Every 5 years, the 13 richest families that rule the USA, get together to play a game on Halloween. Pick a weapon from the previous years’ games, pick a place in rural America and seal it off from the world, and pick a killer to represent the family. Kill each other until one survives and that family will rule America until the next game. Some pick professionals, some pick the seriously unhinged. Oak Valley has no idea what will happen in their small town this Halloween night.
OMG I need to read the next volume NOW!

#ThxNetGalley #JamesTynionIV #MichaelWalsh #PornsakPichetshote #ExquisiteCorpsesVolume1

Every five years on Halloween night, the wealthiest families in America hold a contest to be the top family. Each one selects a killer to be dropped into a small, unsuspecting town, where they battle until only one remains. But the assassins, serial killers and other psychopaths don't just try to take each other out; they're free to satisfy their darkest urges on anyone they run into.
The story starts out dropping the reader right in, wondering just what's going on. While it takes a little while to properly set the scene, once everything starts to click into place, it becomes a non-stop thrill ride that only amps up more and more. To a degree, it brought to mind Kyle Starks' "Where Monsters Lie," though this was much more nuanced and carefully plotted out. The story is almost like The Purge mixed with The Hunger Games mixed with Halloween. Even with all the wild, out there and unique horror comics Tynion has written before, this one may just be his most gloriously messed up one yet.

This was absolutely amazing and I adored every second of it. This is battle royal x Alice in borderland. I’ll definitely be buying this and the rest of the series.

Please, consider me for the arc of future volumes. This was amazing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!


This is a fun and gory read snd my first from this creator. I’m super interested to read the rest!

Ah this is so sick and twisted in the best ways. Right off the bat the story gets you in the right mood—it’s atmospheric, the colours are perfect in creating this vibe that captures the time of the year, Halloween, with the darker and more sinister undertones of the death game that is going to ruin this town. The exposition is really well done, and I found myself very invested in both the normies and some of the killers. It’s giving hunger games except you set all the killers loose in district 12 and most of the people don’t even know they’re playing. I was reading with my eyes glued to every panel, every speech bubble, and the art that absolutely just slays, whenI ran out of pages I didn’t even realize it was the end of volume one at first, and my devastation when I did—it’s safe to say I’ll be here for more. I already want some people dead, and some people to survive, but if this first volume is proof of anything, this is going to be a gruesomely bloody series and I look forward to reading the rest.

I had a lot of fun with this! I'm not normally a comic reader, but I wanted to give this one a shot because I loved the art style and the premise. There were a lot of little artistic nuances in the panels that really gave the narrative edge, and I appreciated finding those here and there.

In particular, I thought the style behind each killer's introduction was brilliant, and added such a nice pop of color in the middle of the conversations. You can tell the artists know what they're doing. I'm rooting for the arrow and her sister, though I don't have a good feeling about their futures. I'm interested in following up on this story and see how the game unfolds!

So far loving the vibes.

The introduction to our players was perfect and the world building was woven throughout this volume masterfully. Overall I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next in this game of death.

If you are a fan of the purge franchise or death games in general I’d add this book next in your list.

Ahhh! This was such a fun introductory volume to this world! It felt like The Purge x The Hunger with a whole bunch of fun horror movie tropes included. The art still was super cool and visually impactful! I will 100% be picking up the next volumes. I was a little scared it would be hard to keep track of all the different families but the colour schemes ised made it so easy to keep on track. A very easy story to recommend to the right audience!!

Gore, mayhem, and terror have never looked so stylish.

America is controlled by ultra-rich families possessed of staggering generational wealth, obviously, I mean, come on.

But unlike real life, every year the thirteen families seal off a small American town from the outside world to use as an arena for their champions to fight in a Battle Royale on Halloween night. The last killer standing wins wealth beyond imagination and the family he represents gains control of America for one year. To add to the chaos, the town picked for the gruesome games is still inhabited and its residents are caught in the crossfire.
The strong premise of this comic was more than borne out with the help of clever writing and stunning visuals. I really can’t say enough good things about the art direction in this comic. The characters are visually distinct, the killers get cute little Mortal Kombat style intro panels, the violence is shocking while always being on just this side of “too much”.

