Normally a Cullen Bunn horror comic is a good bet, especially one set in the backwoods, but this is rubbish. A bunch of redneck stereotypes get mixed up with a supposed vengeance demon who doesn't look remotely demonic, or the least bit like a pumpkin, instead resembling an SFX amateur's first try at Alien. A bunch of other demons turn up for a bit to fight it and pad the story out, and I guess the envy one at least has a nicely creepy design. Otherwise, it all goes exactly where you'd expect. Also, the witch is called Haggis. I wondered if I might have liked it more if I'd seen the film from which it apparently derives, but other reviews suggest not.

When I was a kid, I loved Pumpkinhead. It became a tradition to watch it every year around Halloween for my family. This comic book follows the same premise as the original movie, but adds to the storyline with hillbilly-fueled family rivalry and the other 6 deadly sins.
On the positive, for fans of Pumpkinhead, the gore and determination of Pumpkinhead is on point. There is still a connection between Pumpkinhead and another character, and while that isn't as pronounced as it could have been, the ending of the series does give more insight into this relationship. The artwork is well done and the use of color, especially with the other sins is well-handled.
For negative aspects, the language and text of the book falls flat. It is difficult to pull off a dialect when it isn't heard. While the dialect isn't incorrect, per se, it can be too thick at times. Sometimes the story also seems rushed or too heavy for the volume. Perhaps the storylines will be developed more later.
All in all, any fan of classic 1980s horror and Pumpkinhead himself, should read this quick comic.

I didn't think anything from the Pumpkinhead franchise could be quite this bland and boring, yet here we are.

I loved the 1988 Pumpkinhead movie as a kid. My mom and I had a Blockbuster membership (wow, I feel old), and whenever we had free rentals to use and nothing new was out, we'd see what the cheesiest horror movie we could find was, and I'll never forget us laughing our way through the film, but it was a classic that you couldn't help but enjoy, you know? Sadly, all of the camp and twisted fun is sucked right out of the story in this graphic novel. I found it incredibly boring, and even Pumpkinhead's terrifying destruction couldn't pull me in, sadly.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A good olf fashioned monster graphic novel just in time for Halloween. Lots of gore and slasher fun in this one.

The comic was alright, a basic story for anything part of the Pumpkinhead franchise: hillbillies, vengeance, sheriffs, the works. Nothing stood out save for the part about Pumpkinhead's kin, which I felt was a little too out of place, particularly in their designs. I don't think you need to turn Pumpkinhead into Hellraiser, one demon is enough. The artwork was, again, alright. Pumpkinhead was drawn perfectly and the guest art was especially cool, but the humans and backgrounds and, at times, the coloring seemed like it needed something more.

Honestly, I think my three-star rating was purely fangirl as it was nice to just see Pumpkinhead drawn again. But I don't see readers who've never seen the movie liking this comic, and I completely understand some reviewers giving low ratings. Fans will enjoy the nostalgia, but that's about it.

Don't let the comic get you down, find the movie and give it a watch. It's an old classic creature feature with the well-understood movie moral of don't fuck with hillbillies.

For each mans evils, a special demon exists. This is the premise of the Pumpkinhead comic. It was entertaining but not especially taxing to read. Hillbillies wanting revenge on drug dealers, then more witches and demons get involved and a bloodbath ensues. That’s the gist. Fun, but not incredible.

I received this free from Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors/Dynamite Entertainment. My review is my own.

I didn't see the movie so i am going to review based on this graphic novel. I really loved the demon artworks. Synopsis was really interesting to read. I thought i would be more scarier so it was an enjoyable quick read for me.

Note: I received a copy of Pumpkinhead by Cullen Bunn via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I know a lot of people can relate -- when a book makes you feel absolutely nothing, it's hard to review said book. I didn't dislike Pumpkinhead, but I also didn't enjoy it? There were some gruesome scenes & the art was phenomenal, but I just didn't care much for story as a whole. I guess, at the time of reading it, I was like okay, this is fine -- it's alright, but yet I was still trying to rush through it, just to get it done asap.

I honestly don't know what could have made the story better. It did have rhyme & reason; it all made sense, it flowed nicely together. This is just in the category of forgettable & that really breaks my heart as a horror fan.

