This week the Wednesday Comics Reviews team is looking at the high-profile new James Tynion and Michael Walsh book, Exquisite Corpses #1, among other releases. We also look ahead at a pair of new IDW titles currently available for pre-order with Godzilla #1 and Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rites of Spring #1. Plus, as always, The Prog Report!
Exquisite Corpses #1
Writer: James Tynion IV
Art: Michael Walsh
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Becca Carey
Publisher: Image Comics
Review by Clyde Hall
How do you start a great horror story for the modern age? Make it a tale wherein the craziest conspiracy theories are mostly true. That’s the approach of James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh in the premiere of the 13-part series Exquisite Corpses.
That premise, however, is only the skeleton of a much larger epic, one granted over 60 pages for its opening chapter. And while the initial pitch regarding this title sounded like a concept intellectually indebted to The Purge franchise, similarities are marginal. Based on the first issue, Exquisite Corpses will spin a web of dark, chiller-thriller delight Halloweenists will appreciate. It serves as an early opening ceremony for sweeping us into our favorite autumn season and beyond.
We learn details of a lethal and long-standing shadow tradition, one founded alongside the United States itself, as a recruiter reveals its secrets to a potential contestant. Every five years, 13 rich families play a game on All Hallows’ Eve. They choose a small American town designated as the playing field and isolate it from the outside world. A representative of each family is placed on this community game board as players, and these contestants have been recruited based on a singular skill: How deadly they are. Rules are brutal and simple. To win, you must be the last killer standing. The payout is enough to tempt most anyone, serial killer, professional assassin, or combat specialist alike. And the reward for the family backing the champion death dealer is equally lucrative, as well as satisfying given the history of rivalries and feuds between them.
But in the true spirit of exploitive capitalism, there’s also a tradition of side betting on such variables as highest kill counts. Leaving the unsuspecting residents of Oak Valley, Maine, in significant peril this Halloween.
The setup places us in an instructive session with one of the recruits, deftly revealing the elite mindset of Those in Charge and the level of depravity they’re unleashing on both innocent and deserving pieces on this lethal chess board. The lineup of recruited killers is revealed with the fanfare of a WWE ring entrance, pathological pathos as pageantry.
What Tynion manages in his trademark style, however, is an impressive introduction. Not only to this situation, the contest, the families, the stakes, but to a large character cast. In all, we have the 13 killers, their 13 sponsors, and around 10 other individuals involved in setting up the event or who may become fodder within it. And every page of it is smooth, organic, and…most importantly…memorable.
That art of minimalist character craft, choosing exactly what we see and learn for the mirage of knowing each cast member, is performed with unparalleled brevity. Walsh also deserves equal portion of the credit for this, especially regarding depictions of the killers. What Tynion tells or doesn’t tell in building them, Walsh puts on display. And in ways that make you pity those about to become collateral damage.
They even provide tournament brackets so readers can keep score of who’s still on the board and who’s been reaped. And a special shoutout to Becca Carey on letters. Each contestant comes with their own logo, instantly adding yet another personal layer to each member of murderers’ row.
The first issue of Exquisite Corpses may be the single best series start I’ve read in 2025 so far. And not because others have been lacking. It’s because Tynion is at the top of his form and the other creators on this book elevate the quality of his work as only those enjoying a project can. Creatively, I’m amazed by how well crafted this is. As a reader, I want this level of fun and fright ongoing for the whole series. With this issue as Exhibit A, I have faith all parties will deliver.
Energon Universe 2025 Special #1
Writers: Joshua Williamson, Daniel Warren Johnson and Robert Kirkman
Artist: Andrea Milana, Daniel Warren Johnson and Conor Hughes
Colorist: Lee Loughridge, Mike Spicer and Patricio Delpeche
Letterer: Rus Wooten
Publisher: Image Comics – Skybound
Review by Jared Bird
The Energon Universe continues to impress two years after it first began, with a remarkably consistent line of titles that has organically built up over that time to create an expansive and exciting shared world that feels like it’s never playing it safe. This year’s Energon Universe Special features three stories focused on the main books: GI Joe, Transformers and Void Rivals. By doing so, it both sets up what’s to come and gives new readers a solid jumping on point.