While the killers themselves and the evil, billionaire (a redundant adjective, I know) families they represent do tend to steal whatever scene they’re in, you do care about what happens to the towns people as well. If anything happens to our protagonists or the annoying kid they’re baby-sitting I might just lose it. The world building is interesting and detailed without getting bogged down in minutiae or taking its faintly ludicrous premise too seriously.

This collection provided and interesting taste and I’m dying to know what happens next!

"Exquisite Corpses Volume 1" is perfection. This is how to do a pulse-pounding horror graphic novel. The story and art snare readers and take them into a very dark place with such style and unforgettable plotting that I couldn't pull my attention away long enough to drink some water.

How messed up is the world that this graphic novel seems a little too close to reality? The premise is crazy, yet we should all shudder at the realization that these warped characters -- the uber rich as well as their killer pawns -- could easily be pulled from the daily news.

The artwork... wow, how do I put this in words? Beautifully disturbing? Vivid and horrifying? Stylistic yet not overdone? It's just so good, with a classic noir layer to it that I appreciate. The whole thing is a vibe. I loved the colors used and the detailed imagery worked perfectly.

James Tynion IV, Michael Walsh, and Pornsak Pichetshote have a gorgeous nightmare baby on their hands. I need more.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

Exquisite Corpses is brutal, fast, and addictive. Tynion sets twelve killers loose in one town on Halloween night, and only one will survive. Each issue shifts tone and style with a new artist, giving the series a chaotic anthology feel while still pushing the story forward. It’s part slasher, part survival game, part horror experiment—and it works. If you like Battle Royale, The Purge, or The Hunt, this is one to grab.

Excellent kick-off to a new series. Stellar art from Michael Walsh really made this pop. Great character design and an excellent colourist made this really work.
The pacing of Tynion’s story is strong. Interesting take on a Battle Royale trope. Great for readers / Fans of Department of Truth, or Crossover.

The blurb wasn't lying. This is literally the demon child that would be created if Hunger Games and The Purge could have a baby. It was super fun to read. For such a short volume, there are a TON of characters to keep track of. But each one is introduced in a way that's compelling enough to get you invested without being overwhelmed by just how much is going on. This is a super violent story, but the art wasn't overly gory. It's pretty much what I would expect from a horror story. I need the next installment immediately. I want ot know how it all ends!

Exquisite Corpses Volume 1 is a wildly creative and gorgeously unsettling experiment in collaborative horror. With James Tynion IV, Michael Walsh, and Pornsak Pichetshote each bringing their own unique vision, the result is a collection of stories that are as inventive as they are disturbing. The shifting styles kept me on edge in the best way—never quite knowing what to expect on the next page.
That said, the very nature of the format means not every piece hit me equally hard; some stories landed with unforgettable impact, while others felt more like intriguing sketches. But even when the pacing or tone shifted, I appreciated how ambitious and fearless the whole volume is.
Overall, it’s a strong start to what feels like an exciting, boundary-pushing series—perfect for readers who like their horror dark, strange, and a little experimental.

Interesting Battle Royale esque premise, except enacted on a small town, and we split between the people trying to live through, the room where everyone is watching, and the killers. I like the premise of switching up the writers and artists each issue given the larger size, too. Interested to see how this turns out.

Perfect for fans of gore, horror, slashers and serial killers, and also perfect for a Halloween read! This is graphically gory, viciously violent, and has trigger warnings for: death, gore, deaths of children, deaths of infants — though in this first volume, the dog does not die. There are hints of intricate backstories for all of the players, from the rich and powerful to their hired killers descending on a small town to wreak havoc for fun and profit, and the small town characters are, for the most part, just normal people.

