What do you think?
Jumpscare
From the co-creator of The Sixth Gun and Harrow County comes a new action horror superhero event that ties into the hit Beyond Mortal comics series!
Horror fan turned vigilante Jumpscare can conjure any gore-soaked weapon from any gore-soaked movie she's watched. Using this power, she's become a force for good in Empire City...and the world's most popular superhero! Even with all her powers, though, she may not be able to save her estranged sister from the clutches of mobster-turned-monster—Grindhouse! Especially with a band of eldritch zealots called the Dismal Concordat standing in her way!
Collects Jumpscare #1–#4.
Horror fan turned vigilante Jumpscare can conjure any gore-soaked weapon from any gore-soaked movie she's watched. Using this power, she's become a force for good in Empire City...and the world's most popular superhero! Even with all her powers, though, she may not be able to save her estranged sister from the clutches of mobster-turned-monster—Grindhouse! Especially with a band of eldritch zealots called the Dismal Concordat standing in her way!
Collects Jumpscare #1–#4.
96 pages, Paperback
First published October 21, 2025
About the author
Cullen Bunn
2,063 books1,081 followersCullen grew up in rural North Carolina, but now lives in the St. Louis area with his wife Cindy and his son Jackson. His noir/horror comic (and first collaboration with Brian Hurtt), The Damned, was published in 2007 by Oni Press. The follow-up, The Damned: Prodigal Sons, was released in 2008. In addition to The Sixth Gun, his current projects include Crooked Hills, a middle reader horror prose series from Evileye Books; The Tooth, an original graphic novel from Oni Press; and various work for Marvel and DC. Somewhere along the way, Cullen founded Undaunted Press and edited the critically acclaimed small press horror magazine, Whispers from the Shattered Forum.
All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.
And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.
Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.
All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.
And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.
Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 27, 2025
Fun comic amazing art!
October 2, 2026
"Jumpscare" was a very pleasant surprise. The story is much more captivating than I expected and, unlike some comics that throw a lot of ideas at the reader without really connecting them, everything here actually works. Cullen Bunn's script, Danny Luckert's artwork, the supernatural elements and all the horror movie references feel like parts of the same story. The horror references are probably my favourite part.
Jumpscare's ability to summon weapons from horror movies she has watched is such a wonderfully silly idea, but Bunn completely commits to it. The references scattered throughout the comic are not there just so the reader can point at them and recognise something. They become part of the humour and the action. If you have watched enough horror movies, there are plenty of moments that will make you laugh. Underneath all the blood, monsters and horror jokes, though, there is also a surprisingly interesting conflict.
Allie comes from an extremely religious family and represents almost everything they reject. She is rebellious, independent, violent, sarcastic and quite comfortable being different. At first, it seems obvious where our sympathies are supposed to be. We are naturally pushed towards Allie and against the religious extremism represented by her family.
As the story develops, the idea of freedom becomes a little more complicated. Allie wants the freedom to define herself, but she is also carrying something genuinely supernatural and dangerous inside her. Her family's fears are wrapped in religious extremism, but that doesn't automatically mean that absolutely everything they fear is imaginary.
Allie has enough of the rebellious teenager in her to make her amusing without becoming irritating, and enough vulnerability underneath it to make her feel like an actual character rather than just another sarcastic antihero. Relationship with her sister gives the story some much needed emotional weight as well.
Danny Luckert's art fits the comic perfectly. It is colourful when it needs to be, disgusting when it needs to be and manages to make some genuinely grotesque creatures look almost funny. The violence is excessive, but intentionally so. This is a comic that clearly loves horror movies rather than simply using horror aesthetics.
My biggest complaint is that it ends after only 96 pages. The book collects four issues and technically finishes its immediate story, but it certainly doesn't feel like the end. If anything, by the last pages it feels like Bunn has finally finished introducing the character and the world and is ready to start the bigger story.