The first, written by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Andrea Milana , follows up on the cliffhanger ending of GI Joe #6, which saw Clutch in possession of an Energon weapon and encountering a Transformer all on his own. The GI Joe series itself has been consistently interesting but how it relates to the larger cosmic side of the Energon universe has been one of its strongest elements. The human characters are never quite sure if a Transformer is going to kill them or not, even if the reader is aware who is a Decepticon and who isn’t. This 16 page story sees Clutch develop a friendship with the Autobot Hound, one of my personal favorites who I’m happy to see get introduced into the larger saga. Joshua Williamson does a great job at scripting duties here, and I think he’s consistently at his strongest when he gets to hone in on the relationship between two characters on a more intimate level. It also introduces Trakker to this take on the GI Joe mythos, a welcome addition, whilst also telling an interesting story that will excite ongoing readers whilst enticing new ones. Andrea Milana does an incredible job with the artwork as well, standing out as one of the best artists in the current Energon bullpen, who will hopefully continue to contribute to the ongoing series.
The second, written and illustrated by Daniel Warren Johnson, focuses on Jazz and his love of music. It’s only six pages, but is full of the type of profound humanity and empathy that makes Johnson’s work shine. It’s deeply relatable as well, as Jazz tries to figure out what genre of music he likes, and why it’s different to everyone else’s. The moment in which Optimus gives Jazz a talk on how he doesn’t understand the appeal, but he respects it, will go down as one of Johnson’s best moments working on Transformers, as will the ending of the story which sees Jazz finally figure out where the mysterious music that interests him is coming from. As Johnson prepares to leave the book, it’s great to see Transformers in such a place of quality, where any writer following up from Johnson has a great basis to work from and a set of characters to utilize.
The final story, written by Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Conor Hughes, focuses on the Quintessons in the far reaches of outer space. In many ways, Void Rivals feels the most disconnected from the other books, given its far flung setting, but it’s simultaneously the book moving the overall storyline forward the most. Kirkman excels at writing dense lore in a way that feels interesting and not overwhelming, and he continues to do that here while Conor Hughes provides great artwork that fits right at home with the in-house Energon style. With the Quintesson War arc set to begin in Issue 25, it’s a great time to hop on board the book as things are about to explore.
Overall, the Energon Universe Special 2025 #1 is a great read that shows off some of the best the expanded universe has to offer whilst also providing new readers an interesting jumping on point. It continues to be one of the most exciting properties in comics at the moment, with a consistent roster of incredible writers and artists all doing some of the best work of their careers on their various books. If you haven’t checked out The Energon Universe yet, now is the time.
The Cold Witch: A Tale of the Shrouded College #1
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Will Sliney
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: Chris Crank
Publisher: Image Comics
Review by Tim Rooney
Maybe the most impressive thing about this issue is that while it is full of exposition, set-up, and introduction, it never feels stale or overwhelming. All of it is in service to setting up these characters. La Corda Rosa seems new to the story and that naturally ushers in some additional explanation, and her entry into this world puts everyone on the defensive. She is fierce and capable but also an outsider. The history that Soule and Sliney have established becomes an asset, they can gesture to the past without feeling the need to bog things down with information dumps or long monologues. Sliney’s character work, the way different characters stand or their faces react, all help establish personalities. The final result is a thrilling adventure story that feels like just a small part of a larger world. I am eager to see how everything goes wrong moving forward, and going back to previous volumes to discover more of this world.
Dark Regards #1
Writer: Dave Hill
Art: Artyom Topilin
Colors: Brittany Peer
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Publisher: Oni Press
Review by Ricardo Serrano Denis
Sometimes, bad ideas are just too good to pass up. The moment they pop up, the clock starts running and things start getting itchy all over. The only thing that scratches that itch is going through with evil deed. This is how author Dave Hill frames his real-life Black Metal prank in his new comic Dark Regards, one that ran through way too many emails and riled up way too many metal heads. Of course, in good old comic book fashion, Hill was put upon this path of destruction via demonic influence. To be fair, corresponding with a Black Metal label with the express purpose of telling them his fake band Witch Taint was better than all the other weak ass bands they had signed does seem an idea authored by a particularly sinister agent of Hell.
