Writers: Jordie Bellaire w/ James Tynion IV
Artists: Marianna Ignazzi w/ Michael Walsh
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Cover Artists: Michael Walsh
Exquisite Corpses #10 feels like the tightening of a noose. With only a few issues left before the end of Season One, the book narrows its focus without losing its chaos. The body count rises, the conspiracies deepen, and the emotional toll becomes harder to ignore. This issue balances brutal, impeccably choreographed violence with surprisingly tender character beats, all while reminding us that the real monsters might not be the masked killers in the woods. It is savage, it is tense, and it is exactly the kind of escalation you want this close to the finish line.
The Bell Tower and the Bigger Game
The Groundskeeper watches from the bell tower.
The issue opens in the church bell tower with the groundskeeper calmly discussing how the game is nearing its end. He has snipers positioned to eliminate any civilians who might witness the final confrontation. It is a chilling way to begin, not because of overt violence, but because of how procedural it feels. This is logistics. This is infrastructure. It is a system that has run long enough to account for every variable, including stray witnesses.
The representatives continue maneuvering behind the scenes, particularly Carolina and Massachusetts. Carolina shares the plan she made with Massachusetts, insisting that without her designated weapon, she cannot win. Lady Carolina, however, refuses to bend. She does not want Massachusetts dictating the outcome of the next five years. That tension simmers in the background, but it adds an important layer. The killers may be fighting in the woods, but the real war is being waged in boardrooms and back channels. Power in this series has always been layered, and this issue reinforces that the people orchestrating the game are as cutthroat as the ones spilling blood.
Fire in the Woods
Fox Mask Killer rips Recluse’s throat out.
Back in the forest, we pick up with Recluse and Audrey. Audrey is trapped in a web of barbed wire, pleading for her life, and the tension is immediate. Then, the Fox Mask Killer arrives, and what follows is another now-signature showdown.
The fight between Fox Mask and Recluse is vicious and deeply personal. When Recluse brings up the dead daughter of the Fox Mask Killer, it flips a switch. This is no longer tactical. It is furious. The choreography is outstanding. Bodies slam into trees. Barbed wire tears at skin. The flames spreading through the forest add a chaotic backdrop that makes the whole encounter feel apocalyptic.
It culminates in one of the most savage kills of the series so far, with Fox Mask literally ripping the throat of Recluse out with her teeth. It is feral, and it is unforgettable. Fox Mask has consistently been one of the most compelling killers in the series, and this scene reinforces why. She is terrifying, but she is also emotionally driven in a way that makes her feel like more than a masked slasher archetype.
Afterward, she cuts Audrey down and tells her to run. The game is almost over. Even here, after something so brutal, there is a flicker of mercy. That contrast makes the violence hit harder.
A Mother’s Worst Nightmare
Audrey mourns her son, thinking he’s dead.
Audrey’s storyline is devastating in this issue. In the cornfield, she finds Craig dead, lying on top of a child dressed in the same costume Jason has been wearing. In a moment that is almost physically painful to read, she pulls the body of Craig off so violently that she rips off two of her own fingernails. It is a small, visceral detail that makes the grief feel real.
She believes she is holding her son.
The book lingers just long enough to let the horror settle. There is no spectacle. There are no over-the-top theatrics. There is only a mother cradling what she thinks is her dead child in a field that has already seen too much blood. It is one of the strongest emotional beats of the issue and a reminder that, for all its stylized carnage, this series understands restraint.
Tower Falls
The Groundskeeper accepts his fate.
Meanwhile, Laura confronts the groundskeeper in the bell tower, holding the weapon of the Lone Gunman to his head. She demands answers about what is happening in her town. He refuses to break. Even staring down the barrel of a gun, he remains loyal to the system. He shares fragments of how he ended up here and admits that when he signed up, he knew he was only delaying the inevitable. The Thirteen would kill him eventually.
He radios in that he has been compromised and is immediately taken out by a sniper. It is cold and efficient. The game protects itself without hesitation.
The sniper turns his attention to Laura, but she manages to take cover. When she hears that a cleanup crew is on the way, she climbs down the tower and disappears. The machine keeps moving. It absorbs losses and adjusts.
The End of Innocence
Rascal Randy kills Mike.
The sequence with Mike, Jason, and Xavi on the stolen school bus is quietly one of the most powerful parts of the issue. They hear the church bell ringing in the distance and the echo of sniper fire hitting metal. Even the environment feels complicit.
Jason says he is hungry. Xavi gives him water and calls him Jaybear, trying to shield him from the chaos around them. It is such a simple, human exchange. In a book filled with killers and conspiracies, it stands out. Jason wants a Pop-Tart, but not the Halloween kind. He says he wants no more Halloween ever again. After everything he has endured, that sentiment lands hard.
Then, Rascal Randy arrives.
Mike tackles him immediately, sacrificing himself so Xavi and Jason can escape. Xavi drags Jason into a haunted house, ignoring the protests of the boy, trying to keep him safe. Meanwhile, Randy crushes Mike in one of the most shocking deaths of the series by dropping a soda machine onto his head and crushing it on impact. It is grotesque, and it is abrupt. I am genuinely saddened by the death of Mike. He had quietly become one of the emotional anchors of this story. However, as someone who is a big fan of Rascal Randy, I cannot deny how effective this moment is. Randy remains one of the most unsettling figures in the book. We barely see him clearly. There is only that grin in the darkness.
Knives Behind Closed Doors
Lady Carolina reminds us of her remorselessness.
In the control room, the fallout from the death of the groundskeeper is immediate. The gamesmaster assumes both responsibilities, and the representatives warn him how fragile everything has become. The illusion of control is cracking.
The issue closes on Lady Carolina. She does not want Massachusetts determining the next five years. Rather than relying on the weapon of the Lone Gunman, she intends to use the knife of The Congregation. However, the final image makes it clear how sinister she truly is. A family is tied up in their home. She stands over them, blade in hand.
The killers in the woods are horrifying. The people in power may be worse.
Final Thoughts and Rating
Exquisite Corpses #10 is a major escalation from the comparatively calmer issue #9. The Fox Mask versus Recluse fight is one of the best action sequences the series has delivered. Audrey’s grief is heartbreaking. The death of Mike is shocking and impactful. Additionally, Rascal Randy continues to cement himself as one of the most terrifying and entertaining characters in the book.
More than anything, this issue reinforces how layered this story has become. The violence is gripping, but it is the character work that lingers. With only a few issues left before #13 closes out Season One, the tension feels suffocating. No one is safe. Not the killers. Not the civilians. Not even the architects of the game.
This is a great issue, both as a standalone chapter and as a stepping stone toward the finale. If the series sticks the landing, this stretch will be remembered as the moment everything truly tightened.
Rating: 8.5/10