The Cull Volume 1 (1) Paperback – April 23, 2024

I was worried it would be 'all drama no action,' but it was both and really good with it. I liked the characters, I liked the plot, I liked the near photo realistic art, it's definitely worth your time and money.

HOLY, THAT ENDINGGGG?! I want more right now, like it's just rude to end it on such a point that's extremely my thing 😭Kelly Thompson has done it again, though. The Cull has everything going for it from queer characters to a tightknit group of friends to a mystery tying them all together that sets off a chain of ~very interesting events. But I'd say it's best to discover it all on your own because it's such a reveal. However, the way it's all setup, be warned that you will be left with more questions than answers.As for characters, Wade is easily my fave but you really just gotta go from their interactions with each other since there's not much of a background to them. We know Cleo and Kaite are together, Will and Wade are twins and Lux is going through a tough time at home with her mom. That said, I do have high hopes from the story going forward because it seems like we're only just starting.As for the art, who could have known a pink sky and sea could be that stunning?! I want more of that art. It's just so pleasing to the eye and so gorgeous! Plus, all the greens and blues come together so beautifully. The art here is clearly telling a story of its own and it's amazing.

Great art and coloring. The story was decent but the art kicked this up considerably. Looking forward to the next book!

There is a lot of talking in this story, but not much doing. The plot spends a lot of time having characters talking to one another, but nothing is truly explained. It throws multiple interesting new concepts while also using a lot of commonplace tropes, while nothing is truly explained. The cast of characters is diverse in their appearances, but they feel a bit flat as people. You learn small bits about these characters during long exposition conversations, but it feels unnatural. It's so obvious it's meant to be exposition for "character building". I do like the overall plot idea! Weird portals, magical powers, crazy aliens. But the plot flies by so fast and with so little substance, that you're left with the feeling of "Okay that's something I've read." I will admit though, the ending got me. I didn't fully expect that cliffhanger. I would pick up the next volume, the story did well enough to interest me in seeing how it ends. But I don't think I'd buy a copy for my shelves, you know? Also, the art style I really did not vibe with. No hate towards photo-realistic art styles, but it just does not work here. I didn't realize the characters were meant to be teenagers until I reread the plot blurb. How they're drawn makes them look like they're in their late twenties! The art style also does not look like an art style at all, it looks more like someone used real photos and slapped a "painting" filter on. The kicker is that some of the art on the variant covers would have worked so much better for this story!Also, my one gripe is the completely random [spice] scene, between two of the teens. Like, what was the point of that? Are you trying to imply the confident curvy girl who is a redhead HAS to also be promiscuous? That trope is SO tired, come on now.

Obsessed. I need more of this immediately.One of the things I love most about Image is that they give a lot of opportunities for character work in their indie titles, unafraid of writers being wordy or trying new things. Typically art and writing in a comic compliment each other, because as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and so the script for a comic doesn't necessarily need paragraphs of narration or dialogue but I think The Cull benefits from its characters wordiness since the art panels need to do the heavy lifting of setting for a sci-fi/fantasy/horror comic. The art is telling a lot of story all on its own.Kelly Thompson's The Cull is one part cosmic horror, one part superhero origin story, with a hell of a twist in issue 5 that you start to suspect but don't want to be true. Each character feels like a real, unique, fleshed out person. We're drip fed bits and pieces, though we'd don't get enough time with everyone since this is just the first five issues, but we get enough to know them and want to know more.Mattia de Iulis's art is STUNNING. Like, these books are so gorgeous. The art waivers between photorealism and surreal almost-photorealism, which is perfect for a story about liminal spaces. It makes everything feel very dreamlike but with a veil of uncanny valley vibes. I also highly recommend checking out all the various covers for each issues because WOW. Like I want some of these framed.But the end of the volume I was dying for more. I need to continue following these kids' adventures. I need to know they're OK. I need to know more about the liminal space. It's all so beautiful and fascinating and I cannot wait to see where Thompson takes it all.

Five friends leave in the middle of the night to shoot a movie...and discover another world.Each character is very distinct and has their own struggles. There are lots of heavy topics discussed throughout the storytelling, such as grief and loss, domestic violence and self harm. The artwork was absolutely stunning. It looked like something out of a movie or video game. It very much reminded me of a combination of Stranger Things, the Goonies, and T. Kingfisher's book The Hollow Places. My only issue is that I felt like the story was kind of rushed. I feel like it should have been a tad longer to develop a bit more.I hope there are additional installments, because there was a massive cliffhanger. I would definitely be interested in reading more.