Tag Archives: where monsters lie

Preview: Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #4

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Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #4

(W) Kyle Starks (A/CA) Piotr Kowalski
In Shops: Feb 12, 2025
SRP: $3.99

The sequel to the breakout hit Where Monster Lies comes to a terrifying conclusion! Special Agent turned Final Girl Connor Hayes and his family are up against a town full of slashers, killers, and witches; can he survive yet another final battle with these monstrous creatures? There’s only one way to find out and that’s to check out the epic final battle!

Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #4

Preview: Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1

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Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1

(W) Kyle Starks (A/CA) Piotr Kowalski
In Shops: Oct 16, 2024
SRP: $3.99

The hit meta-horror comedy by Eisner-nominated writer Kyle Starks returns just in time for Halloween! Come join us, friends, for it’s time to visit another gated community for slashers and meet a new cast of horrible monsters as we return to the world of Where Monsters Lie. Connor Hayes, final girl turned apex monster hunter, has been brought to Site B and expected to be a good little killer, but will he cooperate? And what sort of bone-tingling secrets inhabit this new horror hamlet?

Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1

Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1 is continued WTF laughs

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Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1

Where Monsters Lie was one of my favorite comics of 2023. Now, it gets its next chapter with Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac, and it’s a debut I couldn’t be more excited for.

In the first series, it answered the question as to where all of the serial killers go when they’re not upping their body counts, a quiet community where they all lived. By the end, a federal agent, Connor Hayes, had his revenge against them destroying the community but also became what he wanted to destroy.

Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1 introduces us to another gated community for slashers. It’s a whole new cast of horrible monsters at “Site B,” where the surviving killers and Agent Hayes, have wound up going to after their tragedy. Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1 teases a lot, including that there’s higher up calling the shots, and questions if Agent Hayes will cooperate and become a happy, helpful, serial killer.

Written by Kyle Starks, Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1 continues with moments that’ll cause you to pause and drop a “holy shit” as to what has been said. There’s a comedy about it all that’s part of the charm of the series. It goes extreme so often in so many ways that the series’ dark comedy roots oozes into everything.

Starks and the team also deliver some amazing new killers, much like the first issue. One who only kills for the holidays must head back out and do so sooner, and spends the issue figuring out what holiday works. Will Arbor Day be ok? How do the kills work into that theme? If that simple bit of debate get you to chuckle, you’ll appreciate the comic which is packed with quick comedic hits along with the more messed up moments.

Starks again is joined by Piotr Kowalski who handles the art, color by Vladimir Popov, and lettering by Josh Reed. Much like the first series, part of the comedic fun of the comic are the visuals. The killers themselves are extremes visually and you’re often guessing what their theme is before they even get a proper introduction. The body language, the head movement, add to the dialogue to help create awkward hilarity.

Like so many horror series, it’s hard to top the original. You need to ramp things up in unexpected ways and Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1 does that. Much like the original, it caused me to pause and laugh, a smirk on my face at the twisted ideas, and has me excited to see what’s next.

Story: Kyle Starks Art: Piotr Kowalski
Color: Vladimir Popov Letterer: Joshua Reed
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

Preview: Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1

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Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1

(W) Kyle Starks (A/CA) Piotr Kowalski
In Shops: Oct 16, 2024
SRP: $3.99

The hit meta-horror comedy by Eisner-nominated writer Kyle Starks returns just in time for Halloween! Come join us, friends, for it’s time to visit another gated community for slashers and meet a new cast of horrible monsters as we return to the world of Where Monsters Lie. Connor Hayes, final girl turned apex monster hunter, has been brought to Site B and expected to be a good little killer, but will he cooperate? And what sort of bone-tingling secrets inhabit this new horror hamlet?

Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1

Early Review: Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1 is continued WTF laughs

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Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1

Where Monsters Lie was one of my favorite comics of 2023. Later this year, it gets its next chapter with Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac, whose first issue comes to comic shops on October 16, 2024.

In the first series, it answered the question as to where all of the serial killers go when they’re not upping their body counts, a quiet community where they all lived. By the end, a federal agent, Connor Hayes, had his revenge against them destroying the community but also became what he wanted to destroy.

Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1 introduces us to another gated community for slashers. It’s a whole new cast of horrible monsters at “Site B,” where the surviving killers and Agent Hayes, have wound up going to after their tragedy. Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1 teases a lot, including that there’s higher up calling the shots, and questions if Agent Hayes will cooperate and become a happy, helpful, serial killer.

Written by Kyle Starks, Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1 continues with moments that’ll cause you to pause and drop a “holy shit” as to what has been said. There’s a comedy about it all that’s part of the charm of the series. It goes extreme so often in so many ways that the series’ dark comedy roots oozes into everything.

Starks and the team also deliver some amazing new killers, much like the first issue. One who only kills for the holidays must head back out and do so sooner, and spends the issue figuring out what holiday works. Will Arbor Day be ok? How do the kills work into that theme? If that simple bit of debate get you to chuckle, you’ll appreciate the comic which is packed with quick comedic hits along with the more messed up moments.