Pumpkinhead is a comic book entry in the horror movie franchise of the same name. It is not based on any of the movies, instead telling its own story. The plot is simple, someone has called Pumpkinhead to avenge a death. Only this time the intended target also knows some witches and so Pumpkinhead not only has to kill its target, but also contend with an array of demons, each of which represent a different deadly sin.

The battle between the demons may be one of the biggest draws of this comic, but the majority of the book is instead spent with the different groups of human characters, each with different goals. There are certainly characters that will be more naturally sympathetic than others, but the writing mostly fails to come down on one side in terms of who it expects the reader to root for. There is a moral dilemma brought up in the book, and while I will refrain from spoiling it, it is given the weight it deserves, with no clearly right answer.

As with any continuation of a long established franchise there is the question of whether or not new readers will be able to pick up the book without knowledge of what exactly Pumpkinhead is. This is one way in which the book’s simple plot is advantageous. Pumpkinhead is a demon, Haggis is a witch who watches over it, pumpkinhead will not stop until it is finished. These are all simple, easy to convey and understand concepts that allow the new readers to get to grips with the comic as easily as older fans of the Pumpkinhead series.

This is not just a book for Pumpkinhead fans, but fans of gory horror in general. The art does not just depict gore, it does it with a griminess and a level of seediness that feels lifted directly out of the sort of horror movies that Pumpkinhead exemplifies. If there is any part of this which might disappoint horror fans it’s that the gore is not as plentiful as it could be.

Crucially for horror, the writing maintains a feel of helplessness in the human characters even as it shows them doing their best to fight back or survive with the aid of guns, or fast cars. This is a fight in which most of the main characters are very much caught in the middle of a battle between multiple forces that they clearly can not quite comprehend. No one is glorified here or comes out as some sort of badass, they are just afraid and doing their best.

Alongside the five issues that make up the main story, this collection also includes a backup story which sheds some light on Gluttony, one of the other demons. It delves a little into the dangers they pose even to those who might summon them, and works well as both a cautionary tale and as a chance to gain some insight into the character of Haggis.

This section of the book is in black and white. The paper has a brown tinge to it and the way it is done works with Strahm’s art work in a way makes this section of Pumpkinhead feel even more like an old horror movie.

Pumpkinhead succeeds at translating its subject matter to a new media while telling a new story.. The plot is simple, the characters are engaging, and the visuals are a strong representation of the subject matter, with creepy environments and an engaging cast of characters. This is a good title for horror fans to pick up.

When I first picked up this book, I wasn't really sure what  I was getting into, but I knew it was going to be violent, bloody, and awesome from the very beginning. It begins in Bradley Mountain long ago, with children gathering around the fire with their granny. She tells them that tonight they'll make a powerful choice, and she hopes that they've been paying attention. They need to go out and choose the thing that they will watch over, that the graves will call to them. She tells them to go out and find their demons before their demons find them.

In the present day, however, those children are now ancient. The art is a lot different than the other comics I've read lately, and that just makes the story stand out even more. The sheriff is deep into paperwork due to a recent hit and run, a car struck a horse and buggy full of children.  Though the hillbillies don't trust the law anymore than they trust the person that hit the buggy, they're determined to figure it out on their own terms. That is, until an old woman in a jail cell tells them that something's coming for them, and nothing is going to be able to stop it.

This is when Pumpkinhead is introduced. A massive vengeance demon, he's called up to earth to take care of business. And that's exactly what he does. This book is exciting from the very first page, and I found myself flipping through it so quickly and getting even more excited about it while I was reading it. I couldn't put it down, and I think that's exactly what was needed fort his book. If you love bloody comics full of death and destruction, this is the one for you. Definitely check it out if you get the chance.

Thanks for reading!
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

An interesting horror comic.
The storyline was easy to follow and I really like the style of the illustrations which complemented the story well. The art was well done and filled with vibrant colors. Would recommend to horror fans.
I received this ARC from NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, and Dynamite Entertainment in exchange for an honest review.

Vengeance is a common human desire and, like other human desires, also a dreadful sin. For each sin, there is a demon; the sin given flesh and summoned into the world by people who think they can survive the experience.

After a hit-and-run leaves children dead, a vengeance demon is raised to hunt down those responsible. With no other hope for survival, the demon’s victims raise demons of their own. A rural American community is torn apart – both metaphorically and literally – by inter-demon conflict.

