In this review of Exquisite Corpses #2, horror is abound as the game is afoot! Mike witnesses first hand the terror of the Congregation, while the rest of the Oakville residents unknowingly meet several of the other horrifying contestants!
Exquisite Corpses #2
Writer: James Tynion IV
Art and Main Cover: Michael Walsh
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Variant Covers: Martin Simmonds, Michael Walsh, Tula, Lotay, Marianna Ignazzi, Riley Rossmo
Pages: 32 pages
Release Date: June 18, 2025
This review contains spoilers
The loneliness and brutality of Exquisite Corpses #2 is an evenly measured mix of character, horror and drama. With the game fully underway, the normal folks of Oak Valley begin to notice the strange vibes which surround them, unknowingly opening themselves to attack from the weird and deadly contestants in the ultra-wealthy’s game.
This issue begins with North Carolina in shambles after the sudden and unceremonious death of their representative in the contest: Leopold Strong. The cabal of ultra-wealthy continue to schmooze as Massachusetts and Pennsylvania discuss the roles of strategy, strength and luck have in this deadly game. Meanwhile, at the Pumpking, the Congregation enters, threatening Mike with a boxcutter. Rob is only saved as Mike enters, diverting the Congregation’s attention. The distraught Mike is forced to watch his friend die a slow, grisly death.
Laura and her partner cruise through the eerily silent streets of Oak Valley, eventually finding Strong’s body and an undercover Nurse Pete, who asks for a ride to the hospital. Meanwhile, Xavi bikes home after surviving an encounter with Strong and the Lone Gunman, unable to reach Craig. Craig, also without cell service, continues trick-or-treating with Jason, puzzled by the deserted town. They meet Gamer Kid, assume he’s another trick-or-treater, and let him join them on their way to “snob hill.”
As we come to the end of Exquisite Corpses #2, Audrey and Big Bruce are visited by Lady Carolina, looking for a loot-box of gear hidden somewhere on the car lot, as Recluse hides in the shadows. Back at the Pumpking, the Congregation, now bored of his former victim, threatens Rob but is met by Pretty Boy who makes quick work of the sewn-psychopath. He invites Rob to tag-along with him, as back at the party, Pennsylvania admits she made a side bet of five-billion dollars against Massachusetts’s killer.
Tynion’s talents for balancing page real estate between multiple characters is on full display here. Despite the large cast of killers, victims and the puppeteers behind the scenes, it’s all delivered even handedly. Walsch and Tynion manage to sidestep the cardinal sin of most slasher-fiction: I actually care about the “normal people”. There’s genuine tension and fear for Laura the EMT, or for Craig and Jason as they unexpectedly bump into their possible killers. This book seems to understand the core philosophy behind this kind of genre invented by Battle Royale, yet the video games inspired in its wake seem to forget. This isn’t supposed to be a power fantasy: it’s a horrific tragedy, couched in class consciousness.
The art in Exquisite Corpses #2 is immaculate. Ignazzi and Walsch bring an appropriately pulpy attitude to the line art. Heavy blacks applied to the inking/shading keep the book dark and moody. Faces are expressive (Nurse Pete in particular is such a complexly rendered figure), but maybe best off are the backgrounds. Oak Valley may have felt like a real place last issue, but now it feels uncanny. I’ve been to that shady gas station; I’ve hurried down those alleys; I’ve strolled down those suburbs.
The coloring and rendering effects in Exquisite Corpses #2 really sell the atmosphere. An intentionally limited palette of deep reds and navys sell the autumny vibe. The colors plus the added texture elements give the book an analogue tactility that brings to mind giallo classics like Blood in Black Lace. Every element is so impeccable and intentionally chosen to be “horror”, but it never feels like it’s trying too hard. There is an easiness or casualness that sells the scary vibe, a mundanity to match the extreme violence, especially in sequences like the gas station murder by the Congregation.
Exquisite Corpses #2 has been a true treat. It’s able to differentiate itself from the headier and drearier Tynion books through its massive cast and hauntingly familiar vibe. Walsch’s eye for pacing has kept this book from feeling like an overstuffed slog that a “battle royale” narrative can easily fall into. Lots here for a horror fan to enjoy, and a worthy entry in the ongoing “horror comics renaissance” which Tynion-himself helped inspire.