Starks again is joined by Piotr Kowalski who handles the art, color by Vladimir Popov, and lettering by Josh Reed. Much like the first series, part of the comedic fun of the comic are the visuals. The killers themselves are extremes visually and you’re often guessing what their theme is before they even get a proper introduction. The body language, the head movement, add to the dialogue to help create awkward hilarity.

Like so many horror series, it’s hard to top the original. You need to ramp things up in unexpected ways and Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1 does that. Much like the original, it caused me to pause and laugh, a smirk on my face at the twisted ideas, and has me excited to see what’s next.

Story: Kyle Starks Art: Piotr Kowalski
Color: Vladimir Popov Letterer: Joshua Reed
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Pre-Order: TFAW – Kindle

Return to Where Monsters Lie with Cull-De-Sac

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Slashers always come back for more, so it should be no surprise that Wilmurst and all its residents will return in Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac, the next volume in Kyle Starks and Piotr Kowalski’s Where Monsters Lie series. The hit meta-horror comedy by Eisner Award-nominated writer Starks, illustrator Kowalski, colorist Vladimir Popov, and letterer Josh Reed returns just in time for Halloween.

Come join us, friends, for it’s time to visit another gated community for slashers! Meet a new cast of horrible monsters as we return to the world of Where Monsters Lie. Connor Hayes, final boy turned apex monster hunter, has been brought to Site B and expected to be a good little killer, but will he cooperate? And what sort of bone-tingling secrets inhabit this new horror hamlet?

Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #1 (of 4) will be available in comic shops on October 16, 2024. It is now available to pre-order from your local comic shop for $3.99.

Where Monsters Lie #4 wraps things up and leaves us wanting more

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Where Monsters Lie #4

This is it, the finale to the series that answers the question as to where serial killers go when they’re not killing. The monsters residing at Wilmhurst find their secret haven’s time cut short as law enforcement has come knocking at their door for a bloody showdown. With things not looking good, where does the society go from there? Where Monsters Lie #4 wraps things up but also leaves us wanting more.

Written by Kyle Starks, there’s been an absurdity to Where Monsters Lie that has kept readers on their toes and laughing a lot. First there’s just the concept of a town where serial killers go when they’re not doing their thing. Then there’s a police raid that goes horribly wrong. There’s the killers themselves and the symphony of death throughout the comic.

Where Monsters Lie #4 continues all of that as the showdown wraps up and we’re left with where things go from here. It’s that ending that both works and doesn’t. It’s not a clean ending, leaving a lot still to go, perfect for setting up a second volume which will hopefully come.

But, Where Monsters Lie #4 continues to do what it does best, ridiculous moments that’ll get readers to laugh at the over-the-top moments and situations. There’s nothing subtle about the comic, it does everything to the extreme. That involves the opening which not only has a dastardly trap to escape from but a debate about what a “puzzle” really is.

Part of the laughs comes from Piotr Kowalski‘s art with color by Vladimir Popov and letterer Joshua Reed. Where Monsters Lie #4 does an excellent job of shocking visual moments but not lingering on the gory aspects. And, where there is gore, it’s done in such a way that makes the situation even funnier. It’s the difference between realistic, not realistic but bloody/gory, and not realistic and lingering on the blood shooting out for so long that it becomes funny. That last example is where the visuals land with saws, flamethrowers, and explosions delivering the cacophony of destruction.

Where Monsters Lie #4 is a good ending to this series though not great. The comic works as an ending but leaves a bit too much in a “to be continued,” though it wraps up with “the end.” Hopefully things do continue and this is just the start of something more, there’s a lot of ways it can go from here. But, as an exclamation of an ending, it doesn’t quite nail things. A small change and it would but as is, it’s a little bit of a clunker.

Story: Kyle Starks Art: Piotr Kowalski
Color: Vladimir Popov Letterer: Joshua Reed
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.2 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Animal Castle Vol. 2 #1

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.

Animal Castle Vol. 2 #1 (Ablaze) – A really interesting new take on the classic book Animal Farm.

Astrobots #1 (Massive/Whatnot) – The art for this looks amazing and is about machine lifeforms called Astrobots who scout worlds for humanity and one world where a society of them is rising and humankind is not included in their plans.

Carnage Reigns Alpha #1/Cult of Carnage: Misery #1/Edge of Spider-Verse #1 (Marvel) – There’s a lot going on the fans of Marvel’s Spider-Man corner of their universe. There’s more multiverse action to enjoy and Carnage faces off against Miles Morales!

Hairball #2 (Dark Horse) – As the young girl’s black cat continues to plague her family with horror and tragedy, she decides she must take matters into her own hands to put an end to the feline’s evil ways. The first issue was some impressive an unnerving horror.

History of Japan in Manga (Tuttle Publishing) – The History of Japan in Manga tells the action-packed saga of Japan from its misty origins up to the present day.

