BLEEDING HEARTS #5: Rat in a Cage.

Outbreak Day is upon us, and Poke’s secret has come to light as Mush has discovered he was hoarding live ones for himself! Their friendship is put to the test while Rabbit and the other live ones are held captive for the undead’s ritual hunt. Poke must make a choice and make it fast before it’s too late.

Creative Team: Deniz Camp, Stipan Morian, Matt Hollingsworth, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story:

Up until this point, the story has been somewhat fun, and games as Deniz has Poke and Rabbit bonding with one another while Mama had her reservations. I was absolutely floored as this issue opens up to Rabbit in captivity and Mama had been eaten. Deniz switches up the vibe and tone incredibly fast and furiously shows us that the party is over. The endearing and childlike voice that Deniz writes Rabbit with shows how naive they are, and yet they still know enough of the world. Getting her point of view as she recounts how Mama was eaten and then standing up to Poke is a heartbreaking sequence done so well with the help of Hassan’s lettering work. Camp leaves a subtle out for Poke as Mush only thinks he was hoarding food for himself, and we’ve now come to a crossroads and a cliffhanger that has been executed beautifully. I truly cannot wait until this next issue to find out our characters’ fates.

The Art and Letters:

Stipan and Matt carefully switch up the detailing in the art with Poke in this issue, whereas before we would see a more humanistic side of him. Now that we are seeing him as a member of the undead and in this nightmare scenario for Rabbit, they draw him a bit more grotesquely in the detail. His skin has this leatherly texture drawn and colored to it, which Hollingsworth does an amazing job of making us feel uneasy. Stipan shows off a little bit as well in terms of bringing out new members of the horde and a terrifying version of either The Mad Hatter or a Circus Ringleader, which may be his most unsettling design yet.

Final Thoughts:

Bleeding Hearts #5 abruptly stops the soft and sweet storyline and trades it out for one full of confusion and panic. Poke is put at a crossroads and is being forced into making a decision that will change his future and the future of others forever. This story continues to build and build the anticipation, keeping me on the edge of my seat.

Overall Grade: 10/10

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