Apparently this is connected to Bunn's larger "Beyond Mortal" universe, which I haven't read yet. There are plenty of comics where reaching the final page feels like enough. With "Jumpscare", I was genuinely disappointed that there wasn't another issue waiting.
Easy recommendation, especially for anyone who grew up watching far too many horror movies.
Jumpscare's ability to summon weapons from horror movies she has watched is such a wonderfully silly idea, but Bunn completely commits to it. The references scattered throughout the comic are not there just so the reader can point at them and recognise something. They become part of the humour and the action. If you have watched enough horror movies, there are plenty of moments that will make you laugh. Underneath all the blood, monsters and horror jokes, though, there is also a surprisingly interesting conflict.
Allie comes from an extremely religious family and represents almost everything they reject. She is rebellious, independent, violent, sarcastic and quite comfortable being different. At first, it seems obvious where our sympathies are supposed to be. We are naturally pushed towards Allie and against the religious extremism represented by her family.
As the story develops, the idea of freedom becomes a little more complicated. Allie wants the freedom to define herself, but she is also carrying something genuinely supernatural and dangerous inside her. Her family's fears are wrapped in religious extremism, but that doesn't automatically mean that absolutely everything they fear is imaginary.
Allie has enough of the rebellious teenager in her to make her amusing without becoming irritating, and enough vulnerability underneath it to make her feel like an actual character rather than just another sarcastic antihero. Relationship with her sister gives the story some much needed emotional weight as well.
Danny Luckert's art fits the comic perfectly. It is colourful when it needs to be, disgusting when it needs to be and manages to make some genuinely grotesque creatures look almost funny. The violence is excessive, but intentionally so. This is a comic that clearly loves horror movies rather than simply using horror aesthetics.
My biggest complaint is that it ends after only 96 pages. The book collects four issues and technically finishes its immediate story, but it certainly doesn't feel like the end. If anything, by the last pages it feels like Bunn has finally finished introducing the character and the world and is ready to start the bigger story.
Apparently this is connected to Bunn's larger "Beyond Mortal" universe, which I haven't read yet. There are plenty of comics where reaching the final page feels like enough. With "Jumpscare", I was genuinely disappointed that there wasn't another issue waiting.
Easy recommendation, especially for anyone who grew up watching far too many horror movies.
October 13, 2025
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5
Collecting the first four issues of the comic book by the same name, Jumpscare is a new sort of superhero.
A young woman who happens to be a huge fan of horror/slasher/grindhouse films is bestowed with a unique power - she can call up (and use) any movie weapon from any horror film she's ever seen and 'jump' to and from locations. This will come in handy as Empire City where she lives is being invaded by a collection of baddies the could be right out of any of the horror films she enjoys.
When her sister is taken captive by one of these monsters, Jumpscare goes into lethal action to rescue her her, even though her ultra conservative, Christian family has denounced her and seems to want nothing to do with her.
This was really a lot of fun and very clever. Jumpscare's 'power' is a bit like Green Lantern ('if you can think of it, it'll be there') but relies on an impressive knowledge of horror films. I definitely don't have that background, but I suspect those who do will enjoy this even more.
The contrast with the darkness (horror movie powers and creatures) and light (Christian conservative values) is well played though the role reversals might be a little heavy-handed. Might be.
The artwork is tremendous. This is complex without being overly busy. I really like the addition of Jumpscare's red/blue eyes which take us to 1950's era 3D movies - perfect for 'B' horror flicks.
The book is comprised of four comic book issues and suffers a little bit of telling four stories within the larger arc. It sometimes feels a bit padded to flesh out the necessary pages for a comic.
The 'ending' doesn't work for me. Especially with the last page, this feels more like a set-up to a much longer story or, at best, the half-way point. I understand it's nice to leave the story open for continuation, but it was unnecessary. She hasn't lost her powers - this could easily be begun in another issue/volume. Now we have an incomplete story.