Impossible People: A Completely Average Recovery Story (Black Dog & Leventhal) – Julia Wertz chronicles her haphazard attempts at sobriety and the relentlessly challenging, surprisingly funny, and occasionally absurd cycle of addiction and recovery.

Lamentation #1 (Oni Press) – New horror from Cullen Bunn, Hillary Jenkins, and Simon Bowland? Yes please!

Monomyth #1 (Mad Cave Studios) – Magic is all but extinct. When the last ailing wizard casts a final desperate spell to summon the descendants of ancient bloodlines to a school for magic now in disrepair…those chosen ones find a horror of the likes they’ve never experienced. The concept sounds great.

Parker Girls #7 (Abstract Studios) – Every issue has been a great mix of humor and action.

Peacemaker: Tries Hard #1 (DC Comics) – Peacemaker is asked to help steal the world’s most valuable and dangerous DNA!

Shazam #1 (DC Comics) – Mark Waid and Dan Mora taking on Shazam!. Nuff said.

Starsigns #1 (Image Comics) – The constellations of the zodiac fall to earth, granting twelve ordinary people from very different walks of life the superhuman powers of the Starsigns. The concept sounds interesting with a astrology meets X-Men/Heroes spin.

Survival #1 (Dark Horse) – A plane crash leads to a creature bringing ancient terror to the Alaska wilderness.

Where Monsters Lie #4 (Dark Horse) – The series has been fantastic with a mix of a lot of laughs and over-the-top violence.

X-Men: Before the Fall – Sons of X #1 (Marvel) – A series of one-shots kick off with this one seeing Legion taking on Nimrod and more moves from Mother Righteous.

Where Monsters Lie #3 continues the killer insanity

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Where Monsters Lie #3

The monsters residing at Wilmhurst find their secret haven’s time cut short as law enforcement comes knocking at their door for a bloody showdown. Where Monsters Lie #3 continues the over the top holy shit nature of the series as bullets fly and bodies burn.

Written by Kyle Starks, Where Monsters Lie #3 continues a series that has you pausing a lot with utterances of “holy shit.” The comic takes everything to the extreme delivering laughter throughout, laughter you know you should be doing. It’s one of those stories where everything is so over the top, it’s hard to not just enjoy the absurdity of it all.

The town of killers has been raided by the cops and a battle is now raging. Clowns with flamethrowers, dolls with guns, it’s all so goofy it’s hard to not enjoy the cathartic violence within.

But, Starks gives pause throughout the issue as the police, and even the killers, ponder what’s going on. There’s dialogue that’s as funny as the absurd visuals adding to the enjoyment of it all. The comic’s enjoyment is truly in the extreme of it all.

That extreme is delivered visually by Piotr Kowalski. Kowalski continues to make what shouldn’t be ok truly hilarious. Vladimir Popov joins on color and Joshua Reed handles the lettering. It all is visually fun and just the right amount of over the top and extreme. The character continue to be some of the best things about the comic with personalities and concepts that are just perfect for a comic. These all feel like rejects for horror franchises that never happened, and I’m here for all of it. The designs and their kills are just perfect.

Where Monsters Lie #3 continues a series whose concept is solid to start but whose delivery is executed so well. It’s comedic in every moment and takes the serial killer horror concept to extreme levels and silliness. It’s a fun comic, where the chaos is part of the draw and enjoyment.

Story: Kyle Starks Art: Piotr Kowalski
Color: Vladimir Popov Letterer: Joshua Reed
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Hairball #1

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.

Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #2 (DC Comics) – The first issue was a bit slow but we want to see Jon deal with some of the worst versions of Superman out there.

Disney Villains: Scar #1 (Dynamite Entertainment) – The Lion King villain gets the spotlight. So far, Dynamite’s “Disney comics” have been pretty solid.

Hairball #1 (Dark Horse Comics/Flux House) – Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins do horror. Yeah, this is on the list easily.

Junk Rabbit #1 (Image Comics) – A new hero rises from mountains of consumer waste, mass homelessness, and devastating climate change. A hero rises from climate disaster. We’re intrigued.

Magic #25 (BOOM! Studios) – The series wraps up here and we’re not sure how it pulls it all off in an issue.

The Nasty #1 (Vault Comics) – A story about the perception of evil, the power of genre, the love of fandom, the need to create art, oh, and crap-your-pants TERROR! A new horror comic? There’s been a solid run of new releases so far.

Planet of the Apes #1 (Marvel) – We’re excited to see what this new era of this classic franchise brings.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Dog of War #1 (IDW Publishing) – A “lost episode where Quark purchases an extremely rare purebred corgi from Earth.

Samurai Doggy #5 (AfterShock) – The art has been amazing with every issue in this western meets sci-fi.

Second Coming: Trinity #1 (AHOY Comics) – Jesus Christ, the Son of God, tackles his biggest challenge in 2000 years: babysitting a child with super powers! That bit alone has us hooked.

Where Monsters Lie #3 (Dark Horse) – The series about what happens in a community where serial killers spend their time off has been amazing so far.

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