Exquisite Corpses #8 ups the death count and the intrigue in new and exciting ways, which is surprising given the rules of the game. Professional killers and psychopaths are out to kill each other so that one super-rich backer can rule America. It’s a bracketed battle that’s as messy as it sounds, especially after you put down issue #8.
Returning for issue #8 is Porsnak Pichetshote, who delivered an excellent third issue as things are heating up in more than a few ways. Not only did a massive explosion go off in the last issue, but cameras are down at the start of the issue as the super-rich can’t see who wins or dies. As always, Michael Walsh draws the opening and closing bookends, checking in with the gamemaster and the rich folks who can’t wait to see if their bets win, and eventually, who wins to become leader of the “free world.”
Adam Gorham takes over on the main story art, delivering an impactful chapter. His contribution starts with an overturned ambulance, with one of our surviving civilians looking for her son. It’s a foreboding opening that pairs well with the whiplash of seeing Pretty Boy burned with his body filled with shards of glass. He was there at the explosion, and his new look is not putting him in a good mood. His ability to pluck an eye out is captured well by Gorham, and it’ll make you cringe.
A lot is riding on her killer winning.
Credit: Image
The meat of this issue involves the Lone Gunman, a character who opened the series as the dead ringer to win it all. He fights for one of the older rich folks, but he was beaten badly by the Fox Mask Killer in the last issue. He’s aided by the EMT Laurie, who does her best. It’s through the information he gives her, and a secret revealed about Laurie, that could very well overturn expectations for this battle royale. I won’t spoil it, but Pichetshote makes you believe maybe a civilian could win it all with natural language and key information delivered.
Key progress in the plot is made elsewhere in subplots, like the burned-up Lady Blaze running into a civilian who has no reason to help her. Key civilian characters seem to be regrouping, which could mean a shift as the professional killers dwindle more and more.
Exquisite Corpses #8 is a turning point for the series, using chaos and uncertainty to crack open the rules of its deadly game. With the cameras down and the wealthy backers temporarily blinded, the story shifts from spectacle to survival, allowing civilians to emerge as potential wild cards in a battle once dominated by professional killers. Pichetshote’s script thrives on tension and misdirection, while Adam Gorham’s grim, tactile artwork makes every injury and decision feel costly. As the body count rises, so does the sense that this contest may not end the way anyone, especially the people betting on it, expects.
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