The second horror comic I've recently read that exploits the true horror of Unit 731. Unit 731 was a Japanese project during WW2 where all kinds of horrific experiments were done to prisoners of war - think live operations where the victim is fully awake, experiments with diseases, explosives, the list is extensive and shocking.

You could do a respectful comic about this subject, but no, we just keep using it for cheap horror, and it's reprehensible.

It doesn't help that what we get is an extremely clichéd serial killer story - a main character who thinks he's losing his mind, a serial killer who does little shitty quips.

The serial killer looks ridiculous - there's a panel where he jumps into the air, and I actually laughed out loud.

The story just suddenly ends, you're not getting an actual fully fleshed out story arc.

I get it, Cullen Bunn has really embraced the idea that he's some kind of comics Stephen King, but he just keeps churning out clichéd stuff that is never actually frightening. Except for exploiting Unit 731, I guess that's really quite horrible. Well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Summary: When a serial killer is on the loose in Honduras, a group of Doctors must follow the trail of blood while uncovering ghastly truths from their own pasts.

4/5 stars
Spot on for horror. I had to educate myself on Unit 731, but it just upped the horror factor. The cat and mouse game had me intrigued and the flashbacks gave just enough information to keep me wanting to know more. I'd definitely read volume two.

Title: A Legacy of Violence
Author: Cullen Bunn
Illustrator: Andrea Mutti
Release Date: October 12th, 2022
Page Count: 96
Format: Graphic Novel
Start Date: April 12th, 2023
Finish Date: April 12th, 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

Review:

I really enjoyed this book very much. I finished it in less than an hour. It was a bit all over the place, but it was intriguing enough to catch my attention. I haven't really liked reading graphic novels on tablets before, but this one was very easy to read on it. It could be the novel itself. It could be that my reading tablet is just that amazing. Who knows? But I digress. This is also the first graphic novel I've read in a while. I hope to read more soon. I'll definitely find a way to read the rest of these volumes when they are released. Fully recommend this for anybody who loves horror stories and stories of serial killers.

Important to Note: Violence, Gore, Horror, Serial Killer

Wow this graphic novel really pulled me in and would not let me go! I love the story and the drawing is fantastic. I can't wait to read more!

A Legacy of Violence was pretty interesting to me. I’ll read the next volume for sure, as I’m curious how everything is going to play out. However, the art pulled me out of the story trying to figure out who everyone was. That’s my only gripe.

Thank you to the publishers for a copy through NetGalley.

I quite like Cullen Bunn. This one has some nice gore and a strange familial conspiracy running through it.

Nick is a young surgeon in Atlanta. He's having a fine day, until someone comes into the hospital, seems to attack him, and dies after whispering cryptically something about Unit 731.

Cut to some months later, and he's joined Doctors Without Borders. He's in South America, ready to start fresh. And then the same thing happens. There is also a strange, mysterious door in the derelict hospital the doctors are using. And then a co-worker disappears.

Unit 731 is haunting him, and it might have something to do with his grandfather...

The art is decent, although I'd prefer a bit more detailed grue; that's just me. The 90 or so pages flew by, and I can't wait to see what happens next in the series.

I love a good gruesome horror mystery.

Always enjoy books by Cullen Bunn, and this was no exception. Enjoyed the characters, plot, and pacing. Can't wait for more from Cullen Bunn. #ALegacyofViolence #NetGalley

Great intriguing story. Keeps you guessing and wanting for more. Not as much dialogue but the story behind is very interesting. What happens next?

Vol 2 please!

I really enjoyed A Legacy of Violence, Vol. 1. The image style and word-image relationships and references were superb! The storyline was so intriguing I consumed it in one sitting.

I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A guy in a Great Value Punisher logo mask is torturing and killing people in a village in Honduras. Enter a team of doctors from Doctors without Borders. One of the doctors had some kind of tragedy happen with his grandfather when he was a kid. (This is only the first four issues of a 12 issue maxiseries.) Now the killer seems to be focusing on him while murdering others for some reason and he keeps hearing the words Unit 731 (which is a unit of the Japanese military that experimented on prisoners in World War II).

I feel like this would be much better if Andrea Mutti wasn't doing all of the art and coloring. The only way you can tell the characters apart is by their haircut. All of the Caucasians look jaundiced. He's the exception to the rule that all watercolors look great. His art has gotten sloppier and sloppier over the years and he could clearly use some help with the artwork.

