Launching May 14 from Image Comics, Exquisite Corpses is already a contender for series of the year. In the high-concept horror-action title, we get a bird’s eye view into a secret competition where 12 of the deadliest serial killers in the world are dropped into a small town to fight to the death — while elite families watch, bet, and manipulate the fate of America itself.
Over the course of 13 issues, and with multiple other creators attached via a writers’ room “model,” both James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh help unravel a twisted, blood-drenched mystery through the eyes of civilians caught in the crossfire, combining horror, satire, and pulp spectacle. It’s both massively resonant of our own bizarre/terrible times and also something so much grander still.
To get an inside look into this unique project, I spoke to Tynion and Walsh across two in-depth interviews via Zoom. Though held on different days, both conversations revealed the shared creative vision and sheer scale of ambition behind Exquisite Corpses. It’s vital, compelling insight into the energy and collaborative heft powering one of 2025’s most inventive horror comics.
Main cover by Michael Walsh. Courtesy of Image Comics.
A Horror Crossover Born from Collaboration
For Tynion, the spark behind Exquisite Corpses wasn’t just the story—it was the format.
“I wanted to do a comic that could bring in the kind of energy of a big two superhero event,” Tynion said. “I missed the writer summits at DC, that energy you get when a bunch of creative minds jam in a room.”
Tynion also drew inspiration from the surrealist “exquisite corpse” storytelling game, where writers work together to spin stories in a kind of piecemeal manner using folded paper.
“The idea was: What if we took the energy of a big superhero event and filtered it through something I care more about, like high-octane horror with big, colorful characters?” Tynion said. “That was really where it all started for me.”
A Murderous Premise, A Grounded Heart
Despite the spectacle of the premise, Tynion emphasized the need to ground the horror in humanity.
“The heart of the story needed to be the civilians in the town,” Tynion said. “Every time the writer’s room started veering into a killer’s backstory, I’d say, no, we’re breaking the rules.”
Walsh echoed the importance of that specific contrast.
“The civilians feel like people you’d meet in real life,” Walsh said. “No one’s going to run into Rascal Randy on the street, but that’s the fun of it. It’s everyday people thrown into a goddamn nightmare.”
Variant cover by James Stokoe. Courtesy of Image Comics.
Building the World—and the Game
As co-creator, artist, and visual coordinator, Walsh went beyond just character design.
“I designed, like, 99.9% of everything in the book,” Walsh said. “We have an intensive world bible for every location, every character, every killer.”
That worldbuilding led to an unexpected but natural extension: a card game.
“I brought a bunch of white erase cards to our first writer’s room,” Walsh said. “By lunch, we were playtesting a rough version of a game. And it was fun. That’s when we realized we had to actually make it.”
There will be a polybagged variant of each issue of Exquisite Corpses that includes a free playable card, and Walsh notes the game supports up to 12 players.
“You pick your killer and go at it,” Walsh said. “It’s not super competitive—it’s chaotic, funny, and a little bloody. Just like the book.”
Structuring Mayhem
The first issue clocks in at 60 pages, and for good reason.
“I had to lay out the functionality of the entire story in that one issue,” Tynion said. “All the characters. All the dynamics. I needed six pages just to introduce the rules of the game.”
Despite the rotating cast of writers, Exquisite Corpses avoids the disjointed feel of similar experiments.
“This isn’t Kamandi Challenge,” Tynion said with a laugh. “That was fun chaos. But we wanted a cohesive story. Like a TV writers’ room. Everyone pitched on everything, and we reshuffled scenes to make it work better.”
That TV inspiration wasn’t accidental, either.
“Pornsak Pichetshote and Che Grayson brought their Hollywood experience to the table,” Tynion said. “It helped us stay focused on emotional payoffs while keeping the story tight.”
Variant cover by Alex Eckman-Lawn. Courtesy of Image Comics.
Fear, Fun, and Societal Rot
At its core, Exquisite Corpses is political horror.
“There’s a fear I’ve explored in my work — what happens when unbridled wealth has no inhibitions,” Tynion said. “Society’s not built for people like us. It’s built for the entertainment of the powerful.”
Walsh agreed, adding, “It’s the Super Bowl for the wealthy elite. They watch the games. They bet on civilians dying. It’s disgusting — and we love it.”
Tynion also made no apologies for the book’s message. This kind of criticism is all too necessary these days.
“I stand by what it says about this country,” Tynion said. “If people think it’s too on the nose, I’d say… maybe the nose is in the right place.”
Visual Punch and Punk Aesthetic
Walsh’s artistic approach is integral to Exquisite Corpses’ distinct identity.
“I wanted each killer reveal to feel like a concert poster,” Walsh said. “Like Borderlands boss fights or Persona intros.” Each killer has a two-color palette that pops across the page as well as on the trading cards.
Colorist Jordie Bellaire adds cohesion to the visuals, even as multiple artists cycle through later issues.
“It’s all about making the book feel unified, no matter who’s drawing a page,” Walsh said.
Big Swings, Long Games
Exquisite Corpses marks the first major release from Tynion’s Tiny Onion Studios — and it’s only the beginning.
“This is our first big swing,” Tynion said. “We’re planning for this to be a world we tell stories in for years. The first arc is 13 issues. But we’ve already got more ideas — and more killers.”
Walsh confirmed that Exquisite Corpses could have some real range to the series.
“We’ve got killers designed that didn’t make the cut,” Walsh said. “We could go back in time, do Exquisite Corpses: 1985. There’s endless potential.”
Final Thoughts — and a Message for the Haters
Asked what he’d say to readers dismissing the concept as just Squid Game, Tynion laughed: “The first issue is 60 pages and $4.99. Just read it.”
Walsh had a similar message: “Did you read it?”
With its punk rock energy, event-scale ambition, and rich storytelling, Exquisite Corpses aims to be more than just another horror comic. Or, as Walsh puts it, “It feels like something really special. Something that could stand for a long time.”
Want even more info on this series? Don’t miss the uncut interview with Walsh on the AIPT Comics podcast, with the full Tynion interview coming Sunday, May 18th.
You must be logged in to post a comment.