Review: Basilisk #1
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Publisher: Boom Studios
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Jonas Scharf
Colors: Alex Guimaraes
Letters:
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
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Summary
Positives
New York Times bestselling horror writer Cullen Bunn and artist Jonas Scharf (Avengers of the Wasteland) grab your attention immediately with the title….Basilisk… a creature that can kill you just by a look.Â
What begins with a silent scene of five individuals emerging from the forest in what appears to be surgical gowns or even prisoner outfits turns into carnage as the seeds are graphically planted that these five are on a binge of terror.Â
What we do know is that one of them breaks from the fold…Regan.. whom we assume is the one of the five that has the power of a Basilisk as her eyes are completely covered. She is quickly overcome by a very focused young lady named Hannah that has revenge on her mind as she may be a survivor of a town that was decimated by these five strangers.
Despite Regan being alone, she hauntingly warns Hannah that she is not alone as they are “always with her” despite seeming to be on the run from the other four.Â
Positives 2.0
Scharf sets the stage that that Regan is going to help Hannah stop the other four. The story grabs you from the moment you start in that Regan has broken from these five, but why? So many questions on motivation, but that is the strong point of an issue #1.Â
We do learn that besides Regan’s power of deadly vision, the older man of the group apparently communicates with birds to get information on the whereabouts of Regan. The vixen of a blonde apparently can burn a person with her touch. The final frames provide a much more sinister look of the other four…a vixen, a flower child, the older man, and a Wolverine wanna be if there ever was one.
If we look at the cover image above, there are items that are highlighted in the graphic that may indicate clues to the powers of each. Time will tell as the story unfolds, but what a great beginning!
Negatives
Nah…this is an issue #1 and it laid some pretty good ground work for what may come! This has a “Kill Bill” kind of vibe with some female protagonists. 
Verdict
Ground floor and going up! This issue uses the right bait for readers as you are automatically intrigued about this story. You HAVE to know what powers these five have. You HAVE to know what their motivation is. This issue is the itch that you have to spend a long time scratching so I am in for the long haul!