[3.5 stars]

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I really liked the gruesome art in here, especially the skinning scene and the last page, which I just can't explain how cool it looks (but not to actually experience it lol). However, there weren't much introductions and I mistook someone for another multiple times. It's an interesting start for this series, though.

A Legacy of Violence, Volume 1 – Mad Cave – Bunn Mutti Wooten Graphic Novel 90pgs
In A Legacy of Violence, Volume 1, the graphic novel follows Dr Nick Shaw as he works first at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia and later on a humanitarian mission in Honduras.
The first page introduces the ambiguous killer who’s torturing a man strapped on a table. He’s ominous but you’re not sure how dangerous he is yet. The man on the table shows up at Dr. Shaw’s hospital and he’s told to visit the patient in room 4 that has extensively self harmed himself. When Nick gets in the room he finds the patient strapped down on the bed. He seems to be in some sort of mental emergency, telling the doctor he didn’t do this to himself. When the patient learns the doctor’s name he gets even more agitated and busts through all of the restraints he was in. He tackles Nick and in an ensuing fight whispers, “Unit 731.” into Nick’s ear then dies. We learn Unit 731 has special meaning to Dr. Nick Shaw, he heard it as a kid. The mystery of Unit 731 and the killer introduced to us is the main story of the book.
The writer, Cullen Bunn, is VERY familiar to me. He wrote The Sixth Gun from Oni Press. Both Matt and I talked about this series on Seattle Geekly and how we loved that series. Bunn has written for Marvel Comics and writes short fiction and has a middle reader horror novel, Crooked Hills.
The artist of the book, Andrea Mutti, is an Italian comic book artist that has a definite art style. When the story gets to Honduras his art style seems more suited for Central America’s lush but wild setting.
I’m a fan of horror comics, obviously The Walking Dead, 30 Days of Night, and Hack/Slash so I found this book captivating. The writing just lets you hang for a bit before you get more information. I love well paced stories like this. When it’s done well it makes you read faster.
Which is the only problem I had with it, I read it so fast the book ended: I NEED Volume 2. The book is only 90 pages long. Long enough to read in one sitting and it leaves you wanting MORE.
Definitely worth a read if you’re a fan of horror comics, but it might be a bit graphic for those not horror fans. The digital copy I read was perfect, colors vibrant and I really hope this catches on because the story is so good. 5/5 stars

I am so disappointed with this one. Nothing really happened. I realize its vol 1 but nothing kept me going needing vol 2. I enjoyed the artwork, but thats about it.

I really really wanted to like A Legacy of Violence. I'm a huge horror fan and love dark, macabre narratives. I can stomach gore easily and am totally fine with heavy themes. This one failed on every level for me and it pains me to write such a negative review, especially since the publisher graciously provided me with an ARC.

First off, the art is good. It's on the rougher side but I think that adds a fitting amount of grittiness to the visuals. It was definitely what I liked most about the comic book.
Narratively, it is a complete mess imo. The name "Unit 731" gets dropped early on in the story as a sort of hook to make the reader want to learn more about it. I study Japanese Studies, so I am well aware of the absolutely stomach-turning war crimes the Japanese military committed, including this one. As such, this hook lost all mystery and I was instead scared of how the subject matter would be handled. It wasn't dealt with over the course of the first volume, so I can't speak further on this matter. I only know that I personally wasn't a fan of how it was dangled in front of the reader as this mysterious hook to follow and I sincerely hope it won't turn out to only serve as a plot device. I am pretty sure that anyone who did research on Unit 731 will handle it with respect. It was only the way it was used to string the reader along that was absolutely not my cup of tea and rubbed me the wrong way, which is ABSOLUTELY not to say that Cullen Bunn will not incorporate it respectfully in future volumes.

Other than that, there's not much there. Not one character was memorable and I didn't feel gripped by the narrative. I just didn't care and didn't feel anything. While I'm a-okay with violence in horror (obvsly), I like it to have a purpose other than "oh look human in pain so killer bad". Since I didn't really know any of the victims and had no clue about the killer and their motivation, it just felt senseless (and not in a "wow this makes a point about the senselessness of violence"-way).
The ending was incredibly abrupt and I found myself going "...really?" So yeah, idk, I guess this one really wasn't for me AT ALL. I think I just like different types of horror more. I hate to give it such a bad rating but I gotta be honest here.

