If I see James Tynion IV’s name on a comic book, I’m going to grab it. His writing style combines brutality with deep storylines, representation, and mystery. Good examples of that are The Deviant, Something Is Killing The Children, and Universal Monsters: Dracula. He’s written a bunch of Batman comic books that show this as well, but his stories for Image Comics and Boom Studios are the ones I’d recommend starting with.
Recently, Tynion started a new series called Exquisite Corpses. I didn’t know what it was about, but I didn’t care. The cover art was gorgeous, the title was intriguing, and James Tynion was writing it. There wasn’t much to think about after that. Thankfully, it was a perfect purchase, and everything you’d want from a comic book is here.
Exquisite Corpses No. 1 creative team
- Writer: James Tynion IV
- Artist: Michael Walsh
- Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
The background
As it’s explained in the comic: "In 1775, thirteen of the richest families in America took the reins of power from their counterparts across the Atlantic.” Now, every five years on Halloween, twelve of those families choose killers to fight for them. Each representative is dropped in a small town, and the winner is the last one alive. The victor (or murderer) gets $100 million, and the state rules the country for the next five years until the games start again.
Now, there are more rules, and the most important is that each state’s killer can only use the weapon selected with the card chosen. Those ruling families come from the states of Massachusetts (who picked guns), Rhode Island (rope), New York (the sword), South Carolina (the arrow), Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut (electricity), Georgia (the axe), Virginia (poison), New Hampshire (the knife), New Jersey (the hands), and North Carolina (the hammer). The thirteenth is Pennsylvania. Since they were the previous winner, they have to abstain.
There’s no honor among these killers. They’re eccentric, creative, and sick psychopaths with issues that make them perfect for this “game,”. That means a lot of collateral damage and innocent people killed in this story, because, sadly, the murderers aren’t fighting for just money and a new life. Some - if not most of them - are trying to get their blood fix. It wouldn’t be shocking if some of them don’t care about the prizes.
The premiere issue of this series was incredible. You learn the directives, understand the state’s elite rulers and their personalities, and the people who will be doing the slaughtering. However, regarding that last part, you don’t know everything, and that’s a good thing. You’ll be left with surprises when someone does something uncharacteristic or wins a fight they shouldn’t.
Lastly, the outcome of this series will be phenomenal. James Tynion IV knows how to keep you in suspense until the right moment. The characters may not be as evil or good as they appear. Even if they are, who's to say they can't change? That's why, when we eventually see what’s really happening, that’s when Tynion could pull a “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. Just when you think you know all the answers, he’ll change the question. We'll have to wait and see.
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