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REFRIGERATOR FULL OF HEADS #1

Writer: Rio Youers
Artist: Tom Fowler
Colorist: Bill Crabtree
Letterer: Andworld Design
Editor: Chris Conroy
Publisher: Hill House Comics/DC Black Label
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 19, 2021

Previously in Refrigerator Full Of Heads: For a year now, the mysterious axe that unleashed pandemonium during the hurricane of ’83 has waited at the bottom of the bay but nothing that powerful stays buried. Brody Island has new visitors, and a new sheriff in town, not to mention a dangerous great white shark spotted in its waters. And when vacationing couple Calvin Beringer and Arlene Fields find themselves on the wrong side of Brody’s unsavory elements, their beachcombing will turn up something a lot sharper than sea glass..

THE DAGGER OF FENRIR

Refrigerator Full of Heads #1 opens with another home invasion, similar to the one from the previous series, ‘Basketful of Heads’, as a group of masked criminals invades a rich family’s home in search of a legendary artifact. Their connection is uncertain, though their leader has an ornate Norse tattoo, and when they get the dagger, they prove it’s power to petrify its victims, while leaving several other victims torn to shreds. Jump forward to the summer of ’84, as a couple identifying themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Marshall arrive at their rented summer house on Brody Island, the site of a series of beheadings a year before. Their host gives them the grand tour, reminding them to stay clear of bikers and sharks…

It’s advice that they utterly fail to heed, but in so doing, they find the mysterious glowing axe in the bay.

THE VIOLENCE IS QUITE GRAPHIC

Refrigerator Full of Heads #1 picks up in the same setting, but with a whole new creative team, and it’s an interesting change in style. Where Leomacs’ art felt influenced by the tones of ’50s EC Comics, Fowler’s has an entirely different vibe, with slightly more cartoony proportions and expressions, but really strong action sequences. Cal’s interaction with the local biker gang is a beautifully rendered action sequence, while the appearance of the Great White later in the issue is a truly worthy jump-scare moment. Probably my biggest complaint comes in the fact that the events of this issue move VERY quickly, barely establishing the existence of angry bikers before they’re chasing Cal down the streets of Brody, and the last third of the issue required multiple reads for me to get everything straight. It’s not a deal-breaker moment, but it feels like the creators felt the need to front-load the issue to grab readers’ attention in a way that feels rushed, which is a common problem in modern comics.

BOTTOM LINE: HAS MY ATTENTION

In the final analysis, Refrigerator Full Of Heads #1 is an attention-getter, with an interesting (if perhaps overstuffed) plot working with vivid art and coloring to deliver the first chapter of what feels like a worthy sequel to the original, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. It’s a good first issue, and while it’s not quite as good as the best of the previous series, the final full-page panel is a symphony of action, blood and sound effects that makes me feel like this series is going to be a fun read.

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