The book ends on a cliffhanger — which means that fans will have to either wait for the next collection or find the individual volumes. The art is gorgeous, the character designs allow for each of the thirteen villains and their respective thirteen killers to have a uniqe flair while also giving the citizens of this doomed town time to shine. The dialogue is good, but it goes a little heavy when the villains are monloguing about their evil plans.

The action scenes are easy to follow and the gore is well done; enough to convey the violence and horror without making it gratuitous. The killers all have names and gimmicks, which each one having a different weapon type (gun, knife, electricity, hands, etc;) making some very nice challenges. All in all, I had a lot of fun with this and will be eagerly looking for the next one.

Thank you very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

I want more! Exquisite Corpses Volume 1 tells a story of the 12 wealthiest families in the U.S. and the deadly game they play every 5 years on Halloween. Each family selects a killer to play on their behalf to win them power over the other families. The killers are dropped off in a small town with the goal to kill to win.

What a fun read! I really like how each killer was introduced and the how the story unfolded. I enjoyed the characters' design and illustrations. The colors pop out of the page. Looking forward to volume 2!

Thank you, NetGalley and Image Comics, for the ARC.

A CAN'T MISS BATTLE TO THE DEATH!

James Tynion IV teams up with an amazing creative team to deliver one of the most jaw-dropping exciting stories that I have read this year! Exquisite Corpses starts with a theme that I think Tynion enjoys exploring: a hidden cabal pulling the strings of our country. Exquisitie Corpses introduces us to the ruling families of the United States, 13 states, each with a stake in controlling the world. However, the terms and conditions require the families to use the darkest killers alive to battle it out to determine which family will get to rule.

The introduction of these characters within this story plays out like the Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter games. You get an introduction to their selected weapon and then the flashy art of the killer. This was genuinely one of my favorite components of this story. It was written in such an exhilarating way. It's also built upon stereotypes that translate into memorable fighter details. From this introduction, readers are also introduced to the environment for this epic battle to play out. A small town in the middle of nowhere will be hosting this battle to the death. There are casualties and destruction that gave me chills (AND THIS IS ONLY VOLUME 1!). There are so many things to enjoy in this first volume and there is so much to anticipate. You do not want to miss this story, and I'll be following closely for more released updates!

Every five years, thirteen wealthy families get together to play a game on Halloween. Each family picks a weapon, finds a killer to use it, and lets them loose on an isolated town to kill each other and whoever gets in their way. The hired killers include serial killers, psychopaths, and professional killers. Exquisite Corpses traces the competition through the killers, the wealthy families' squabbles, and the civilians who happen to get in the way. Its The Purge meets The Hunger Games. Volume 1 collects the first three issues of the series (though the first issue is triple-sized so it evens out), so it does a lot of table setting and characters are slowly getting into place and coming into bloody conflict. James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh have crafted one of my favorite series of the year, with fun and creative killers and some unique twists on horror tropes. Get into the series now to experience all the bloodshed and competition.

Thank you to Image Comics and NetGalley for a copy of Exquisite Corpses Volume 1 in exchange for an honest review.

this feels like The Hunger Games meets The Boys and i kinda love it?? im so desperate to find out more about this world and see who comes out on top!! in such a short amount of time they have made me care about some of the characters and i so badly want to know what happens to them. definitely looking forward to whatever comes next!!

This is rated in my top 5 favorite books for 2025. Ive always been a fan, so I was excited and grateful to receive an ARC. I was having so much fun, I was quite upset at the end. I will continue to follow this series and cannot wait until the next release!!

#NETGALLEY
#EXQUISITCORPERVOLUME1
#JAMESTYNION
#MICHAELWALSH
#PORNSAKPICHETSHOTE

Exquisite Corpses Vol 1 is brilliantly illustrated and immediately engaging. This story is not for the faint of heart as it is unapologetically violent, but the gory scenes are a driving force in the narrative and not gratuitously tossed in. Strongly recommended for those who enjoyed Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale or Hwang Dong-hyuk's Squid Game.

James Tynion IV is hands down probably my favorite current comic writer. He's absolutely NAILING every series, and Exquisite Corpses Vol. 1 easily went to the top of my list.

