1

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Seven Wives #1

(W) Zoe Tunnell (A) V. Gagnon, Tesslyn Bergin-Dicoi

Forty-nine witnesses, seven wives, one dead husband.

On Monday, April 17, at 9:04 a.m., two police detectives are dispatched to investigate a death on a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints compound in remote Arizona. Matthew Dunn, the patriarch of the Dunn family, has been found stabbed on the pulpit of his temple, basking in the blood-soaked gaze of his savior.

Detectives Aguilar and Halwell begin the arduous task of questioning each of Matthew’s seven wives and quickly encounter a brick wall of memorized Scripture, canned platitudes, and locked lips. It becomes clear that the women’s intricately braided hair, voices with sweet affectations, and modest clothing aren’t just signs of Matthew’s brainwashing but armor they use to protect their family. But with each interrogation, the cracks begin to show — the abuse, the truth of living and surviving in this cult — and the detectives uncover the unholy gospel of Matthew Dunn.

Seven Wives #1

IDW launches IDW Crime, a New Line of Shocks, Thrills, True Crime, and Cult Stories

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IDW Crime

Following the success of the horror imprint IDW Dark, IDW Publishing has announced IDW Crime, a line of gripping crime comic books that explore what it takes to turn a saint into a sinner and revels in the twisted, everyday acts of humans that we just can’t look away from. 

This May, the shocks begin with Seven Wives from writer Zoe Tunnell and rising star artists V Gagnon and Tesslyn Bergin-Dicoi. Forty-nine witnesses, seven wives, one dead husband… Who’s the murderer? As two detectives investigate a death at a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints compound in remote Arizona, the dark mystery will unravel the horrors of brainwashing and deliver a compelling whodunit that will leave readers guessing until the very end.

In July, Eisner Award-nominated writer Joey Esposito and artist Valeria Burzo present the thrilling true crime serial killer saga Killer Influences #1. Melvin’s a serial killer who craves infamy. His problem? He’s so efficient and methodical that he doesn’t have a brand and no one has connected his crimes — except for Kylie, an aspiring true crime influencer who reaches out to him, hoping his story can help her become a star. The unlikely duo will make a pact to accomplish their dreams… and destroy their lives in the process.

Arriving this September is Fixation #1, a chilling cat-and-mouse thrill ride from writer Amy Chase and artist Savanna Mayer which blends true crime tension and thrills with razor-sharp commentary on fandom and toxic addictions. When superfan Taylor Van Owens and her best friend win a contest to stay at the iconic house from their favorite hit vampire book-turned-movie franchise, the two expect a weekend getaway that will live up to every fangirls’ dream, especially with fans descending on the town and the cast reuniting to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the movie. But a young woman was found dead inside the house, and the killer’s taste for blood isn’t finished. The killer is ready to paint the town red to make sure they’ll go down in the franchise’s history. Everyone has a motive, and the most dangerous person in the room isn’t always who it seems…

Fixation #1

The launch titles from the IDW Crime imprint are all three issue limited series, each one 40+ pages for only $4.99 USD.