#689-#694 = THE HEXILES #1-#6 by Cullen Bunn and Joe Bocardo (Mad Cave Studios, November 2024-April 2025)
This is what I said about Issue #1 when it was released . . .
SYNOPSIS by Mad Cave: Jamison Kreel is dead. Six of his children from six mothers are attending the funeral of a father they never met. Each of the children possesses a different infernal power. These powers, though, come at a terrible price...a price Jamison Kreel has placed upon the heads of his offspring. And the demonic debtors have come to collect.
That is a very succinct summary, and gives an indication of what kind of story this might be without giving too much away. Bunn knows how to layer on the suspense and dread, and the art is just so creepy that it adds shivers to the proceedings. There are actually seven children when the story begins, but only six when the issue ends. That’s not a good sign - - not for the characters, but for those who enjoy edgy horror it might be a sign of more to come. FOUR STARS.
That favorable impression of Issue #1 prompted me to pre-order the rest of the series, which I just now finished reading in its’ entirety. (FYI,the trade paperback was published in June.) This was definitely worth my investment, and if you’re a fan of the edgy, supernatural, mystical, and magical in your horror comics (calling all fan of JOHN CONSTANTINE/HELLBLAZER) - - you may like this as much as I do.
The six strangers (until now) who all share a common and absentee father realize the trap that they have been lured into and escape during the events of Issue #2. Then, after being called together for a meeting, they realize they can’t stay on the run forever and decide to work together and take the battle right to the source of the hellish demons after them - - a remote castle/estate in the Black Forest of Germany. They are welcomed and lured into a false sense of security by the matron of the estate, who has her own cross purposes and plans for them.
There is a criticism of Bunn’s vast diversity of work that I don’t totally disagree with - - and that is that while he comes up with inventive concepts he doesn’t always know how to finish a story properly and the final issues of a series often disappoint. While that could also be said of the conclusion of THE HEXILES - - I’m okay with it, because there is a resolution/reprieve, just not the final resolution.
Why not? Well, I think Bunn wisely left an opening for a second series - and this story deserves it. These six issues were extremely fast-paced and there wasn’t enough opportunity to fully flesh out these intriguing characters. The one that stands out to me, and my favorite, is Britton. She contains a mini-demon/monster inside her - The Servitor of Xerxriuz - who is not only useful in a monster fight but also has knowledge of the demons to share with the group.
All the members of the group have interesting powers inherited from their father. Kreel’s backstory is interesting, and makes him a truly unique character - as there is not a single reason to empathize with him or what he’s done.
I’d also like to see a return to this series and learn more about the underground society that Bunn has developed here. Lastly, if they can retain the art team - I wholly recommend that.
Joe Bocardo’s art is suitably grisly, and fascinating to look at. His style reminds me of the gothic art of Edward Gorey and darkly humorous art of Charles Addams. FOUR STARS OVERALL.
CROWNSVILLE #1 of 5 BY Rodney Barnes and Elia Bonetti (Oni Press, November 2025)
Writer Rodney Barnes utilizes the dark background story of Crownsville Hospital and crafts historical fiction that is a skillful blend of true crime, thriller, and horror. The art by Elia Bonetti is expressive and photo-realistic. Bonetti’s coloring puts a deathlike pallor over the art with earth tones and gray shadings, giving the overall appearance of old-time early 20th Century monochrome photographs. Story and art combine to relate a horrifying tale of the secretive history of Crownsville. Then Barnes adds the suspense and horror elements, and this is shaping up to be a phenomenal series. FOUR STARS.
Synopsis from the Oni Press website . . . . Founded at the turn of the 20th century the Crownsville Hospital was a notoriously segregated, all-Black psychiatric institute. After decades of overcrowding and neglect - alongside darker, more persistent rumors of patient abuse and illegal medical experiments - it was finally closed. Today, it stands condemned - a crumbling testament to a legacy of all-too-real terror inflicted on a marginalized and vulnerable community.
But even as a ruin of its former self, Crownsville still casts a long shadow . . . When an unexplained death inside the abandoned hospital is ruled a suicide, Annapolis police detective Mike Simms and journalist Paul Blairare are compelled to dig deeper, only to discover the reality of the horror that once took place there . . . and the powerful connection they share to the anguished spirits of the dead that are still locked within its walls.
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