I love the core idea. Having these twelve rich, wealthy pieces of shit families start a serial killer battle royale in the middle of a small town closed off to the public is absolutely insane but so entertaining. The game, held every five years on Halloween, is a brutal contest for five years of unquestioned power, and the families select an unsuspecting town, like Oak Valley, Maine, to be their bloody arena. Each killer, or "champion," has their own unique weapon and style, making for some very creative and brutal deaths as they try to be the last one standing.

It helps that we have sympathetic characters to root for in this chaos of death and murder. The story introduces us to a diverse cast of townspeople, including a working mother and her son, a young couple, and a pair of EMTs. We're right there with them as they are thrust into a horrifying fight for survival against forces they can't even begin to comprehend, making the terror feel incredibly real.

Basically, this is another fucking win for Tynion. The high-concept premise, the distinct killers, the helpless but resilient townsfolk, and the sinister puppet masters behind it all make for a perfect horror-thriller. It's a bombastic, hyper-violent, and deeply satirical look at the callousness of the ultra-wealthy, and it left me completely hooked. A definite 5 out of 5 for me.

My only notable complaint about the book is that, at 3 issues, it was over far too quickly. There’s plenty more story to come, and this volume would sit happily in any collection with a focus on horror and crime-thrillers. Fans of titles like The Hunger Games, Battle Royale, and Alice in Borderland as well as Tynion’s other horror titles are sure to find plenty to enjoy within these pages. I highly recommend this one for anyone willing to take a step into the dark, and I look forward to the next installment.

I need more now! This was an incredibly cinematic comic and it started out with a bang. I am a sucker for an ensemble cast that is introduced with a schtick and this one is GOOD. The character designs here are top notch and the art is really good. It was a propulsive read. Fun fun Fun!

Thank you to NetGalley for my Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.

I loved this book! 12 of the richest families hiring killers to kill each other in a town that has been cut off from the rest of the world??? Give me more! I liked the art, I liked the dialogue, and I liked the characters (even the killers.) I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

This was one of those what did I just read kind of books. I would definitely continue this. I want to know who’s next. It almost has a hint of the way in Deadpool. They had mercenaries that would see how many they could knock off of the list well this is more of a battle against each other and they’re knocking each other off the list And the artwork and the way they come at each other. It gives you almost a purge vibe with the masks and the different characters that they are as they go against each other in these open worlds that people are just watching them murder each other. It’s just wild and it’s definitely one of the kind of horror Masterpiece type comic books that I absolutely enjoy and would read over and over again.

Tynion and team have done it again. Whether you’re a newcomer or a long-time fan, you owe it to yourself to read this. Then tell everyone else to read it.

This was a fascinating and terrifying comic. The plot was intriguing and I loved the way that each of the killers were introduced and all the different styles they're going to use. I'm worried for the recurring townspeople that have shown up and I can't help but feel bad for the Gamer Kid character. He must be a BAD kid but he's still just a kid. It doesn't reveal what he would've done in this part but I'm curious to find out. I'm also worried for the twin sister who is in the field. I know I shouldn't be considering she put herself into that position but... still. I was also a little missed that The Fox Mask is on the cover but WE DON'T GET TO SEE HER IN ACTION!!! I'm looking forward to the next volume in this series though.

Comparisons to "The Purge" are unavoidable but, I think a better description would be "twelve slasher movies happening in the same place at the same time." Each killer is fleshed out enough to easily carry a story on their own. But the fact that they're all thrown into the town at once makes for a pretty wild ride. The first issue has to do a lot of heavy-lifting when it comes to setting up this world and these characters. But once the sun goes down, things escalate quickly.

My only real gripe with this volume is that it "ends" so abruptly. The series is set to run twelve issues and after reading the first three collected in this volume, it doesn't appear that it will have any arcs within those twelve issues. So, there's no resolution or anything. It feels like watching the first 30 mins or so of a film and then having to wait to continue it. (BTW this would make an excellent film in the right hands) I'm very eager to see where the story goes from here, I just wish I didn't have to wait so long to finish it.

