Superhero action mixes with bone-chilling horror in Jumpscare #2, written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Danny Luckert. This issue, we’re introduced to the grotesque villain Grindhouse, who looks like an amalgam of all manner of horrendous creatures from 1980s horror films ranging from The Thing to The Beast Within. This issue expands the universe significantly, with mentions of an all-powerful secret cadre called The Dismal Concordant who’s gunning for Allie Perry aka Jumpscare, even as Grindhouse holds her sister hostage in hopes of luring Allie into a trap.
We also get more insight into Allie’s powers, which include being able to materialize a weapon from any horror film she’s seen as well as being able to teleport short distances in order to “jumpscare” her opponents. She also has a Wolverine-style healing factor. It’s a unique power set that leads to a lot of gory moments throughout the book. Speaking of gore, the book never shies away from it. If Lucio Fulci or Herschel Gordon Lewis made a superhero film, this would be it. At times, the book feels like an R-rated Daredevil book, with Jumpscare’s fighting style and access to any edged or blunt weapon she can imagine making the book fierce and in-your-face.
Allie’s a conflicted character, rebelling against her religious parents, the same parents who treasure her sister but always treated Allie like an annoyance. It’s hard to tell if her love of horror films is a revolutionary act against her prudish parents or if she genuinely does get a thrill from them, but when she’s not fighting crime in the streets, she’s at a theater taking in the latest horror opus. It’s fun watching her battle street thugs and the occasional supernatural menace. She does it gleefully and madly – no “dark and grim” Batman-style vigilante justice here. She enjoys every second of it.
Visually, the book’s outstanding – artist Danny Luckert’s work is very similar to great classic artists like George Perez and Keith Pollard. Much like those two artists, Luckert fills the panels with detail. Not only are the monsters that pop up throughout the book meticulously drawn (right down to the greenish sludge dripping from every orifice of Grindhouse), but the backgrounds are equally detailed. That attention to every detail, not just the characters, is something you don’t see from many artists these days. I’ve become a huge fan of his work and I hope Marvel or DC grabs him up for one of their books in the future.
If you like down-and-dirty superhero action with a healthy dose of horror and the supernatural, grab this issue. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it sure is bloody good fun!
