Grab an umbrella because there’s a gore storm coming! The Jumpscare miniseries comes to a rousing conclusion in Jumpscare #4, written by Cullen Bunn with art by Danny Luckert. Trapped in a massive labyrinthine building by the Dismal Concordat, a monstrous and murderous cult who worship the Elder Gods, Jumpscare pushes her powers to the limit as she fights to escape and save her younger sister, who’s also being held prisoner there.
Jumpscare’s powers include the ability to conjure any weapon she saw in a horror film, which on the surface doesn’t seem too impressive. But anyone who’s even remotely a horror movie fan knows that there’s a HUGE variety of weapons to choose from. Hell, you could pull 100 different weapons from the Friday the 13th films alone.
But Jumpscare thinks outside the box. Why manifest a chainsaw when you can conjure a murderous Christine-like car from thin air, putting yourself behind the steering wheel and plowing over more creatures in one minute than in ten showings of Death Race 2000? Or how about summoning a flamethrower to turn a few Dismal Concordat cultists extra crispy?
I’ve raved in the past about how spectacular Danny Luckert’s art is, and it’s as good as ever here. His art’s very similar to George Perez’s crisp detailed work. In fact, in some panels, young Jumpscare looks like she’d fit right into the classic New Teen Titans team from the 1980s. They’d have to overlook her penchant for slicing and dicing monsters and criminals, of course, but she might hit it off great with Terra!
Luckert’s layouts are wonderfully varied. In one part of the book, for example, there’s a full-page background of the maze-like compound overlaid with panels of Jumpscare in action. It really enhances the feeling that the Dismal Concordat are everywhere and relentless.
Writer Cullen Bunn drives home the point that there’s little difference between Jumpscare’s religious zealot parents and the Dismal Concordat. Both of them are willing to sacrifice everything and everyone for their gods. Thankfully, Jumpscare’s sister hasn’t been brainwashed and she openly embraces her sibling, where her parents see Jumpscare as just another demonic entity to be eradicated (though they don’t mind asking her to go risk her life to save her sister).
The book asks the classic question: who are the real monsters in the world? Many of the grotesque extra-dimensional beings that Jumpscare encounters this issue have been tortured and imprisoned by the Dismal Concordat just like her. What’s lovely about Jumpscare is that she accepts them and treats them with respect and empathy. So as her parents claim to be religious and wholesome while annihilating everyone who doesn’t agree with them, Jumpscare’s out there actually accepting and helping those in need, whether they’re humans or creatures.
It’s a perfect reflection of what we’re currently experiencing in the world, the mental disconnect of people who call themselves “religious” but want to segregate and/or destroy everyone who doesn’t live by their disjointed beliefs.
Even though this is the last issue of the miniseries, it has an open ending, teasingly setting up future storylines. I hope we get more miniseries (maybe even a regular series?) with Jumpscare. The book’s mix of grindhouse horror and superhero action makes it one of the more unique and delightful books on the stands.
