Getting Caught Up
Across Issues #1–6 of Exquisite Corpses, the series lays out the bloody tradition in which representatives of the richest families from the original thirteen colonies send twelve killers into a small Maine town to slaughter civilians for their entertainment. The opening issue introduces many of the key players, The Lone Gunman, the Fox Mask Killer, Layla Blaze, Pretty Boy, Lady Carolina, Rascal Randy, Recluse, and the rest, as they descend on the town and immediately begin carving through the population. Issue #2 pushes deeper into the elites’ skybox, revealing their grotesque fascination with the event while killers like The Congregation and Sacraments leave brutal body counts. Issue #3 focuses on the EMTs, especially Mason and Molly, who struggle to save who they can while navigating encounters with killers like Recluse and the unstoppable Lone Gunman.
Issue #4 delivers one of the first major killer-on-killer confrontations, as alliances begin to form and fall apart. Issue #5 expands emotional depth, particularly Fox Mask Killer’s emerging conscience and Pretty Boy’s refusal to fully participate, while Rascal Randy and Lady Carolina escalate the violence. By Issue #6, the game master accelerates the event, fires close in on the town, and trick-or-treat night becomes a massacre. With multiple killers dead, several townsfolk missing or traumatized, and the elites demanding more blood, the surviving roster tightens as the series barrels toward its endgame.
A Deadly Game Tightens
Exquisite Corpses #7 marks a turning point in the series, escalating every threat as the deadly ritual spirals beyond the control of those meant to oversee it. This issue is co-written by Michael Walsh and James Tynion IV, with art by Claire Roe alongside Walsh’s contributions, and the creative synergy between them gives the chapter a sharp, relentless energy. The watchers presiding over the spectacle, the representatives of the richest and most powerful families from each of the original thirteen colonies, fracture further as the pressure mounts. Some treat the competition to control the country as a casual diversion, some entertainment. Others take them with grave seriousness. All of them reveal cracks in the social and political machinery that underpins the entire blood-soaked event. As fires close in on the townsfolk, the gamesmaster accelerates the match, forcing the remaining contestants toward confrontation at a breakneck pace.
The Killers Still Standing
At this point in the story, the killer roster has narrowed to Lone Gunman, Recluse, Fox Mask Killer, Pretty Boy, Lady Carolina, Rascal Randy, and Layla Blaze. Even in brief check-ins, the creative team keeps each character’s perspective fresh and relevant, giving every killer their own narrative friction as the endgame approaches. Most of the issue, however, centers on Lone Gunman and Fox Mask Killer, who collide in a long-teased confrontation that delivers on every level. Their dynamic contrast makes the action irresistible: Lone Gunman is bulky and forceful, almost a battering ram in motion, while Fox Mask killer is nimble, sword-focused, and sharp in her movement. With Lone Gunman having earned reader loyalty from the first issue and Fox Mask Killer showing unexpected conscience and complexity in recent chapters, their showdown becomes a tense, emotionally charged highlight.
Character Depth and Rising Tensions
The other major focus of the issue rests on Pretty Boy and Layla Blaze. Pretty Boy’s characterization deepens significantly here; he finally steps out of his previously passive role, revealing a weary awareness of the senseless brutality of the game and a desire to remove himself from its machinery. Layla Blaze stands as his direct foil, embracing chaos and destruction with open arms.
Her fixation on fire echoes the literal wildfire choking the town, and her violent enthusiasm pushes Pretty Boy into uncomfortable but necessary confrontations. Their scenes underscore an important truth of the series: the killers may share a title, but they do not share motives, morality, or purpose. Layla’s unhinged commitment creates a volatile clash that propels the narrative forward with dangerous momentum.
A Brutal Dance of Survival
The centerpiece battle between Fox Mask Killer and Lone Gunman is one of the series’ most visually compelling sequences so far. The choreography feels like a dance of brutality and instinct, with every swing, crash, and near-miss emphasizing their opposing styles. The creative team uses their physical differences not only for spectacle but to heighten the tension between two characters who, despite being forced into deadly competition, have both earned reader sympathy. It’s a fight that feels meaningful beyond its violence, as though their clash reflects the collapsing logic of the game itself.
A World on the Edge
As the flames outside the arena intensify, so too does the discord among the wealthy colonial families watching from above. The bracket reveal, intentionally blurred and barely legible, signals that the structure of the game may be slipping apart. The final twist doesn’t just escalate the physical stakes; it undermines the watchers’ confidence in the system they believed they controlled. Their reactions suggest that the last third of the series may take a dramatic turn as the hierarchy behind the tournament begins to fracture.
Final Thoughts
Exquisite Corpses #7 is a tightly wound, explosive chapter that ramps up the danger, complicates the characters, and deepens the political rot behind the series’ central spectacle. With dynamic action, emotional conflict, and a finale teetering on the edge of upheaval, this issue proves that the creative team is steering the story toward a powerful and unpredictable final act.
Rating: 9/10
A tense, character-driven, visually dynamic installment that ramps up the stakes on every front. This series continues to build momentum in all the right ways.