In this second issue of Basilisk, the story somehow manages to upstage the blood and gore of the previous issue. And the violence, of course. They all seem to be related.
New York Times bestselling horror writer Cullen Bunn (Harrow County) is the writer for Basilisk #2, as it is for the previous issue. Jonas Scharf (Avengers of the Wasteland) is the artist for this comic book. Alex Guimarães is the colorist, while Ed Dukeshire is the letterer. Jonas Scharf drew cover A, while Martin Simmonds (The Department of Truth) and Rafael Albuquerque (BRZRKR) drew covers B and C respectively. Lastly, BOOM! Studios remains the publisher for this comic book series, same as it was in the first issue.
Basilisk #2 went on sale on July 7, 2021. You can purchase print copies of this comic book at your local comic book store. Or, if you are satisfied with the digital version, you can download it from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.
Warning: spoilers for Basilisk #2 below. If you want to read this tale of bloody horror yourself, stop here, and come back once you have finished with the slaughter.
Basilisk #2: Plot Summary
Basilisk #2 starts us off with a more detailed look at what the…I suppose “mutants” is as good a word to describe them as any, did to that first town they came upon. Yeah, it wasn’t pretty the first time, and it sure didn’t get any prettier the second time around. In fact, it even managed to get uglier in detail, as you can see above.
Basilisk #2 then fast forwards back to the present, where main protagonists Hannah and Regan are enjoying a nice car ride. Okay, yeah, it’s not exactly pleasant, what with the tenseness between them. But at least they are communicating instead of trying to kill each other, so that’s nice. Regan also reveals that each of the mutants (she calls them “Chimera”) has a power related to each of the traditional 5 external senses.
Which 2 of the Chimera demonstrate after a scene cut. Not-Logan (Jimmy-Boy) and Flower Girl (Cara) decide to go on a killing spree in some random diner in the middle of nowhere. The scene demonstrates their power over the human senses, which they use to basically make everyone in that diner kill themselves and/or each other. It also demonstrates that they’re basically murderous psychopaths who enjoy killing. The diner scene also revealed that the armed thugs from the first issue were part of a group called the Faithful who worship the Chimera as gods, and they had actually been there to rescue Regan from Hannah. Only, she didn’t want to be rescued.
The next scene in Basilisk #2 develops the other 2 Chimera, Manny and Vanessa. Manny actually seems like a decent guy. Vanessa though, is just another murderous psychopath like Cara and Jimmy-Boy. So basically, 2 out of 5 Chimera have a conscience and aren’t murderous killers. Yeah, it ain’t looking so good for them. And by extension, everyone else around them.
The final scene in Basilisk #2 shows that, yes, Regan definitely feels guilt for the people she accidentally killed in that first town, Kingsly. Especially since one of her victims was a little girl who had the misfortune to look Regan in the eye. Even more unfortunately, said little girl turns out to be Hannah’s daughter. How would Hannah react to this? Well, we’re going to have to find out in the next issue, because that’s it for this one.
Basilisk #2: The Good
The horror, the horror, the horror. Yeah, this is what Basilisk #2 excels at. It’s a very well-done example of a horror comic book series here. With plenty of blood and gore to satisfy any slasher film fan. The art does a really good job with that, really. This story is basically X-Men if it was in the horror genre. Especially with the powers the Chimera display over senses and the mind.
Speaking of which, the characters are also all very well-developed. Especially the villains here. The mark of a good story is a well-developed villain, and here we have 4, not counting the Faithful. 2 of them (Vanessa and Jimmy-Bot) appear to be raging psychopaths eager to spill more blood after their first taste of it in Kingsly. Cara seems to be a bit more reluctant about killing, but more out of self-preservation than anything else. Manny seems to be a decent guy, but he still hangs around the other 3, so we don’t know quite what his deal is. You combine that with Hannah’s quest for vengeance after Kingsly, and you’ve got the recipe for an epic clash set up. I’m definitely loving this.
Basilisk #2: The Bad
As with a lot of other comic book I find great, I find it really difficult to say anything bad about Basilisk #2. It would basically be nitpicking at this point. If I have to pick something to nitpick, I’d have to pick Hannah. In my opinion, she could do with just a bit more screen time. She already gets plenty of it, but I wouldn’t mind a bit more.
Conclusion
Basilisk #2 continues this bloody epic from where the first issue left off. It develops the antagonists to a horrific degree, which will make the inevitable clash between them and the protagonists all the more satisfying. Curious? Check out this comic book series from BOOM! Studios for yourself then.
Source: BOOM! Studios