The path to the Witch Taint prank is paved in brimstone in this comic. Dave starts as a more mainstream metal fan, with classic bands mentioned here and there, until he finds a record store that introduces him to Black Metal. He starts getting into this new sound until a demonic metal singer called Lord Abscess calls to him in a dream and urges him to unleash a very particular kind of hate upon the metal industry. Insults via email ensue, a Black Metal war brews.
Artist Artyom Topilin and Hill go for metal from the very first panel on. Every single aspect of Dave’s life is colored in one way or another with the different forms the genre has taken throughout the ages. It’s as if metal is so ingrained in his existence that it’s basically illegal not to have at least a hint of it in his immediate surroundings. An Iron Maiden shirt here, corpse paint there, and brooding metal fans sticking out from the crowd like singular social bruises make for a comic that does quick work to put you in that culture.
Topilin captures each of the music genre’s variants well here, and it helps create a very robust world where references and Easter eggs are easier to catch for like-minded readers. Characters are somewhat cartoony in their expressions, but they help get Hill’s humor across. While not every single joke lands, the good ones are memorable and quotable (especially when they come at the expense of some of the sillier aspects of Black Metal).
Dark Regards #1 kicks off a wild ride of a story. Satanism, angry music labels, and bad ideas all converge for a series full of possibilities. Fans of comedies like Heavy Trip and Lords of Chaos will find much to love here. Whether it has what it takes to burn the world down will depend on upcoming issues, but the opening issue does leave readers with a setup that’s well worth this outrageous descent into the darkest parts of metal.
Verdict: BUY
Godzilla: Here There Be Aliens #1
Writer: Frank Tieri
Artist: Angel Hernandez
Colorist: Heather Breckel
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Review by Jordan Jennings
The next chapter in Frank Tieri’s Here There Be Dragons saga begins here with Godzilla: Here There Be Aliens #1. The Here There Be Dragons saga presents Godzilla and other Kaiju as these elemental forces of Earth and there is a secret society that worships and protects their knowledge from the world. Each mini-series in the saga takes place in a different era of human history starting off with the Age of Exploration in the first miniseries to the Age of Enlightenment in the prior one. This time the epic jumps forward roughly 100 years to the Atomic Age.
To date, all of the series has focused less on Godzilla but instead the cults and political intrigue that surrounds the kaijus as a whole. Here There Be Aliens is no different, with the story focusing on Agent Jones, the bewildered US Intelligence Agent assigned to the Monsters Desk. His stymied efforts to win support from agency directors gets a tremendous boost with Godzilla’s recent attack on Japan (implied to be the 1954 classic) being highly televised. However, Agent Jones quickly learns that there is more to this conspiracy than just some Kaiju worshiping cult. We are talking aliens, notably longtime Godzilla adversary Xiliens. We are through the looking glass, folks.
Writer Frank Tieri once again delivers a tight-script that moves at a snappy pace. It is frankly impressive what all he manages to fit in this issue. He does an excellent job recapping the saga so far through Agent Jones’ presentation to his superiors, which is just a nice, organic method of recapping the story. We get to see more about the Xiliens plot and even see the King of Monsters himself. It never feels too convoluted even though it is a series that focuses on fringe conspiracy theories. There isn’t much characterization in this story, but we do get hints of Agent Jones and his family’s interactions. The lack of character work is fine as this issue is setting the stage for the action to come.
Artist Angel Hernandez and colorist Heather Breckel are stellar here. Hernandez provides a great sense of dynamic energy even in what could be boring talking head scenes. The way Hernandez uses flashbacks in the presentation scene by having Agent Jones in the foreground of the panel and the flashbacks in the background is a simple, but effective technique. It gives the reader a sense of what happened but reminds them they are still in this boardroom. The panel composition and layouts are varied in the issue, often favoring a brisk series of cuts panel inlays. Yet, one notable decompressed scene where Agent Jones is essentially kidnapped by the real Kaiju agency is great example of using decompression to emphasize a moment in time.