This is a monster story; the major focus of the narrative is on the various demons attacking and fighting. Like all good monster stories, there’s a needlessly-complicated backstory and a strong moral element to who dies and how. Similarly, the titular monster is not a full antagonist – half the time, you’re rooting for it.

The violence is explicit but rarely that graphic – things get crushed and slashed and melted, but it’s not revelled in. This is good – fictional violence should be a means not an end. In fact, I was expecting the comic to tend edgier – it has personifications several mortal sins, but they don’t do much to live up to their reputations.

In fact, demon design is one of the weaker parts of the book. Lust’s most seductive action is beckoning once, and she’s got spider legs. Sloth spits acid and climbs on things – one of those characteristics is strange, the other is bizarre. None of the demons are particularly obviously themselves, and I think that the creators missed a trick here; why use iconic evils if you aren’t going to make them iconic?

Before reading this, I was not familiar with the source material. In fact, I wasn’t aware that there was source material at all. There’s a 1988 film called Pumpkinhead which I understand is the original work. This is not an adaptation though – same general themes, same monster, but a different story and characters.

The monster is called Pumpkinhead because of a bad choice by the original source material – it doesn’t have the head of a pumpkin, though it does rise from a presumably humble pumpkin patch. Other than that detail, pumpkins are unimportant to the narrative; if you were hoping for authentically autumnal horror, then this is not quite what you want.

The art is consistent and clear, which I appreciate – a lot of comics, particularly horror ones, seem to go with a more abstract and impressionistic style. This is fine in theory, but often ends up with confusing images and limited differentiation between the characters. That’s not the case here – it’s always clear who everyone is and who each limb belongs too. There is a supplementary story which is sepia-toned and more abstract, but it’s still clear what is going on.

Pumpkinhead is a satisfying supernatural slasher story in which all the right things happen in the right places. It’s a b-movie in comic form, and I find that that appeals to me.

I picked this up because I wanted a creepy comic to get me in the Halloween mood. I thought the concept was interesting and its definitely creepy, but overall I just wasnt a big fan. This is a media tie in comic and Ive never seen the original content so my review is purely based on what I read. Im not super well versed with this format of story telling, but I have been dipping my toe in recently.

In my opinion this story felt very rushed and like I was missing something important character and world building. I know theres only so much you can add to a comic, but Ive read other ones that do a way better job establishing the world and the characters. The text didnt convey enough and some of it felt like it wasnt in the proper illustration. It just wasnt well done.

With it being rushed you would think every illustration would be important, but they werent. I also wasnt into the art style all that much. The illustration of Pumpkinhead was alright, but some of the characters looked off. Not to mention they seemed pretty clueless at times. I kind of liked the black sheriff and the witches, but not enough to make me care about what was going on.

The fans of the orginal Pumpkinhead might like it more, but I should have passed on this one. It just wasnt for me. I am however kind of interested to see what the movie is all about. I used to watch lots of old horror movies, but its been a while.

I grew up with the movie, so once when I saw this graphic novel, I jumped at the chance to see how true it was to the original.
This is a great rendition on an old b-movie classic with some new twists and turns for readers. With the hillbilly twist, it took a book out of such horror classics like The Chainsaw Massacre and the Hills Have Eyes.
The graphics are pretty sweet and go hauntingly well with the story at hand.
I'm looking forward to the next issue.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel.. I am a huge fan of the original movie & jumped at the chance to read this. The artwork is beautiful ,& the story stayed true to the original concept . I definitely recommend this!

Good story, loved the art, and the hilbillies. Could have been better without the 7 deadly sins aspect, that took away from the vengeance part of the story. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be though. The gore was spot on though.

If you are feeling in the mood for nostalgia, this is a nice comic for October. For those not familiar with the legend, I suggest seeing the 1988 film first.

What the plot lacked in originality, the illustrations made up for. I loved the creature illustrations, especially the full page ones, and the idea behind the origin of Pumpkinhead and his 'kin' was fascinating. However, too much time was wasted on boring dialogues and flight scenes, where not much was going on. Nice graphic in-between read.

Pumpkinhead, the movie, was an outstanding 80s horror classic. Bunn has done an outstanding job recreating that same dark demonic horror in his graphic novel. Definitely will be purchasing for the library and recommending to patrons looking for the dark stuff.

This was your standard horror comic. Taking the Pumpkinhead we all know from the movies and putting him on paper expanded the world and allowed for a bit more lore to be explained, but it wasn't a spectacular read overall.