No one in the comic book game is telling outright murderous serial killers stories quite like writer Doug Wagner and artist Daniel Hillyard. First, they gave us Plastic, then Vinyl, and now their newest Image Comics series, Plush.
Plush follows Devin Fulcher, an average guy who discovers his fiancée is cheating on him and is pregnant with someone else’s baby. To ease his mind from his relationship issues, he attends a furry convention with his friend Levi. Everything was going okay for Devin until he discovered a group of cannibals eating some con participants. From there, the last two issues have been one hellacious bloody moment after another involving Devin, three ravenous, hilarious cannibals, and a SWAT truck.
Plush #3 delivers on writing with a solid backstory on our three mysterious human eaters that helps move the story forward while they evade the cops. The time we spend with Devin and the cannibals helps you develop empathy for their way of living. There’s nothing to dislike in this issue, but what I love most is the unclear intentions that the cannibals have in store for Devin. In addition, what makes Plush #3 work much like its predecessors is that it feels severe but silly, like excellent ’80s horror flicks such as Killer Klowns from Outer Space.
The third installment delivers less gore than the first two issues. Still, you can tell that Wagner and Hillyard are setting us up for some unpredictable bloody fun in the next issue, especially when one of the characters mentions that they have a carnival in their backyard.
Hillyard’s panels run smoothly throughout the book, with cool transitions from page to page. The combination of giving us an issue that reveals what the cannibals look like and telling a bit of their story is a nice touch. The character designs help sell the trio as decent human beings just living their lives. There’s a good usage of close-ups of the characters’ facial expressions that help amplify what the writer is trying to do and make you care about these cannibalistic characters. In addition, the word bubbles are a good size, and the dialogue always focuses on the artwork.
Plush #3 is another hilarious entry into a story shaping to be one of my favorites of the year. The tone is well balanced throughout, the writing hits all the right notes, and it’s an enjoyable story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I can’t wait to read the next issue. If you’re a horror genre fan, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t read this book.
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