- ARC provided by NetGalley -

This is such a tough book to rate right now. A Legacy of Violence Volume 1 collects the first 4 issues(of 12), and it's practically all setup. The characters are largely undeveloped so far, even our protagonist Dr. Nick Shaw. Not much is known about his background, nor his connection to Unit 731 and our masked serial killer. There are just so many questions and not enough answers. I have to admit, Cullen Bunn's reputation as a horror comic book writer is carrying a lot of weight for me here.

What's helping keep me invested is the art of Andrea Mutti. His style matches the tone of the story perfectly, with it's gritty tones and messy lines. There were a few moments that took me by surprise with just how violent the kills were. The color palette of cool blues and harsh yellow-greens helped set the mood as well.

Overall, I'd say the introduction was just enticing enough to make me want to read the next volume. I'm giving it 3 stars just because not enough has happened for me to make judgment as a whole, but I'm cautiously optimistic about where the story goes from here.

Thank you to Mad Cave Studios and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This horror graphic novel was such a fun read. I will definitely be reading the following volumes.
I gave this story 4 out of 5 stars.

This story revolves around a doctor who is being stalked by a serial killer on the loose in Honduras. When Dr. Shaw joins a humanitarian medical relief in Honduras, he hopes to recover from a recent traumatic event and actually help those in need. But something sinister followed Dr. Shaw here, something that wants to put his medical skills to ghastly tests. Something is connected to this doctor's past and to horrors that occurred long before he was born… This story is very dark. Perfect for extreme horror fans and fans of the Saw or Hostel movie franchises.

So, I'm definitely intrigued! Parts of the story seem a bit off, a bit slow, and I could see the ending coming from a mile away. Sort of? I could see it coming, but the reason for it I'm still not sure of. I've got a lot of questions, but I think that's just the nature of first volumes where you have to spend most of the time introducing the characters and the setting, building up the backstory. I think this could turn into a great series with some more fleshing out. ...Pun not intended.

As for the art, it was ok but wow, some of the more gross and gory art for this was incredible. Those pops of real horror really made this.

Overall a pretty solid start, I'm definitely drawn in enough and have enough questions to want to read more!

ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

I have to say this is one of the goriest short comics I have ever read. Throughout the whole story, I was stuck in suspense with the storyline and gore. The back and forth between the past and the present of how Dr. Shaw came to be in a foreign country as a doctor kind of did not link up for me. I was still trying to understand what it was that caused the younger version of him to be so traumatized, and then understand how he became an functional adult. I wish I could have learned more about the motive behind the serial killer and how Dr. Nick Shaw came to be in the middle of the situation. While this really was an interesting book, I am dying to know more by the end of it that I'm not sure where to go from here. I hope that there will be more to the story later in the future, and I hope the author appreciates my feedback.

As always, I’d like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

Given that I am a fan of works containing all things gore, true crime and mystery, it was absolutely necessary for me to get my hands on this book. The synopsis intrigued me and I wanted to find out more. I managed to finish the graphic novel in one sitting as it wasn’t too long and the length was just enough to keep my attention.

I think it was a relatively average piece of work in terms of the plot and its development as the book is solely the first volume and the storylines will hopefully develop further in the series. I was hoping to get more scenes with the antagonist/villain as he was the centerpiece of the whole plot. With the exception of the antagonist, the rest of the characters had little to no unique traits and were hard to distinguish between.

I wish the plot had been something shocking and more creative, however, I believe that there’s room for further improvement in this area in the upcoming volumes. In terms of the art style, it was pleasant to look at and was quite practical when it comes to the use of colors while differentiating between the present and the past.

Overall, I would most likely read the sequel as I’m interested in seeing where the story goes. As of right now though, the book didn’t stick out to me as much as i hoped it would.

The kills are gory and the art is fine, but overall the story is kind of boring. Someone is killing people to get the doctor's attention. One doctor has a traumatic past and may know more about what's happening than he realizes. It also hinges around the elusive "unit 731", a fact that is repeated ad nauseam throughout the volume. None of the characters are really developed and I'm not invested enough to uncover the mystery. Definitely not Cullen Bunn's best writing.