Looking for a good book? The graphic novel Jumpscare is very clever and well illustrated and worthy of continuation, but closing a volume with an obvious 'cliffhanger' doesn't work - especially when the book is under 100 pages and graphic novels can easily go beyond that to present a complete story.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
Collecting the first four issues of the comic book by the same name, Jumpscare is a new sort of superhero.
A young woman who happens to be a huge fan of horror/slasher/grindhouse films is bestowed with a unique power - she can call up (and use) any movie weapon from any horror film she's ever seen and 'jump' to and from locations. This will come in handy as Empire City where she lives is being invaded by a collection of baddies the could be right out of any of the horror films she enjoys.
When her sister is taken captive by one of these monsters, Jumpscare goes into lethal action to rescue her her, even though her ultra conservative, Christian family has denounced her and seems to want nothing to do with her.
This was really a lot of fun and very clever. Jumpscare's 'power' is a bit like Green Lantern ('if you can think of it, it'll be there') but relies on an impressive knowledge of horror films. I definitely don't have that background, but I suspect those who do will enjoy this even more.
The contrast with the darkness (horror movie powers and creatures) and light (Christian conservative values) is well played though the role reversals might be a little heavy-handed. Might be.
The artwork is tremendous. This is complex without being overly busy. I really like the addition of Jumpscare's red/blue eyes which take us to 1950's era 3D movies - perfect for 'B' horror flicks.
The book is comprised of four comic book issues and suffers a little bit of telling four stories within the larger arc. It sometimes feels a bit padded to flesh out the necessary pages for a comic.
The 'ending' doesn't work for me. Especially with the last page, this feels more like a set-up to a much longer story or, at best, the half-way point. I understand it's nice to leave the story open for continuation, but it was unnecessary. She hasn't lost her powers - this could easily be begun in another issue/volume. Now we have an incomplete story.
Looking for a good book? The graphic novel Jumpscare is very clever and well illustrated and worthy of continuation, but closing a volume with an obvious 'cliffhanger' doesn't work - especially when the book is under 100 pages and graphic novels can easily go beyond that to present a complete story.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2026
This is a classic short Bunn comic (four issues), and I have to say I enjoyed it quite a lot, despite a few typical issues these kinds of quick reads tend to have.
I should also mention that this spins off from a superhero series by Bunn that I hadn’t read, which only really dawned on me around the second issue. Aside from a few small references, though, it doesn’t really rely on that continuity and works just fine on its own.
Jumpscare is essentially a crazy horror comedy made for horror geeks, centered on a talkative anti-heroine who fights evil — but does so in very brutal ways. It’s packed with horror references, plenty of very cringe one-liners that I eventually got used to, and it moves extremely fast, so there’s not much room for deeper character development.
Even so, it’s a pumped-up ride. The artwork works perfectly alongside the story, and I had a lot of fun with it. It’s a bit of a shame that many of the movies referenced are made up, but that’s balanced out by the great idea that the heroine can summon any weapon she’s seen in a horror film — which I thought was genuinely cool. And I get why it’s easier for the author to invent those movies rather than reference real ones.
For example, a glove made out of tiny chainsaws? That was genius.
So yeah — it’s a straightforward genre snack that entertains and flies by. Nothing more, nothing less. But I’d happily take another serving. 8/10.
I should also mention that this spins off from a superhero series by Bunn that I hadn’t read, which only really dawned on me around the second issue. Aside from a few small references, though, it doesn’t really rely on that continuity and works just fine on its own.
Jumpscare is essentially a crazy horror comedy made for horror geeks, centered on a talkative anti-heroine who fights evil — but does so in very brutal ways. It’s packed with horror references, plenty of very cringe one-liners that I eventually got used to, and it moves extremely fast, so there’s not much room for deeper character development.
