Blumhouse-Esque Satire: ‘Rumpus Room’ #1 Review

In many ways AWA’s Rumpus Room #1 is something of a departure for writer Mark Russell, but also somewhat familiar in the themes, situations and characters at play in this tense Blumhouse-esque psychological thriller.

Erica Hernandez is looking for her sister, missing for three weeks. And her quest leads her to the front door of billionaire Bob Schrunk. A man readers will immediately dislike for his arrogance and, well, evil nature. You see, Schrunk kidnaps people, who he then harvests to make a highly-illicit skin cream to ease a skin condition he suffers from. And, because he is a billionaire, he seems untouchable. Something he is more than happy to humble-brag about to Erica. Before knocking her out and adding her to his underground prison – the rumpus room of the series’ title – along with the other prisoners there. Unbeknownst to Schrunk, however, is that Erica is a cop. A cop with a gun!

Now considering how dark the subject matter is, the art is deceptively bright, depicting the idyllic world in which a billionaire would live. Clifftop modern mansions overlooking a beautifully calm sea, with crisp, realistic art by Ramon Rosanas. An artist who does a lot with economy of line and finesse. As such, he creates a believable, breathable world in which unbelievable things happen. The light and breezy colours are provided by Ive Svorcina, who darkens the tone deftly and subtly by adding just the right amount of shadow to suggest something isn’t all as glossy and perfect as it would seem. 

Russell has always been a writer who realises that the few have far too much power. But at least he is able to take a well-aimed swipe at these elites through carefully crafted satire; something he did exceptionally well with on his two Billionaire Island series for Ahoy Comics. There are many humorous moments – many delivered as a result of Scrunck’s ego and confident pomposity – but the overall impression left on the reader is one of lingering horrors to come. And that is something I haven’t seen Russell tackle before. It’s something I am intrigued in seeing how he develops this in future issues. Even the collection of modern art we see adorning his partial lawns are purposefully disturbing. And wait until you get a look at his hired goons.

Rumpus Room #1 is a fun and disturbing comic book with exceptional art and observant, sharp scripting that balances satire with shocks perfectly. 

Rumpus Room #1 is out now from AWA Upshot