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All Thirteen Exquisite Corpses Killers Revealed Ahead Of Next Week

All thirteen Exquisite Corpses killers revealed ahead of next week's Image Comics launch by James Tynion IV, Michael Walsh...and friends


Image Comics has revealed the identities of all the assassins from James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh's new series as they descend upon the small town of Oak Valley to fight to the death, in next week's Exquisite Corpses #1.

Exquisite Corpses #1

LONE GUNMAN:
MASSACHUSETTS selects LONE GUNMAN to wield THE GUN. Kill Count: REDACTED, Height: 6' 3". Highly trained and highly dangerous, LONE GUNMAN puts years of combat training to use as he efficiently dispatches his opponents—or any collateral damage who get in the way. Dishonorably discharged for battlefield atrocities now sealed in government records, LONE GUNMAN'S penchant for excessive violence has become a benefit, not a hindrance, to his performance in this tournament… "Lone Gunman is the embodiment of the Exquisite Corpses competition, in many ways," said Tynion. "This smirking, ornate mask being handed down generation to generation, turning tributes into faceless killing machines at the whims of the oligarchs…Tough to get much scarier than that."

Exquisite Corpses #1

LEOPOLD STRONG:
NORTH CAROLINA selects LEOPOLD STRONG to wield THE HAMMER. Kill Count: 23. Height: 6' 5". Some killers might be afraid that an opponent could steal their signature weapon, but not LEOPOLD STRONG. He alone is strong enough to heft the massive mallet that he wields to pound flesh and bone into so much bloodied paste. It's unknown if he truly comes from the circus or merely likes the theatricality of the look, but what is clear is that LEOPOLD STRONG is easily the most physically imposing murderer in this year's games. Heave ho!

Exquisite Corpses #1

RECLUSE:
RHODE ISLAND selects RECLUSE to wield THE ROPE. Kill Count: 64. Height: 5' 10". An artist with wires and ropes, RECLUSE sets her own field of battle, drawing opponents into traps from which few leave intact. Though she's deadly on the move with a garrote in hand, RECLUSE prefers a patient approach, lying in wait until her razor-wires snare her opponents. Some say her love of ropes borders on fetishism, but few get close enough to find out the truth.

Exquisite Corpses #1

FOX MASK KILLER:
NEW YORK selects FOX MASK KILLER to wield THE SWORD. Kill Count: 87. Height: 5' l". Among killers-for-hire, there are a select few feared even by other assassins. The enigmatic swordswoman known as FOX MASK KILLER is at the top of that list, having achieved a reputation for completing her jobs with ruthless efficiency–and for chasing increasingly challenging targets. Whether she sees the tournament as just another paycheck, or a chance to push herself past her limits, remains to be seen.

Exquisite Corpses #1

PRETTY BOY:
GEORGIA selects PRETTY BOY to wield THE AXE. Kill Count: 36. Height: 6' 2". Despite what Hollywood tries to sell the masses, most serial killers are charmless, asocial monsters. Most, anyway. PRETTY BOY, on the other hand, could kill with a wink and a flash of his pearly whites. He prefers an axe, though. Like many a heartthrob, PRETTY BOY takes out his pent-up rage through wanton violence, splattering his six-pack abs with gore with every swing of the axe. He has the honor of wielding the weapon that won the very first game ever conducted, but the significance is lost on him–he's just here to look good and get bloody.

Exquisite Corpses #1

LADY CAROLINA:
SOUTH CAROLINA selects LADY CAROLINA to wield THE ARROW. Kill Count: 7 Height: 5' 8". No one from the patron families enters the games themselves. It is simply unheard of. So when LADY CAROLINA stepped foot inside the arena, the other families were aghast. She comes from noble stock and received the best training their money could buy, but it still feels like a transgression. Is she simply seeking a death-defying thrill? Or does she have a more personal reason for aiming her crossbow at this year's set of killers…

Exquisite Corpses #1

THE CONGREGATION:
NEW HAMPSHIRE selects THE CONGREGATION to wield THE KNIFE. Kill Count: 39. Height: 6' 0". The only killer in the game to turn down a fee from his patron family, THE CONGREGATION feels that taking a life is a higher calling–a monk-like tribute to whatever dark gods whisper in his ears. And while he's almost certainly a raving lunatic (you'd have to be, to cover yourself in the sliced-off faces of your victims), THE CONGREGATION'S knife has brought many offerings to his altar, and will no doubt bring many more still before his prayers are finished.

Exquisite Corpses #1

RASCAL RANDY:
NEW JERSEY selects RASCAL RANDY to wield THE HANDS. Kill Count: 19. Height: 5' 11". There is a man inside the RASCAL RANDY costume, but that man doesn't matter. That man has never mattered. He was no one until he put the mascot head on for the first time, until he felt the life leave someone's body through the thickly furred gloves of the suit. The man inside the suit will wear any disguise if necessary, but his true skin is RASCAL RANDY, and god help anyone who sees him coming toward them on a dark night.

Exquisite Corpses #1

LAYLA BLAZE:
DELAWARE selects LAYLA BLAZE to wield FIRE. Kill Count: 335. Height: 5' 3". They say some people just want to see the world burn, but LAYLA BLAZE will settle for seeing anything go up in flames. It's unclear if the burn marks that criss-cross her body are the results of fires that got out of control…or LAYLA BLAZE running out of any other kindling. All that can be said for sure is that she burns hot in life, love, and the act of killing, and leaves only ashes in her wake.

