Something is lurking deep in the bayou. But the most dangerous thing might be right out in the daylight. Your Major Spoilers review of The Voice Said Kill #1 from Image Comics awaits!

THE VOICE SAID KILL #1

Writer: Si Spurrier
Artist: Vanesa Del Rey
Colorist: John Starr
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Editor: Eric Harburn
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: July 23rd, 2025

In The Voice Said Kill, Sergeant Burgau is a park ranger operating a station deep in a Louisiana bayou; she’s also very pregnant. After a wild night at a company BBQ, the rest of her staff is homesick, leaving her alone to handle things.

ON HER OWN

The Voice Said Kill #1 opens up with a figure moving through the wilderness, he appears to be in a rough way. Things then shift over to Sergeant Burgau’s station as she instructs one of her coworkers to head home since he’s throwing up so much. After he leaves, a man arrives with an RV to pick up a few men who were being held there. Before they leave, though, Burgau is beckoned into the RV. She heads in and is met by Mrs. Watters. The two have a tense conversation where Watters reveals that her son is off his medications and has gone missing somewhere in the bayou. After some veiled and not-so-veiled threats, Burgau heads out on a call. She runs into her grandmother, who says she heard something going on in the woods. Upon investigating, Burgau encounters none other than the missing Watters boy.

TIGHT AND EFFECTIVE

The Voice Said Kill #1 is a perfect example of the classic adage, “less is more.” When you boil it down, this issue is basically just three scenes. But each one of those scenes is utilized to the best of its ability to set the stage, introduce the players, establish the necessary backstory, and establish a healthy amount of tension and drama. There isn’t a single word that feels like it doesn’t belong or is superfluous. The highlight of the issue is certainly the conversation between Mrs. Watters and Burgau. This encounter has the same sort of energy as the dinner scene between DeNiro and Pacino in Heat, or the opening of Inglourious Basterds. There’s also a clever use of narration boxes at the beginning that need to be highlighted. It’s one of those moments where the comic book medium is used in such a way that it feels like that same effect couldn’t be easily done in any other format. The most impressive thing about this comic, though, is how well it stands on its own. If this were a one-off, the ending might not be the most satisfying thing in the world, but it would still be a complete story. If there is one complaint I have,it is that the ending to this issue is a bit predictable, but it’s exactly the kind of ending needed to set up the next three issues.

CAN PRACTICALLY FEEL THE HEAT

If the writing wasn’t enough to make you feel like you’re deep in humid swampland somewhere in Louisiana, the visuals will make sure you do. The bayou is depicted as thick swaths of green and brown, with little detail given, making it look like a monolithic type of thing enveloping the characters. Smoke suddenly becomes panel outlines during the showdown between Burgau and Mrs. Watters, giving it the feel that the RV is becoming thick with cigarette smoke. All around, it’s a gorgeous comic to look at, but it’s the little touches throughout that set this above the rest.

BOTTOM LINE: YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO GET IN ON THIS

It’s rare to come across a comic that is able to capture tension and drama like this, then place it in a fully realized setting. It’s even rarer to find a comic that does that, that also feels like the story had to be presented as a comic book. That’s what you get with The Voice Said Kill #1. Excellent dialog, strong pacing, and efficient usage of the medium pair up with strong visuals to create an opener that you should be checking out. 5 out of 5 stars.

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