Even so, it’s a pumped-up ride. The artwork works perfectly alongside the story, and I had a lot of fun with it. It’s a bit of a shame that many of the movies referenced are made up, but that’s balanced out by the great idea that the heroine can summon any weapon she’s seen in a horror film — which I thought was genuinely cool. And I get why it’s easier for the author to invent those movies rather than reference real ones.
For example, a glove made out of tiny chainsaws? That was genius.
So yeah — it’s a straightforward genre snack that entertains and flies by. Nothing more, nothing less. But I’d happily take another serving. 8/10.
February 1, 2026
"From the world of Beyond Mortal" I don't know what this is but the cover looks fun so I picked it up. I had fun with it! Jumpscare can jumpscare people (teleport where they aren't looking) and summon shitty low-budget horror movie props to fight people with. She's like a Harley Quinn type of rampaging crazy girlboss. Has a bit of emoting about how crazy and weird and dangerous and 'dark' she is ("on the inside"), which is very blah but whatever it fits I guess. Jumpscare (the mini-series) sets up Jumpscare (the protagonist) as torn between her parents being ultra-religious zealots, and now having to help her family against other ultra-religious zealots (but this time they're cultists for eldritch gods instead of cultists for Jesus).
It ends rather abruptly, as many four-issue limited series tend to do, but there were cool action scenes and lots of blood and guts. It... set up a status quo? I think? I can't tell exactly what Jumpscare was about before it started but there seems to be a purpose and theme here other than "kill bad guys wahoo" so I take that as character development. There's still a cool lady who likes horror movies and murders monsters and I take that as a win and say thanks for the series existing.
It ends rather abruptly, as many four-issue limited series tend to do, but there were cool action scenes and lots of blood and guts. It... set up a status quo? I think? I can't tell exactly what Jumpscare was about before it started but there seems to be a purpose and theme here other than "kill bad guys wahoo" so I take that as character development. There's still a cool lady who likes horror movies and murders monsters and I take that as a win and say thanks for the series existing.
September 29, 2026
Jumpscare is a four-issue miniseries from the world of Beyond Mortal. I am not familiar with Beyond Mortal, but after reading Jumpscare, I want to be. It is such a shame this appears to be a one-off miniseries. Jumpscare is my favorite superhero in a long time and will most likely end up on my list of all-time favorites after I’ve had a chance to ruminate on the series a bit. Jumpscare is a young woman who is an outcast from her hyper-religious family. She is changed by an eldritch monster into a superhero who can summon any weapon from any horror movie she has seen. She can also appear behind people when they are not looking and has a classic healing factor. She is quippy, and the horror movie references, both real and made up, are a whole lot of fun for a horror fan like myself. There is a lot of gore, and the story moves at a clip. So much so that you are left wanting a whole lot more once it is over, and it was devastating to learn that there isn’t more and nothing has been announced for the future.
August 7, 2025
I have a bad feeling about this book as I read a few pages of it. A Harley Quinn meets Kick-Ass like heroine that mutters lines in the movie. I enjoyed it in after passing the initial pages but it's a bit of a let down in the finale. (Spoilers) so it's so easy to escape the HQ of the big bad? Really now? Then the cliffhanger feels forced just to push it's comic universe thing. The artwork is totally solid though. The action is good. The scare factor has it's highs and lows. This book is not rushed. I like the family thing but again the ending is not good.
March 10, 2026
9/10.
Great art, great plot, great action, great scenes.
It flowed amazingly and didn't require vast amounts of infodumping to get through the worldbuilding, which did rely on actually existing Z tier horror movies, which I don't watch and I didn't realize wouldn't be specific to the made up world it was trying to depict.
Great art, great plot, great action, great scenes.
It flowed amazingly and didn't require vast amounts of infodumping to get through the worldbuilding, which did rely on actually existing Z tier horror movies, which I don't watch and I didn't realize wouldn't be specific to the made up world it was trying to depict.
June 1, 2026
Fun! The art works well with the story. The character of Jumpscare is really fun. As someone who actually doesn't like horror movies I don't know if the weapons she used are actually from real movies or not. I knew I'd like this when my husband said it's from Cullen Bunn. Definitely would read more.
