Jamison Kreel has died, and now his illegitimate children have been summoned to receive their inheritance, damnation.  Your Major Spoiler review of Hexiles #1 from Mad Cave Studios, awaits!

HEXILES #1

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artists: Joe Bocardo and El Torres
Colorist: Manoli Matinez
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: October 30th, 2024

Previously in Hexiles: A man named Jamison Kreel made many pacts with many demons and devils.  Each one of these came with a cost.  A cost that he passed to his seven illegitimate children, which gave them each power but also debt.

SEVEN CHILDREN AND A FUNERAL

Hexiles #1 opens up in Boston, Massachusetts, at a funeral parlor.  A group has assembled for the funeral of Jamison Kreel.  As they stand around, they begin to figure out that they are all half-siblings who share the same father.  A man then approaches them and begins to talk about an inheritance.  He explains that Jamison made pacts that came with a cost.  The adult children of Jamison decide they want nothing to do with it.  The man then reveals that they don’t have a say in the matter and then reveals his true demonic form by stabbing one of them through the stomach.  The rest of the funeral attendees also are revealed to be demons.  The children then, one by one, reveal that they possess power that can hurt and push back the demons, including healing, which keeps the injured one alive.  After they manage to repel the attack, they decide they want nothing to do with each other and decide to go their own way.  Later on, one of the unlucky inheritors discovers that the devils and demons of hell aren’t quite done with them.

A GOOD PREMISE WASTED ON UNLIKEABLE CHARACTERS

The setup in Hexiles #1 is great, like a concoction that is one part Hellblazer and one part The Umbrella Academy.  Also, the way the premise is presented to the main characters and the sudden reveal of the demons is both spooky and unnerving in a pleasant way.  Also, some kudos should be given because their powers aren’t standard energy blasts or super strength but are a bit more complex and thematically on point.  Where things get less interesting is with the characters themselves.  Simply put, there is just nothing here that endears anyone to the reader nor gives the reader a reason to care if these illegitimate children are sucked to hell.  While it’s expected that these characters would have a chip on their shoulders and be rough around the edges, what we get here is just seven bags of chips wrapped in barbed wire.  Each one is like a slightly different shade of “screw you dad, and screw everyone else”, without really anything else to balance that out.  What this creates is this feeling of unfulfilled potential as so much of this issue works thematically and tonally, but it lacks any sort of vehicle to grab onto and be carried through the tension by.

GRITTY AND GRIM SQUIGGLES

The world created in Hexiles #1 is a gritty and grime-covered one that is captured wonderfully by art.  Every character is slightly grotesque, even if they aren’t demonic; everything looks covered in crags and rust, and the demons themselves are horrific and creepy to look at.  The visuals capture a deeply gothic look where everything looks like it’s in pain simply by existing.  This conciseness of theme goes away, though, as soon as the action starts.  All the demon-fighting scenes devolve into barely discernable spreads filled with random swaths of color and distorted lines.  I’ll give credit for trying something stylish and unique, but it needed just a little more clarity to really stick the landing.

BOTTOM LINE:  STRONG OUT OF THE GATE, BUT TOO MANY STUMBLES AFTERWARDS

Hexiles #1 presents the reader with a truly original take on the idea of “the sins of the father” and has all the creepiness, grotesqueness, violence, and brutality to drive it home.  It just doesn’t have a single character to latch onto and care about, making the whole ordeal feel like a bunch of whiny brats against an army of demons and I just don’t think I care enough about them to see who wins.  3 out of 5 stars.

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Hexiles #1

57%

57%

Hexit - Stage Right

Hexiles #1 sets up a really cool concept and then pairs it with a cadre of unlikeable characters which drowns out most of the interest created by that concept.

• Writing

  5
• Art

  6
• Coloring

  6
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0