[Graphic Novel Review] Basketful of Heads

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Basketful of Heads is a horror graphic novel about a young woman that just wants to spend the weekend with her boyfriend, but ends up fighting for her life.

It was dark, it was gritty, it was intense, and it was such a fun read!

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on Basketful of Heads

The Creative Team:

Joe Hill – Writer
Leomacs – Artist
Dave Stewart – Colorist
Deron Bennett – Letterer
Reiko Murakami – Collection Cover Artist

When June Branch visits her boyfriend, Liam, on Brody Island in Maine for a relaxing weekend, they are planning to enjoy a clam bake to celebrate the last weekend of the summer. Unfortunately before they make it to the location of the party, they learn that convicts have escaped from Shawshank Prison.

To further complicate things, a storm is also kicking up and it’s looking like it will be a really bad one.

From there, things very quickly go sideways… June ends up fighting for her life time and time again.

Of course, as a Mainer at heart, I gotta say that I loved that this was set in Maine! I also loved seeing this little addition of the Shawshank Prison bus and prisoners to call-back to Stephen King’s work:

The plot and story itself was engaging and seriously spooky! I loved that the color palette began very light and sunny with lots of yellow, orange, and tones, but when the innocent tale takes a dark turn, the coloring drops to mostly blues, greens, and other muted, dark coloring.

There was also plenty of humor added here. I enjoyed this element; I’m a total sucker for horror/comedy combinations!

The characters were also great for their roles! I LOVED June right from the start and only loved her more and more each page I flipped. I mean, who doesn’t love a strong woman that is determined and able to do what needs to be done in order to reach her goal?

I also have to point out this panel. I LOVED that this suddenly switched to the perspective of the head she was holding. How cool is this perspective with a bit of a fish-eye lens flare going on?! Even the lettering has the same format!

My Final Thoughts on Basketful of Heads

This is another horror comic that I really enjoyed. There were a few panels that actually made me gasp out loud!

If you enjoy horror and comedy combinations, then I highly recommend this one for you!

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Related Reading:

• [Graphic Novel Review] Plunge

Thanks for reading!
Shout out to Water Street Books in Exeter, New Hampshire for holding on to my order for the author to sign!