Review: BASILISK #1 Feels Like It's Rushing

This week, BOOM! Studios has released Basilisk #1 from writer Cullen Bunn, artist Jonas Scharf, colorist Alex Guimarães, and letterer Ed Dukeshire. The series is a supernatural horror story that deals with vengeance and survival. You can grab a physical copy now from your local comic shop or digital copies from outlets including comiXology (affiliate link). BOOM! was kind enough to provide me with a copy to read.

Who Can Stop The Chimera? Five individuals bound by a cult-like hivemind, they terrorized small towns with their horrifying supernatural sense-based powers, leaving death and destruction in their wake. Regan, one of the Chimera, escaped and has been in hiding, with her murderous eyes bound, overcome with guilt. Until now… when a victim from her past forces her to hunt down the other four of her kind. New York Times bestselling horror writer Cullen Bunn (Harrow County) and artist Jonas Scharf (Avengers Of The Wasteland) reunite to unleash a supernatural horror series for fans of Killadelphia and Stillwater rooted in the way we process the world - our senses.

I want to start by saying that I love Scharf’s cover for this comic. It’s stunning and completely sold me on trying the comic out. Sadly, I felt underwhelmed by the first issue. It almost feels like it’s rushing the story. We’re constantly changing location and something is always happening. I feel like I know nothing about the world except there are some zombie-like people and some cult-like people, and a chick with magical powers. I understand that more will be revealed as the series goes on, but I would’ve liked to understand a bit more about this world from the start. All that said, Scharf does a fantastic job with the art, it’s my favorite part of the comic.

I still think that Basilisk has potential and I’m sure that this premiere issue clicked with some people, but it wasn’t my favorite. I’ll probably read another issue or two and see how it develops and see if it finally clicks for me.