Exquisite Corpses: Book of the Dead Digs Up the Killers’ Bloody Origins

Exquisite Corpses is not done spilling blood. Image Comics and James Tynion IV’s Tiny Onion are expanding the hit horror universe with Exquisite Corpses: Book of the Dead, an 80-page anthology one-shot arriving January 13, 2027.

The special digs into the origins of the killers from the first season while also giving readers an early look at one of the new maniacs coming in Season 2. The lineup is stacked, with stories from James Tynion IV, Michael Walsh, Jordie Bellaire, Marguerite Bennett, Patrick Horvath, Alyssa Wong, Steve Orlando, Josh Trujillo, Soo Lee, Victor LaValle and Losty.

Artists include David Lafuente, Piotr Kowalski, Lauren Knight, Claire Roe, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Lisandro Estherren, Brian Level, Francesca Ciregia and Ryan Quackenbush. Walsh provides the main cover and a surprise polybagged variant, with additional variants from Brian Level, Ito, Federico Mele and Tula Lotay.

The anthology follows the first season’s brutal Halloween-night battle in Oak Valley and gives the assassins, mercenaries and straight-up lunatics who didn’t survive another chance to take center stage. Readers will learn more about the Congregation’s mission, Layla Blaze’s scars, Lady Carolina’s first hunt and other pieces of the mythology that the monthly series could only tease.

WEPAAAA! Apparently one season of murderous madness wasn’t enough, fam. Now we’re getting the files on the people who turned Oak Valley into a nightmare, and an anthology dedicated to these maniacs sounds like the kind of bad decision horror fans make with a big smile on their faces. This isn’t just another excuse for a body count. It’s an opportunity to dig into the twisted histories behind the carnage.

Look at that creative roster for a second. Tynion, Walsh, Bellaire, Bennett, Wong, Orlando, LaValle and company are bringing different voices into the same bloody playground, backed by artists who can give each chapter its own personality. That’s a smart way to build out a horror universe without making one monthly title carry every secret, backstory and nasty surprise.

There’s a hook for anybody already eyeing Season 2, too. Revisiting the first season’s killers while slipping in a glimpse of a new threat gives longtime readers something to chew on. If you followed the Congregation, Layla Blaze and Lady Carolina, those loose threads are getting another chance to bite back. Don’t expect a wholesome family scrapbook, coño!

The polybagged Cover C will also include a collectible trading card tied to Exquisite Corpses: The Game. The standard 80-page edition is priced at $9.99, while the polybagged card variant is $14.99.