June is going to save her boyfriend, one head-in-the-basket at a time. Your Major Spoilers review of Basketful of Heads #6 from DC Comics awaits!

BASKETFUL OF HEADS #6

Writer: Joe HIll
Aritst: Leomacs
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Editor: Mark Doyle & Amedeo Turturro
Publisher: Hill House Comics/DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 25, 2020

Previously in Basketful of Heads: In the darkest and most desperate hours of the night, June Branch will use her impossible occult hatchet to cut her way back to her boyfriend. But time is running out for Liam, and June’s basket is getting heavier with every new swing of the axe…

ANOTHER HEAD IN THE BASKET

After being tricked last issue, June was handcuffed to a pole by Hank Clausen, the corrupt police chief’s son, and this issue opens with him retrieving his gun and preparing to kill her. All he finds, though, is the severed head of Officer Puzo and June’s no-longer-connected thumb… Oh, and of course, the axe through the neck that adds him to June’s collection of heads. After tending to her wounds, June interrogates the three severed heads to find out what is really going on on Brody Island: A massive marijuana smuggling operation, run by the chief himself! Worse still, her missing boyfriend Liam seems to be an FBI informant sent to get information, which is how he got kidnapped in the first place. After using Hank to lure his father away, June makes her way to the boat where Liam is being held, only to find that the Chief isn’t actually as dumb as he seems…

THE E.C. COMICS SPIRIT

This issue actually made me laugh at several point, not the least of which is the continuing hilarity around the heads’ understanding (or lack of understanding) about their new predicament. Even so, the sense of urgency and horror never flags, and the horrifying last page splash of June being thrown into the ocean is heart-stopping. Leomacs’ art is beautiful throughout the issue, with little touches like Hank’s slow realization of his bodilessness making for wonderful storytelling. The moments where June is forced to fight men twice her size are not only exciting, but remarkably realistic, fitting the circumstances. Hill’s script is wonderfully realized as well, with another reference to Shawshank Prison making it clear that he knows he’s in King territory, but making this corner of haunted New England entirely his own.

BOTTOM LINE: DARKLY COMIC, BUT ENTERTAINING AS HECK

In short, if you miss the good ol’ days of bad ol’ E.C. horror books, Basketful of Heads #6 will scratch your itch, with excellent art, an engaging story and a cast of characters that all feel fully realized (even the ones that are just heads), earning a well-deserved 5 out of 5 stars overall. I really can’t wait to see how this all shakes down, and recommend that if you missed the early issues, you get in on the collected version as soon as you can, as this book is really just that good.

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