Dystopian story telling, unlikeable characters, and a horrific plot-and I was hooked, immediately. Excellent graphic novel for the horror lover.

I’d like to thank Image comics and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this comic for an honest review.

Imagine the richest people having the power to make a game in small towns . A game where they choose serial killers to compete against each other .

It shows the fact that wealth sometimes can change people’s tastes what excites them and how having to much money may bore you.

I enjoyed this fun although disturbing room
Into the purge/hungergames / battle royale take on killer games.

The artwork is just as unhinged as the story but incredibly original.

I’d say if you’re looking for an escape from reality you don’t want to watch the purge and you want smart narrative that focuses on the side characters the small town and how they deal with this horrible game . Then just maybe pick up this comic .

Favourite characters , fox mask
Killer , nurse Pete the depraved bastard. And lone gunman. I enjoyed the sisters 👯‍♀️.

The side characters really make this comic :)

Thanks to Image Comics and Net Galley for a copy of this arc

This is absolutely the type of trade I would buy on a whim and not shut up about.

Death Games, mass murder and interesting characters who you root for just meeting him combine with stellar art and a color palette thats to die for.

I will definitely be picking this series up and might even ad the single issue to my pull list

I received an e-ARC and am giving my honest review. Thank you to the publisher for this opportunity!

I LOVED this. I've been a massive fan of Pitchetsoke for Dead Boy Detectives so was ecstatic to see new work including him. I didn't know what to expect, but it was phenomenal. Such a new and interesting plot, I've never read anything like this and I loved it. It was brutal and gory and explored the worst of the worst in the world, from murderers to the rich and powerful.

"You wanna know about the f**king world man?" I really loved the first few pages before the story even started. Blame OG Hot Topic and Myspace but hot pink and black will always get me.

The art style? Love it. The detail? Love it. Right down to the smashed bugs.

Mike and his podcasts? Fantastic. The player intro panels? Fantastic. Just all around the entire comic is fantastic.

Rich people and their money playing games with other peoples' lives. Nothing new there. Match a weapon card with a killer, throw them into the game and cross your fingers.

The killers were all fun, gave me similar vibes to '31,' from Rob Zombie but meets The Purge. My favorite being Pretty Boy. I know, I know but I am weak. I want to say Fox Mask because the cover, but like LOOK AT PRETTY BOY. They were all different though, all almost caricatures of killers in a way. There's one page with all the killers in little blocks. I'd buy that poster in a heartbeat. Each one of them has a style and personality and even the ones that don't last long are just so much fun.

And then Pretty Boy not only ends up with Mike for a bit but name drops himself? I die.

Now it's common with comics to just kinda lack in character background, setting, world build, etc etc. And normally you kinda acknowledge that and move on. But here, they don't lack in any of it in a way that makes any different. The world is built, the characters are built, everything is there. It does lead to you having to pay more attention to each panel on each page but it's well worth it for the story.

There is gore, obviously, if that's not your thing. But it's done so well.

Loved the betting chart at the end.

The only part I didn't love? The end. Because what do you mean that's it for this issue? Excuse me while I go get the other issues immediately. Absolutely in love, need the entire series on my shelf yesterday.

Endless thank yous to Image Comics for the arc on Netgalley. Haven't fallen in love with a comic like this is ages.

Well… I’m hooked. I tore through this and immediately ordered the physical copy coming out September 30th! My husband needs to read it and get hooked right along with me! Finally, something with pictures he’ll actually sit down and enjoy!

I know volumes 2 to 5 are up on Kindle, but I’m holding out for the paperbacks. I want them all lined up on my shelf. It’s just that good.

Most of the time, I’d never wish for a book I love to become a movie, but this one? If it were done right, it would be an absolute masterpiece on screen.

This was simply wonderful and a lot of fun. I cannot WAIT to dive into more. Bravo.