Exquisite Corpses: Dark Battle Royale Comic Review | Bodoi.info

The latest issue of the Image Comics horror series Exquisite Corpses #13 was released on May 27, 2026, continuing a narrative that began in May 2025. The comic, created by James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh and published by Image Comics and Tiny Onion, has quickly gained traction, selling 600,000 copies in its first year, according to publisher announcements made at the ComicsPRO Annual Meeting 2026.

Exquisite Corpses centers on a clandestine, centuries-old tradition among twelve of the wealthiest families in the United States. Every five years, on Halloween, these families orchestrate a deadly competition, pitting twelve of the world’s most lethal individuals against each other in a battle royale. The setting for the current iteration of the game is Oak Valley, Maine, where unsuspecting residents find themselves caught in the crossfire.

The series has been lauded for its over-the-top characters, each designed with a distinct weapon, costume, and persona reminiscent of video game fighters. Among the assassins are figures like a giant rabbit specializing in strangulation, a poison-wielding nurse, and a katana-wielding samurai masked as a fox. The narrative, even as prioritizing action and gore, also touches upon themes of wealth and power, though in a deliberately unsubtle manner.

According to Tynion IV, Exquisite Corpses is envisioned as a broader franchise, with plans for spin-offs and adaptations into other media. To support this expansion, Tiny Onion has assembled a creative team including Jordie Bellaire and Pornsak Pichetshote. Three five-issue limited series are planned, focusing on the backstories of assassins featured in the first volume: Rascal Randy, Fox Mask Killer, and the Lone Gunman. Tyler Boss will write the Rascal Randy series, Che Grayson will tackle Fox Mask Killer, and Pornsak Pichetshote will focus on the Lone Gunman.

The first of these spin-offs, the Rascal Randy series, is slated for release, with art by Dylan Burnett, colors by Jordie Bellaire, and lettering by Becca Carey. The main Exquisite Corpses series is currently being published monthly by Urban, with seven issues planned in total, three of which have already been released.