Exquisite Corpses – Fox Mask Killer #1: A Blade Forged From Love

Naomi Yatsurugi’s life ended in the streets of Oak Valley, Maine along with 11 other killers. Before the game of death was her end, she had a life. This is the story of the Fox Mask Killer.

Exquisite Corpses was a book that kind of flew under the radar in 2026. Twelve killers were dropped in the middle of the small town of Oak Valley, proxies in a long standing war between the elite families of the original Thirteen American Colonies. What ensued was a violent and bloody war that left hundreds dead and the town in a fiery ruin. Rascal Randy (the serial killer dressed as a rabbit mascot) has his own solo series, but now the spotlight turns towards the enigmatic Fox Mask Killer.

Che Grayson (who was one of the various writers that helped series scribe James Tynion IV on the original Exquisite Corpses) takes the helm to tell the tragic story of the Fox Mask Killer. Grayson depicts Naomi as a disillusioned and paranoid young woman looking for a way out of her blood-stained circumstances. You feel for Naomi almost instantly as her young daughter is introduced and the reason she left the assassins organization that trained her is laid bare from the get-go, which also adds to the tension and mystery when she is hunted by someone who wants her dead. The narration is mournful and melancholic, reading as a final note to Naomi’s daughter rather than an explanation of events.

Adam Gorham’s pencils are gritty and violent at times with Jordie Belaire’s fantastic colors expertly setting the tone of the story. It feels a bit like the vibe of Oldboy or a Takashi Miike film from the late aughts. The action is also fast-paced and bloody, the energetic panel layouts quickly stringing along the eyes.