I continue to be impressed by Tieri’s Here There Be Dragons universe mini-series. They turn the concept of Godzilla on its head somewhat but create an interesting world where a subset of human culture is shaped by the existence of these titanic creatures. If you are a big Godzilla fan or a fan of X-files type stories, I highly recommend checking this new series out.
Rapid Wednesday Reviews
- Star Trek: Lower Decks #7 (IDW Publishing): The seventh issue of the ongoing Star Trek: Lower Decks comic mixes up the formula, to very great effect. While the previous six issues have all adopted a format that hews very closely to most episodes of the animated show, Lower Decks #7 delivers a story that could probably never appear as an episode of its onscreen counterpart. In “Yesterday’s Beta Shift,” we get a flashback to U.S.S. Cerritos Captain Carol Freeman’s days as an ensign aboard the U.S.S. Illinois. That’s an interesting premise in and of itself… but it isn’t what makes this story unique to the comic book format. The issue also features a guest starring role for Doctor Pulaski. As Trekkies will recall, Pulaski was the ship’s doctor for the U.S.S. Enterprise-D during the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, in an interview for the 2021 documentary series The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek, Diana Muldaur stated in no certain terms that she would not be returning to the Franchise to portray the character again. So, this is really a story that could only be told in comic form. I also appreciated that the issue built on the clues about Freeman’s past that we received over the five seasons of Lower Decks. Plus, Freeman’s retro outfit was pretty great. Lower Decks #7 is written by Tim Sheridan (check out an interview on this issue here) with art by Robby Cook (whose excellent art is no surprise given previous work as a character design assistant on the animated series). As always, Clayton Cowles knocks the lettering out of the park (particularly on the final splash page) while the design and production by Johanna Nattalie is top notch. This is a fantastic issue that builds on the animated series and delivers a story that could only be told through the comics format — bravo! Although there is nothing wrong with the more “standard issues,” let’s hope the Lower Decks comic continues to mix in some “off the beaten path issues” like this one moving forward. —Avery Kaplan
FOC Watch
These books are available for pre-order now.
Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #1
Writer, Artist, Colorist: Patrick Horvath
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: IDW
Release date: July 9, 2025
Review by Ricardo Serrano Denis
The relationship between serial killing and technology is a fascinating one. All it takes is a new invention, say a ground penetrating scanner, to make a killer’s confidence take a nosedive. Hiding spots become more easily exposed, microscopic DNA easier to retrieve, and motor vehicle trajectories quicker to track.
Patrick Horvath’s sequel to his massively well-received comic Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees takes this idea on the impact of tech advancements on crime and turns it into a storytelling device. Subtitled “Rites of Spring,” this new chapter sees an an 8-year leap in time to land in the 90s, where the internet had started its march towards reshaping the ways through which we acquire information. All of a sudden, message boards became exchange hubs, a kind of soft opening for social media that connected people in an entirely different manner. For the families of missing or murdered loved ones, it meant their searches for answers had a whole new space to explore.
This is what serial killer bear Samantha Strong is faced with in “Rites of Spring”, and it looks like it will be pushing the concept of consequence even more aggressively than before. A duck woman called Monica is looking for her missing brother with the full force of the 1990’s internet behind her. Those who’ve kept up with the series will know who this victim is and what happened to him. Samantha is now the sole serial killer in Woodbrook, VT, and she seems to be going about her life until one day she notices an out-of-towner roll up to the police station, the aforementioned Monica. And therein lies the conflict that will seemingly take up the 6-issue arc.
“Rites of Spring” feels angry. This is owed to the amount of time we spend with Monica. Samantha is mostly relegated to the last few pages of issue #1. This means we get the full force of Monica’s frustrations regarding her brother’s case. Horvath establishes her personality quick, as if the story’s pace will depend largely on her and her desperate mission. That we get to spend so much time with her in the opening of the arc really makes the reader want to root for her. It kind of puts Samantha in a weird spot. Questions on whether she’ll be forced to kill Monica to keep her secrets from spilling out crop up immediately.
