It’s the final swing of the axe… but who will keep their heads? Your Major Spoilers review of Basketful of Heads #7 from DC Comics awaits!

**You can purchase this issue via comiXology**

BASKETFUL OF HEADS #7

Writer: Joe Hill
Artist: Leomacs
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Editor: Mark Doyle & Amedeo Turturro
Publisher: DC Comics/Hill House Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 27, 2020

Previously in Basketful of Heads: It’s time for a final swing of the axe. In the darkest, coldest hours of the night, June Branch finds herself up against the deadeyed killer who abducted her lover… and comes face to face with some truths even more horrifying than a basketful of heads.

AN UNEXPECTED TWIST

As last issue ended, the corrupt sherriff had thrown June Branch to her doom in the bottom of the bay… but doomed himself by throwing the unexpectly powerful axe with her. Finding herself surrounded by the bodies of his previous victims, June cuts herself loose and swims back up to the surface. She arrives just in time to interrupt Chief Claussen’s villain speech to her boyfriend Liam, but the boat suddenly collides with another vessel, knocking him down and putting him right in the path of June’s axe. it’s a gruesome spectacle as she chops him fully in half, only to have him keep talking… Talking about LIam’s secret and how he paid for it. June is stunned to find that her boyfriend bought her a huge diamond, but when the Chief explains where the money came from, she once again picks up her axe.

A VERY EC COMICS ENDING

More than once during this issue I was taken by how much the lettering and production reminded me of classic ‘Tales from the Crypt’ or ‘Vault of Horror’, and Leomacs’ art embraces those influences fully as well. There are a couple of shots of the sherriff’s gruesome gaze that clearly evoke Graham Ingels, but the clarity, beauty and realism of these pages is entirely modern. We end where issue #1 began, which is a nice touch, and the explanation of what is really going on on the island is beautiful storytelling work from everyone involved. Hill’s mastery of tone and commonplace evil is impressive, but the fact that the issue actually surprised me is even moreso, especially given that I’ve seen every episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’ and cut my teeth on the writing of Stephen King. Even the super-gross final page, with all the severed heads waving to the camera from their new resting place at the bottom of the bay is note-perfect and excellent.

BOTTOM LINE: A CAUTIONARY TALE TO CHILL THE BLOOD

In short, Basketful of Heads #7 is the perfect capper to a really well-done series, wrapping up everything perfectly, even while it introduces new twists into the events of the series, with strong art bringing it all home for the win/win and 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. If you have been sleeping on the Hill House imprint, I’m here to tell you: It’s reallly good at showing us really bad things, and I couldn’t be happier.

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.