Basilisk #1

Basilisk

by Cullen Bunn, Jonas Scharf (Penciller)

Who Can Stop The Chimera?

Five individuals bound by a cult-like hivemind, they terrorized small towns with their horrifying supernatural sense-based powers, leaving death and destruction in their wake.

Regan, one of the Chimera, escaped and has been in hiding, with her murderous eyes bound, overcome with guilt.

Until now... when a victim from her past forces her to hunt down the other four of her kind.

New York Times bestselling horror writer Cullen Bunn (Harrow County) and artist Jonas Scharf (Avengers Of The Wasteland) reunite to unleash a supernatural horror series for fans of Killadelphia and Stillwater rooted in the way we process the world -- our senses.

Genres: Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

33 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 2, 2021

About the author

Cullen 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.

Reviews

[Sylvia Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hoooo boy, this was a fun read. In my experience, Cullen Bunn’s writing has been a mixed bag. I admire his vision for new and experimental horror in comics and even if it doesn’t always stick the landing, I’m appreciative of his contributions to the genre. This issue was a lot of fun to read, great art, great panel flow, smooth dialogue. I’m very excited to read the next issue.

[Horror DNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know the deal with most super heroes, right? Usually they're bombarded with cosmic rays or gamma radiation or maybe they find a mystical artifact and gain special abilities. Well, Basilisk turns that concept on its head, showing how that can go horribly wrong. Five individuals were changed, but they're not leaping over tall buildings in a single bound. They're leaving a trail of bodies behind them. Now, one of them has broken free, but it's only a matter of time before she's found.

You can read James' full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Heather-Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was intriguing, even though we got a scant amounts of info in this pilot episode. The opening sequence is gorgeous, it looked like color blocked watercolor with phenomenal use of negative space. The rest of the art wasn't shabby either!

Hoopla has all the issues available to borrow, but... Based on Chad's review, I'm gonna pass.

***

GR Personal Rating System:
★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED
★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED
★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED
★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH
★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE

[Amber (ambernreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is happening here? I really don’t know but definitely want to find out.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introductory story, in which a young woman tracks down a lone stranger, a member of a small group of people with supernatural powers who devastated a town. The implication is that the stranger feels guilt for her actions whereas the rest of the group doesn't, but even so I'm not sure there can be any meaningful rapprochement between the two women given that the first clearly suffered severely from the actions of the second.

The most appealing thing here is the artwork. It has a very lovely palette. The cover is in blues, but most of the pages are in warmer shades of pastel - there's a lot of pale pinks and purples and a strong visual ending in orange. I quite like that; it gives a sense of eerie unreality.

[Jason Holtzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well done first issue. Initial characters are introduced, motivations for the two most likely protagonists are clear, and the villains and wider setting all get established. It seems like a fun concept, and if I come across the issues or trades out in the wild I’ll be willing to give the series a read.

[A Fan of Comics · Rating 3 out of 5]

super natural x-men?

This was an okay start. Not a lot of information is given to you in this first issue but it did have some good moments. I really like the art and the characters are interesting enough that I'll at least try issue two.

[Vijaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art work is beautiful but the story is falling a little flat. I know it ends in a cliffhanger and I should keep reading the others but the story nor the cliffhanger really compels me to. It's kind of an I'll get to it when I get to it type of situation.

[Gerin Moblo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This actually looks cool as shit and the art is beautiful, but it was too much of nothing to be barely a taste. I'll wait for access to a volume instead of an issue, I guess. I am curious and excited for more.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Cullen Bunn fashion. Great beginning, very different. Just hope he sticks his landing. And after watching his Empty Man movie, keep it away from the big screen.

[Olivia Ambrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooo... I'm intrigued!