The Empty Man (2018) #1 Review

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Jesús Hervás
Colorist: Niko Guardia
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Publisher: Boom! Studios

I have officially become an obsessed fan of Cullen Bunn here lately. I have been a fan of his writing for a while, but recently I have been keeping up with a lot of things he’s currently working on and visiting some things he’s work on in the past.

This new series shows off some of what I think makes Bunn’s horror writing so good. The first issue of The Empty Man sells us on just how much of a mess the world is in as we join it. We are shown several disturbing scenes that drive home the fact that we are facing something terrifying.

Once we meet our characters, we have people to connect to which really just makes the state that the world is in scarier because now it feels a little more real. Then we begin kind of seeing the world through the eyes of Vicki, which also makes me feel more vulnerable. This storytelling setup creates a lot of excitement and Bunn executes it perfectly.

This is one of my favorite concepts for a story because it is full of chaos and violence and the cause is such a mystery. This scenario of the world losing their minds and committing violent acts to themselves or others excites me when it’s told right. This first issue sucked me in and I was enthralled. The kind of unknown that we see here is both frightening and thrilling to me.

As disturbing as the story is, Jesús Hervás’ artwork adds a chilling layer to it. I already found the story unsettling, but Hervás beautifully illustrates this issue in a way that highlights the tragedies the world is facing. He also impressively captures the anxiety and fear that the family is experiencing. This adds a lot of suspense to this story that is already tense on it’s own.

This debut issue proves to us that this is just the start of an amazing and shocking rebooted horror comic book series. The issue is a solid introduction to the terror that is being faced by these characters and, as unsettling as it may be, I’m completely on board.