Thanksgiving is supposed to be a holiday about family, ritual, and gratitude — in Mark Russell’s hands, however, it becomes a blood-spattered reflection of America itself.
On October 22, AHOY Comics will release Thanksgiving, a 48-page horror-comedy one-shot written by Russell (X-Factor, Second Coming) and with art by Mauricet (Howl) and lettering by Rob Steen. Billed as a gory send-up of family dinners gone wrong, the book follows the Grandt family as they gather around the table only to find themselves united by a terrible, shameful secret: the shadow of the “Turkeyneck Killer.”
Russell was brave enough to answer a few questions about the timely holiday horror tale as we ease into autumn. And that begins of course, with an appetizer: Why go after Thanksgiving in the first place?
“In America, Thanksgiving is both fundamentally associated with nation and family,” Russell said. “So the Thanksgiving dinner table seemed like the perfect setting to tell a story about people whom, as Americans, we have always kind of considered to be our extended family. To ask ourselves if we still recognize the people across the table and, if not, then what has changed?”
Courtesy of AHOY Comics.
A Killer at The Table
At the heart of Thanksgiving is the Turkeyneck Killer, a murderer who resurfaces every holiday season to target immigrants. The character is as absurd as he is unsettling, acting as both a literal antagonist and a mirror of the cultural fractures pulling the Grandts and the country apart.
“Against the backdrop of the Grandts’ Thanksgiving dinner is a serial killer known as the Turkeyneck Killer…which creates some faultlines during the dinner conversation, to put it mildly,” Russell said. “We’ve all had these moments where your sweet old grandma suddenly says something incredibly racist or your wacky uncle tries on a new conspiracy theory. And, not that it was ever harmless, it is increasingly becoming a matter of life and death.”
For Russell, the family’s reactions to the killer, which range from indifference to twisted admiration, reveal where each character stands in America’s ongoing national debate.
“Their stands on the Turkeyneck Killer reveal their position in the national conversation,” Russell said, citing Jo the narrator’s horror, her brother’s edgy detachment, and her grandparents’ complicated mix of apathy and prejudice.
Balancing Humor and Horror
Though billed as a horror-comedy, Russell doesn’t solely think of Thanksgiving in terms of gags and scares.
“I don’t feel like I ever go for horror or for comedy,” Russell said. “What I try to accomplish is metaphor and bluntness. And if it works, it usually turns out to be either funny or horrifying, or sometimes both.”
That tone finds its perfect partner with Mauricet’s art.
“One thing I really appreciate about Alain’s style is how he undersells the humor,” Russell said. “Even when something off-the-wall happens, to these characters, it all feels perfectly natural. And, to me, that’s the best way to draw comedy. Especially dark comedy.”
Satire With Bite
Russell, who has long blended satire with social critique, sees AHOY Comics as a natural home for a project this sharp.
“AHOY is publishing the sort of comics that Vertigo would have done 10years ago, so their timing of entering the chat just as Vertigo left was impeccable,” Russell said. “They’ve allowed me to write things that other publishers probably wouldn’t have touched with a ten-foot pole.”
Ultimately, Thanksgiving reflects a troubling reality that family tensions and national divisions are often one and the same.
“Sadly, I don’t think it’s very amplified at all,” Russell said. “The points they make are all things you could hear at any Thanksgiving table in America in 2025. And, frankly, I don’t think the conceit of a serial killer being polarizing is that far-fetched anymore.”
A Yummy Final Thought
Before we left the table, I asked Russell a decidedly breezier question: which of his own characters he’d invite to Thanksgiving dinner. His answer may or may not surprise you.
“Definitely not that Turkeyneck Killer,” Russell said. “But I think Jesus [from Second Coming] would be a good choice, if only to see what he’d make of pumpkin pie.”
With its razor-sharp satire, grisly kills, and uncomfortable truths, Thanksgiving might not replace your own holiday traditions, but it will certainly make you think twice before passing the yams.
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