Exquisite Corpses is reaching its halfway point, which means more serial killer deaths and more realization from the townspeople that they are in big trouble. Out this week is issue #5, featuring Jordie Bellaire and Claire Roe on the main story, as two killers fall in love and another discovers they’re all trapped, with only one way out. The plot progression is getting thicker as time continues to run out for, well, everyone!
Kicking off Exquisite Corpses #5 is the usual framing scene, as James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh show us what the super-rich are up to as they watch their killers die and live on. The opening establishes that two of the killers aren’t killing at all, but instead becoming friendly and flirting. The detached nature of the super-rich onlookers from reality is a bit scary in itself, while the drama intensifies for a few others.
From there, the story picks up where we left off, as Laura drives her car salesman boss to the hospital after his hand was chopped off last issue. They run into the EMT Laurie, bringing two previous subplots together. Soon, they’re after answers inside the police station, and another gruesome death occurs that’ll have fans jumping for joy. I mean, a good horror always has a jerk get the demise we’ve been hoping for, right?
Side note: With so few characters, did they really need to name two so similarly? Laurie and Laura, – why dammit, why!?
While they seek answers and a bit of help, the story jumps to super-killers Layla Blaze and Slater, who happened to have their weapons caches near each other. They find each other fascinating and soon are flirting and acting like they aren’t there to kill each other. Of course, both know they’ll have to kill the other eventually, but there’s an agreed-upon peace between the two. Bellaire does a good job capturing their weirdness in their scenes, with things ending somewhat abruptly in a shock of gore. Their love isn’t meant to be, and Layla seems totally fine with that, maybe even elated in how things turn out.
I love that he has this bloody stump but is pissed there’s no Butterfinger.
Credit: Image
Roe does her best work with character acting, particularly in the death scene between Layla and Slater. The latter scene is well done, further showing the almost superhuman ability of another killer we’ve seen kill before. In an intense three pages, Roe makes you gag and cheer, which is something every horror fan wants when it comes to the kills! Meanwhile, the scenes with Laura and Laurie continue to make you root for and like the citizens.
All the while, Pretty Boy seems to be taking it easy as he drives to the edge of town with a civilian. This leads to the revelation that there’s only one way out of this, and it’s kill or be killed. Considering this is not new information, it seems like many pages amount to little. It’s also unclear why Pretty Boy is taking the ride, and at this point, his narrative feels somewhat drawn out, as he has accomplished very little over the course of the five issues. The convo with the citizen about UFOs doesn’t add much, either, leaning into the usual conspiracy theory stuff. I suppose it’s pointing out maybe some conspiracies have more truth to them than we want to admit, though it adds little to the series that hasn’t already been pointed out.
Exquisite Corpses #5 keeps the tension high as killers cross paths, townspeople scramble for survival, and another gruesome demise hits with gory precision. While Pretty Boy’s plotline stalls, Bellaire and Roe ensure the rest of the issue crackles with tension, grotesque romance, and unforgettable horror artistry, proving the series continues to excel at delivering EC Comics-style thrills with a modern twist.
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