Exquisite Corpses #1

SLATER:
MARYLAND selects SLATER to wield EXPLOSIVES. Kill Count: 124. Height: 5' 10". Tick…tick…BOOM! The hot young thing known as SLATER has never had a problem attracting attention, but his entourages have a habit of blowing up—as does anything else in his vicinity. Under the right circumstances, SLATER might have channeled his fascinations with pyrotechnics into something productive—instead, he's just a walking powderkeg.

Exquisite Corpses #1

NURSE PETE:
VIRGINIA selects NURSE PETE to wield POISON. Kill Count: ???. Height: 5' 6". No one would guess that the unassuming, schlubby NURSE PETE had a body count approaching three figures, and that's just how he likes it. A compulsive killer who endlessly tweaks his deadly cocktails of paralyzing narcotics and tests them on patients around the country, NURSE PETE is usually content to slip from hospital to nursing home to pediatric ward, changing identities just in time to avoid being noticed. But the sum offered to him for joining this game would pay for oh so many tantalizing new chemical components…

Exquisite Corpses #1

G4M3R_KlD & CALVIN:
CONNECTICUT selects G4M3R_KlD to wield ELECTRICITY. Kill Count: 9. Height: 4' 0". Aww, c'mon—you wouldn't hurt a little kid, would you? A product of the iPad generation, weaned on slur-filled gaming lobbies, G4M3R_KlD has no business being anywhere near an event like this, but he's so desensitized to violence that he has no qualms piloting CALVIN, his heavily armed drone, and aiming it at any target in sight. Kill counts are just high scores to this tyke, and he wants to see his name on the leaderboard.

Exquisite Corpses #1 launches as an initial 13-issue story arc, but will expand with additional stories in the future. There will also be a companion trading card game launching soon, and fans can start collecting killer cards early with ones exclusively found in polybagged Cover C variants of each issue. The series uniquely came together in a writers' room led by Tynion IV and Walsh and made up of "Corpse Crew" comics superstars Adam Gorham, Becca Carey, Che Grayson, Claire Roe, Gavin Fullerton, Jordie Bellaire, Marianna Ignazzi, Pornsak Pichetshote, Tyler Boss, and Valentine De Landro. Each issue of the series will build upon the last in an 'exquisite corpse' game style, with a passing of the baton, from creator-to-creator, to unfold the story in a collaborative and competitive fashion.

Exquisite Corpses #1

In the spirit of March Madness, each issue of Exquisite Corpses will feature playoff brackets that track the in-world competition—and readers will be able to play along at home, guessing who they think will live, who will die, and who will ultimately win the game. In Exquisite Corpses, every five years on Halloween, the wealthiest families in America play a game. Twelve of the deadliest people in the world are dropped into a small town with just one goal: the last killer standing wins. For the citizens of Oak Valley, Maine—this year's unlucky arena—the goal is much simpler. They must survive the night.

Exquisite Corpses #1 will be a triple-length debut issue, featuring 60 pages of story content for just $4.99, and will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, May 14. The Cover C variant not only features the extra-length issue, but also an exclusive Exquisite Corpses: The Game killer card within a protective polybag for $6.99.
Cover A by Walsh – Lunar Code 0325IM247
Cover B by James Stokoe – Lunar Code 0325IM248
Cover C by Walsh (polybagged with game card) – Lunar Code 0325IM249
Cover D blank sketch cover – Lunar Code 0325IM250
Cover E "stealth variant" by Jenny Frison – Lunar Code 0325IM251
Cover F 1:25 copy incentive by Alex Eckman-Lawn – Lunar Code 0325IM252
Cover G 1:50 copy incentive by Nimit Malavia – Lunar Code 0325IM253
Cover H 1:100 copy incentive by Jae Lee & June Chung – Lunar Code 0325IM254
Exquisite Corpses #2 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, June 18 (Final Order Cutoff deadline for retailers is May 26):
Cover A by Walsh – Lunar Code 0425IM328
Cover B by Marianna Ignazzi – Lunar Code 0425IM329
Cover C by Walsh (polybagged with Killer card) – Lunar Code 0425IM330
Cover D "stealth variant" by [to be revealed] – Lunar Code 0425IM331
Cover E 1:25 copy incentive by Riley Rossmo – Lunar Code 0425IM332
Cover F 1:50 copy incentive by Martin Simmonds – Lunar Code 0425IM333
Exquisite Corpses #3 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 23 (Final Order Cutoff deadline for retailers is June 30):
Cover A by Walsh – Lunar Code 0525IM344
Cover B by Valentine De Landro – Lunar Code 0525IM345
Cover C by Walsh (polybagged with Killer card) – Lunar Code 0525IM346
Cover D "stealth variant" by [to be revealed] – Lunar Code 0525IM347
Cover E 1:25 copy incentive by Ricardo Lopez Ortiz – Lunar Code 0525IM348
Cover F 1:50 copy incentive by Joshua Hixson – Lunar Code 0525IM349
Exquisite Corpses will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.


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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from The Union Club on Greek Street, shops at Gosh, Piranha and FP. Father of two daughters. Political cartoonist.
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