Horvath does a great job of migrating the same sense of gruesomeness and viciousness found in the first arc over to the sequel, albeit with a bit more spite. Monica’s online investigation means she’s exposed to crime scene photos and violent images that speak to the harsh realities of the world that took her brother. If you were a fan of the Hannibal-esque crime scenes Horvath came up with for the previous story, then you’ll be glad to know the same level of carnage is on display here.
The duck/bear dynamic isn’t lost on the story either. If anything, Horvath makes it more obvious. There are several instances in which Monica’s brother is referred to as an “adult male white duck” victim, a clever reminder to also engage with the narrative on its terms. We know the animal people are stand-ins for humans, but this emphasis on descriptive language asks readers to go deeper into the elements at play. It’s something that the great Blacksad series also excels at, and Horvath wants to make sure it comes across in his work here.
From the start, “Rites of Spring” proves to be a very different story than the first one. Things feel uglier and more fatalistic, but it’s never at the expense of dragging the comic’s tone down to unbearable levels. Horvath is onto something quite special with this sequel. The stakes are immediately high, and the moral conundrums operating behind the scenes are exquisitely unnerving. Pick this one up knowing you’ll be reading one of the best comics of the year already.
Verdict: BUY
Godzilla – Kai-Sei Era #1
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Nikola Čižmešija
Colorist: Francesco Segala
Letterer and Design: Nathan Widick
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Publication Date: July 23, 2025
Review by D. Morris
On the page that follows the content of Godzilla #1, the copy promises a bold new and weirder vision of Godzilla. Wherever that is, it’s not to be found in this issue written by Tim Seely and with art by Nikola Cižmešija, colors by Francesco Segala, and letters/design by Nathan Widick.
The easiest way to describe this is “what if Godzilla fought superheroes?” The result is even less interesting than it sounds because Marvel is already doing that right now. At Marvel, it’s superheroes with personalities. All of the characters here seem like cliches or come across as cutsey. The leader hates kaiju! One character has a social media following! Another sympathizes and telepathically connects with the monsters! The lead character is angry! Jet Jaguar only speaks in his theme song (ugh)!
Sure this is the debut issue and we’re just meeting these characters, but they’re all so radioactively dull. Sure, the human element is rarely the most exciting or memorable in a Godzilla story. Also, it’s hard to think this represents a daring take on the material when there’s a Godzilla movie where the humans fight space cockroaches or alien invasions. Sorry but superheroes getting drunk on a beach after fighting Anguirus isn’t as fun as it sounds.
Also, lot of information gets thrown out in this opening issue that sounds important, but never particularly seems relevant to what’s going on. What should be world building like constant mentioning of a “deadzone” is only set up for an entirely different Godzilla book.
One of my problems with IDW’s current line is that many properties have at least four spinoff books. Nothing can exist as its own series. It makes sense if you’re trying to pad out your line of books. Except this also weakens your flagship title, turning that book into set up for more stories than maybe it can support, especially if the lead book is as weak as this one is.
The Prog Report
2000AD 2432 (Rebellion): For the second consecutive week, Dan Abnett pens a one-off Dredd script that feels both interesting and satisfying, built as it is around the ol’ find a penny, have good luck adage…combined with a whole lot of guys getting shot in the head. This week, Abnett teams with artist Jake Lynch, colorist Jim Boswell, and letterer Annie Parkhouse. I like these kind of one-off Dredd stories, especially when they’re as smart and well-paced as this one. Also in the Prog this week is the launch of Scarlet Traces: Empire of Blood, the latest in this ongoing War of the Worlds riff by writer Ian Edington, artist D’Israeli, and letterer Annie Parkhouse. I’m new to these comics, but this part one did a great job orienting me as a reader, to the point that I only knew that there were other volumes because of an ad for collections that ran immediately after the last page. Doesn’t get much more new reader friendly than that. This week’s cover (above) is by D’Israeli. As always, you can pick up a digital copy of The Prog here. —Zack Quaintance
This column is compiled and edited by The Beat’s reviews editor, Zack Quaintance. Read past entries in the weekly Wednesday Comics reviews series!
Next week, we get comfy with Sleep #1, and we answer the question — Whatever Happened to Crimson Justice? Plus, as always, FOC Watch and The Prog Report…don’t miss it!
