Death Head 1

When Niles and Justine Burton go camping to get a break from their stressful lives, they expect to find peace . . . not an abandoned village hiding an ancient evil. In a turn of events ripped straight from a horror movie, a brutal killer wearing a plague doctor’s mask begins hunting Niles, Justine, and their two kids.

I think when it comes to the horror genre specifically, it can really be hit or miss.  You are either going to sit down and experience a piece of garbage and likely a remake, or something that leaves you with nightmares for days.  The feeling I get after reading number one of Death Head is that I'll need a nightlight after later issues.

During a camping trip to get away from the typical day to day, our couple Niles and Justine come across a small village in the woods that isn't even on the map.  Much to Justine's chagrin, Niles wants to explore it and they both end up getting trapped in a room they soon realize is a huge crematorium.  They escape by sheer luck, and the bad guy of the series Death Head sees them get away.  Not for long I can assume?

While the overall feeling of the story is scary, the quality of the artwork is not.  Adding to the frightening plot, strong linework and well chosen colors add to the ongoing sense of dread. During the most tense part of the book was where it really came into play, and gave it just the look it needed.

Although the story features a stereotypical getaway that goes wrong, everything else is not to be frowned upon.  I'm not completely sure of the relevance of a couple side stories that were happening, but I imagine that will be explained.  I am definitely curious to see what happens with Death Head and his prey, and would suggest looking into this new thriller.

For more on Death Head or other Dark Horse Titles, check out Dark Horse Comics.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.