Advance Review: ‘Exquisite Corpses’ #7 Parties Through A Transitional Issue
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
There’s plenty of action in this issue, just not much in the way of resolution. Still, the visuals are good as always and the foreboding colors set the tone as a small New England town plays host to murderous psychopaths.
Overall
8/10Ahhh the Halloween bonfire party! It’s a rite of passage for many a teen who is too cool for trick or treating but still wants to celebrate the would-be holiday. In the world of Exquisite Corpses, though, this kegger is deadly.
Or rather it should be deadly. There are, after all, plenty of killers running around the small Maine town on October 31st. They are engaged in a contest to kill each other, though some of the psychos find join in taking out anyone and everyone they can. And with the largest gathering of people at the bonfire, bad things should be in store for the ravers.
Unfortunately, this issue is very much transitional in nature. Yes, we see a couple of killers fighting each other in a nearby cemetery, but there’s no resolution. In fact, it feels like writers Michael Walsh and James Tynion IV forgot about the battle or ran out of pages. There’s not even a cliffhanger; the scene just shifts elsewhere.
If there is a resolution to that fight, Walsh and Tynion are saving it for a future issue. That feels like the theme through this seventh chapter. There’s some setup, but no payoff. That said, these two pros know how to tell a great story, and as readers, sometimes we just have to bide our time and wait another month or two to see if pays off. But when it does, it had better be worth the wait.
Walsh partners with Claire Roe on the artistic duties, which are strong. Though with so many characters, it’s difficult to remember who’s who, even if they all have their distinctive looks.
But the real visual hero of this chapter — and largely the series — is colorist Jordie Bellaire. It’s not surprising given her multiple Eisner Award wins, but Bellaire sets the tone better than anyone else could. Each page has a theme color, lots of reds and oranges given the fire, which brings alive the feelings of dread that the town’s residents are feeling as they learn they may be the next victims.
This limited series had originally suffered from a rigid formula where one of the killers died each issue. It may have been predictable, but at least you felt something was happening. With this chapter, we have to wait for any resolution that we crave.
Exquisite Corpses #7 will be available in comic book stores and on digital platforms on Wednesday from Image Comics.
