Writers: Tyler Boss w/ James Tynion IV
Artists: Valentine De Landro w/ Michael Walsh
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Cover Artists: Michael Walsh & Jordie Bellaire
By the time Exquisite Corpses #9 opens, the shape of the endgame is finally visible. The chaos unleashed by the explosion has thinned the field, sharpened intentions, and stripped away any lingering illusion that survival alone is enough. This issue is not about spectacle or surprise twists. It is about proximity to death, the collapse of cover, and the realization that everyone still standing is now standing in the way of someone else.
Where issue #8 dismantled the rules, issue #9 explores the consequences of that collapse. The killers who remain are no longer circling the board cautiously. They are making moves. At the same time, the civilians who have survived this long are no longer passive obstacles in the game. They are acting, choosing, and in some cases, firing first. The result is an issue defined by near-misses, desperate escapes, and the unsettling sense that there is no longer such a thing as a safe location.
The Board Narrows
Pretty Boy dons Lone Gunman’s mask.
The issue opens in the familiar red-lit room of the wealthy families who bankroll the slaughter, grounding the reader once again in the grotesque power structure that frames the story. With the Lone Gunman dead, the conversation immediately turns to outcomes and contingencies rather than mourning. Valentine De Landro continues to draw these figures with a sterile, almost antiseptic precision that only emphasizes how monstrous they are beneath the surface. Their wealth insulates them from consequence, but their certainty is beginning to crack.
The field is now reduced to five killers: Pretty Boy, Fox Mask, Recluse, Lady Carolina, and Rascal Randy. That number matters. With fewer players, every movement feels heavier and every decision more deliberate. The game has entered its most dangerous phase, where lying low is no longer a viable strategy and momentum begins to outweigh patience.
The reappearance of Pretty Boy is particularly striking. Scarred beyond recognition from the explosion of Layla Blaze, he claims the mask of the Lone Gunman as a way to cover what remains of his face. It is a disturbing image, one that blurs identity and legacy. Pretty Boy is no longer just surviving the game; he is inheriting its violence, wearing it quite literally. The series has always been interested in how killers adapt under pressure, and this moment suggests that survival may require becoming something unrecognizable.
Civilians in the Crosshairs
Laura confronts the would-be arsonists following their conversation with Mike.
The heart of Exquisite Corpses #9 belongs to EMT Laura and the civilians who have been forced to evolve alongside the killers. Laura spends much of the issue hiding in a restaurant as two officials of the game prepare to burn it down with her inside. The tension here is slow and suffocating, built on stillness rather than action. This is not a chase; it is an execution waiting to happen.
The eventual decision of Laura to reveal herself and kill both men is one of the most significant moments in the issue. It is not framed as triumph or transformation. It is framed as a necessity. Laura does not step into the role of a killer; she removes an immediate threat. That distinction matters, and the book is careful not to romanticize it.
The interaction with Mike afterward recontextualizes the danger facing the civilians. Mike's attempt to contact the sheriff via radio ends in disaster when it is revealed he is speaking directly to the people with Laura. The mistake feels painfully human, born from exhaustion and desperation rather than stupidity. The intervention of Laura saves lives, but it also confirms something grim: there is no authority left to appeal to. The system is compromised all the way down
Violence at Close Range
Xavi leaves Rascal Randy tied-up, but not for long.
Rascal Randy finally steps into the spotlight with a prolonged confrontation against Xavi inside a high school. Valentine De Landro stages the sequence with impressive clarity, allowing the space itself to become part of the threat. The fight moves through hallways and into a swimming pool, where visibility drops and panic takes over. It is tense, physical, and exhausting to read.
What makes the sequence effective is not just the choreography, but what it reveals about Randy. Despite his unsettling presence and theatrical design, his failure to secure a kill here raises questions about his position among the remaining killers. He is dangerous, certainly, but this issue suggests that danger alone may not be enough to win.
The escape of Xavi is preceded by one of the most emotionally raw moments of the issue. Upon arriving at the school, he sees a photo of his deceased boyfriend and breaks down completely. The grief is sudden and overwhelming, interrupting the momentum of the plot in a way that feels earned. Exquisite Corpses has never forgotten that the body count includes people who were never meant to be part of the game. This moment reinforces the fact that loss does not wait for the violence to stop.
The Endgame Takes Shape
Carolina and Massachusetts seemingly finalize their plan.
The issue closes by shifting focus back to the architects of the violence. Carolina and Massachusetts begin plotting their next move, with Lady Carolina taking possession of the weapon of the Lone Gunman. The implication is clear: the rules may not be broken, but the families are already finding ways to exploit the wreckage. The possibility that Massachusetts could still win, despite her killer being dead, suggests that the game itself may be evolving into something even more grotesque.
Meanwhile, the final reveal that Audrey, who is the mother of Jason, has been captured by Recluse adds a deeply personal threat to the mounting tension. The violence is no longer abstract or distant. It is closing in on the people who we thought might survive by staying just outside the spotlight.
Final Thoughts and Rating
Exquisite Corpses #9 is a pressure-point issue, one that trades shock value for sustained tension and moral unease. With the roster narrowing and the civilians taking increasingly active roles, the series is entering its most volatile stretch. The killers who remain are not just competing; they are adapting, improvising, and, in some cases, unraveling.
Read on its own, the issue can feel dense with moving parts. Read as part of the larger narrative, it becomes clear that this is intentional. The exhaustion, confusion, and fragmentation mirror the experience of the characters themselves. This is not a story about clean victories or heroic turns; it is about what people become when survival is the only rule left.
As the night drags on and the board tightens, Exquisite Corpses continues to prove that its greatest strength lies not in its brutality, but in its refusal to look away from the consequences.
Rating: 8.5/10
A tense, claustrophobic chapter that narrows the field and sharpens the stakes, pushing the series closer to an endgame that feels increasingly inevitable and increasingly unforgiving.