November 1, 2025
+ Main character is fun, simple entertaining story
- Too short, 4 issues, cliffhanger
- Too short, 4 issues, cliffhanger
November 10, 2025
This was not good, but obviously so which made it somehow way better.🤣
Lots of bad jokes and silly gore. Writing was 🤷🏽 art and color was 👍🏽
2.9🌟
Lots of bad jokes and silly gore. Writing was 🤷🏽 art and color was 👍🏽
2.9🌟
November 14, 2025
Really fun concept and had a blast reading it! Great art!
January 28, 2026
I read it because it was on the long list for the Bram Stoker award, but daaaang, that was a lot of fun. (I read it on Hoopla, free with a library card.)
January 31, 2026
4.5 So Good!!
February 3, 2026
Nothing groundbreaking here just big, dumb, gory fun. And sometimes that's just what you need.
May 26, 2026
Fun! Hope it gets a second volume.
October 3, 2025
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss. Content warning for violence and gore.)
3.5/5 stars
Horror movie super-fan Allie is the black sheep of her evangelical, picture-perfect family - and that's before a chance encounter with Elder God Leviathan turns her into a super-powered monster. Unlike many of the other "touched," Allie decides her use her powers - chief among them, the ability to conjure any horror movie weapon from thin air - for good, transforming herself into the vigilante Jumpscare. (Another reviewer called Jumpscare "Harley Quinn meets Kick-Ass," which I'm going to borrow since it's basically perfect.)
When Allie's sister Rebecca is kidnapped, her parents break their years-long estrangement in order to reach out for help (by way of a kidnapping, natch). In a plot twist we all saw coming, Rebecca's captor is just using her as bait to get to Jumpscare. While the Elder Gods may be (mostly) gone, their descendants live on - and some, like the Dismal Concordat, harbor nefarious plans for resurrecting their overlords.
I really enjoyed JUMPSCARE ... though it's a little short on plot, the protagonist is great. I love an anti-hero who loves their work, and Jumpscare's powers are so much fun. The tension between Allie and her terrible family pops, especially given how timely it is. (I wouldn't be surprised if the 'rents turned out to be Project 2025 groupies.) The ending sets up Volume 2's story line nicely, although as short as this volume is, it feels rather incomplete, as if set up was its one job.
Bonus points for the adorable, will they/won't they eat a human's face? monster menagerie rescue at the end.
3.5/5 stars
Horror movie super-fan Allie is the black sheep of her evangelical, picture-perfect family - and that's before a chance encounter with Elder God Leviathan turns her into a super-powered monster. Unlike many of the other "touched," Allie decides her use her powers - chief among them, the ability to conjure any horror movie weapon from thin air - for good, transforming herself into the vigilante Jumpscare. (Another reviewer called Jumpscare "Harley Quinn meets Kick-Ass," which I'm going to borrow since it's basically perfect.)
When Allie's sister Rebecca is kidnapped, her parents break their years-long estrangement in order to reach out for help (by way of a kidnapping, natch). In a plot twist we all saw coming, Rebecca's captor is just using her as bait to get to Jumpscare. While the Elder Gods may be (mostly) gone, their descendants live on - and some, like the Dismal Concordat, harbor nefarious plans for resurrecting their overlords.
I really enjoyed JUMPSCARE ... though it's a little short on plot, the protagonist is great. I love an anti-hero who loves their work, and Jumpscare's powers are so much fun. The tension between Allie and her terrible family pops, especially given how timely it is. (I wouldn't be surprised if the 'rents turned out to be Project 2025 groupies.) The ending sets up Volume 2's story line nicely, although as short as this volume is, it feels rather incomplete, as if set up was its one job.
Bonus points for the adorable, will they/won't they eat a human's face? monster menagerie rescue at the end.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews