In this review of Bleeding Hearts #7, Poke adjusts to his newfound empathy. But his humanity may have a terrible, terrible price.
BLEEDING HEARTS #7
Writer: Deniz Camp
Art and Main Cover: STIPAN MORIAN
Variant Cover: MANNY VINCENT CARBONILLA
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 8/12/26
This review contains spoilers
Right off the bat, we start off with a creepy, guilt-tinged song about how Poke set his best friend on fire over prey, and how he’s going to pay for that some day.
When we’re out of Poke’s head, we pick up with Rabbit, her mom, and Poke as they hide out in an art gallery. Mama’s remembering how things were early into the zombie apocalypse, as Rabbit and Poke look at the paintings. She wonders just what in the hell to think of the bond between those two.
Poke acknowledges that he feels guilt over Mush, but at the same time, he has a newfound appreciation for human stuff like art. He admits that he’s alive, and he considers Rabbit to be a friend.
Meanwhile, it’s now winter and the incident at Out-Break has become widely known in zombie society. As Poke’s out on his own for a bit, he encounters a group of zombies that’s come up North. They just know him as a survivor of the Out-Break Incident and he plays along with wanting to find those pesky Live Ones more than anyone.
Walking away from them, he encounters Finds-Whole-Family, who’s on the verge of giving up after being shunned for so long. He tells him to hang in there before walking away. Nice, simple gesture that surely won’t lead to problems down the road. Nope!
Rabbit and her mom, meanwhile, are also headed North. Rabbit still trusts Poke, but her mother doesn’t and says they’ll be safe once they reach their destination. Rabbit says that they were before.
And that’s when Finds-Whole-Family, with a renewed sense of purpose, finds them. A fight breaks out, and he very nearly manages to kill them both, but then Poke comes in, takes the axe Mama was using, and decapitates him. Mama beats the head to DEATH-death, but Rabbit’s lying on the ground, unmoving…
Well, this one was certainly intense. The ending leaves me wonder if Rabbit’s actually dead or just severely injured (not that either is entirely ideal)…but if it’s the former, I’m wondering how the rules for becoming a zombie in this world work, exactly. Would a bite or scratch be necessary, or would we be going more by Walking Dead rules, where it happens to everyone once they die?
And if things do come out to Rabbit becoming a zombie, that would admittedly be an interesting development. That would certainly knock down any language barrier between her and Poke. But then there’s how her mother would react. She loves her kid more than anything, and distrusts any and all things related to the undead, so…how much would she hesitate, if at all?
It’s interesting to see how Poke’s humanity shows through with other zombies. We’ve seen it with the Live Ones most of all, so far. And him hiding it from Mush. But he offers just a small gesture of support to a shunned zombie, knowing that he risks being shunned, himself. And really, if he hadn’t just been trying to be kind and supportive, Finds-Whole-Family probably wouldn’t have tried anything with the two Live Ones
There’s also a moment where Poke encounters a female zombie that he’s got a crush on. It’s an extremely human moment for him, as he gets a bit tongue-tied around her, and his heart starts pounding (and thankfully she doesn’t catch on). Also, liking Baby’s design, here. Her face is conventionally pretty, but the rest of her definitely tells a story. She was pregnant when she died, and far enough into the whole thing that the baby had formed and could look through her belly button. Plus, the fact that attention is called to her stretchmarks and she’s still called beautiful? Major points for that, because it’s an excellent touch.
I also really loved the little song at the beginning, complete with musical notes at the tops and bottoms of those panels. Since that newfound humanity seems to be giving Poke dreams, now…him hearing a song about his earlier crime. He can feel guilt to a level that no other zombie can, and there’s no way he won’t feel that next time when we see the aftermath of Rabbit’s Finds-Whole-Family-induced beating.
Seven issues in, and this continues to be a favorite zombie tale of mine. The way they’re handling Poke’s newly-restored humanity is masterful, and I look forward to the new installment each month.
Final Thoughts
Bleeding Hearts #7 shows just how a sense of empathy can go awry, and it does so beautifully. The writing is masterful as always, the artwork engaging and energetic.
