Hyde Street #10 Review: Sister Hood’s Darkest Secret Exposed

Hyde Street #10 (Image Comics, 2/25/26): Writer Geoff Johns and artist Francis Portela deepen the lore dump on Sister Hood, as her tarot cards trigger the release of the imprisoned Butcher of Hyde Street. This kinetic origin tale blends con artistry with eternal damnation, Verdict: Worth reading for horror fans.

• Writer: Geoff Johns
• Artist: Francis Portela
• Colorist: Brad Anderson
• Letterer: Rob Leigh
• Cover Artist: Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, Brad Anderson(cover A)
• Publisher: Image Comics
• Release Date: February 25, 2026
• Comic Rating: Teen
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Page Count: 36
• Format: Single Issue

Covers:

Analysis of Hyde Street #10:

First Impressions:

The comic grabs you right away with its brooding atmosphere of inescapable fate, where every shadow on Hyde Street whispers of broken deals and looming doom. Johns and Portela craft a gut punch of moral decay, pulling you into Sister Hood’s fractured psyche with unflinching precision that lingers like a bad omen.​

That initial chill evolves into outright dread as the pages turn, fueled by art that nails the eerie quiet before the storm. You feel the weight of centuries-old grudges pressing down, making this issue a standout for its raw emotional hooks amid the supernatural grind.

Recap:

In Hyde Street #9, writer Geoff Johns and artist Francis Portela spotlit Doctor Eugene Ego’s twisted origin, tracing his path from a trauma-scarred Pasadena kid to the Scorekeeper’s chief surgeon on this cursed street. Haunted by family losses and a god complex for “fixing” flaws, Ego signed a blood contract for unchecked power, unleashing horrors on patients who beg for unnatural changes. Nurses Dee and Doe assist his grim work, their calm facades hiding scars, while the issue teases brewing threats and soul-harvesting alliances that darken every resident’s future.

Plot Analysis (SPOILERS):

Sister Hood’s tarot cards predict doom, shaking the unflappable fortune teller and pointing to the Butcher of Hyde Street, a resident imprisoned for decades. She seeks out Mr. Oddman to confront this threat before the Scorekeeper notices, revealing her fear of a fellow monster who knows too much. Meanwhile, unnatural knocking echoes from outside, hinting at an uninvited intruder testing the street’s barriers.​

Flashbacks plunge into Clarissa Hood’s 1920s past with sister Lucinda, running seance parlors that preyed on grief-stricken families like the Ainsworths, who sought their dead son Stanley. Clarissa mastered the con, selling false comfort for profit, while Lucinda clung to fleeting mercy amid their growing ruthlessness. Their operation thrived on manufactured closure, turning sorrow into steady income through crystal balls, palms, and eerie voices from beyond.​

Hyde Street claims the sisters, where the Scorekeeper forces a cruel choice: one serves by collecting 10,000 souls, the other gets consumed. Lucinda sacrifices herself to spare Clarissa, but the Scorekeeper twists her into a white dove bound to her shoulder as leverage, ensuring Clarissa’s efficiency. Decades later, with her tally nearing completion, Clarissa slows, haunted by the cost as other residents eye her weakness.​

The Butcher manipulates from his prison, preying on Clarissa’s doubts and promising freedom if she opens his door, while the external knocking grows insistent. Sister Hood grapples with her con artist’s instincts versus buried guilt, as Hyde Street’s tremors signal shifting powers. The issue builds to a tease of the Butcher’s rampage and an outsider’s potential breach, ratcheting up the stakes for all residents.

How is the story in Hyde Street #10?

Geoff Johns masterfully paces this issue with a seamless blend of present dread and layered flashbacks, building tension through escalating revelations without a single lull. Dialogue crackles with authenticity, from Clarissa’s slick cons in the 1920s to the Scorekeeper’s chilling clarifications, each line advancing character and theme while dripping sardonic wit. The structure shines by interweaving personal history with street-wide threats, creating thematic depth around betrayal and leverage that elevates the series’ mythology.​

Johns avoids exposition dumps by embedding history in vivid, character-driven scenes, letting moral decay unfold organically. Pacing accelerates brilliantly in the sacrifice moment, heightening emotional stakes, though the final tease leans slightly predictable in its cliffhanger rhythm.

How is the art in Hyde Street #10?

Francis Portela delivers razor-sharp clarity in every panel, with compositions that guide the eye through seance parlors and shadowy prisons like a masterful tour of damnation. Character acting pops through subtle expressions, like Clarissa’s calculating smirks or Lucinda’s hesitant flinches, conveying inner turmoil without a word. Brad Anderson’s colors master mood via desaturated tones in flashbacks that burst into hellish reds during transformations, amplifying the creeping horror.​

Layouts flow dynamically, using wide establishing shots of Hyde Street’s ledger to dwarf residents and tight close-ups on tarot cards for intimate dread. Portela’s inking adds kinetic grit to supernatural shifts, synergizing perfectly with the script’s rhythm, though some crowd scenes sacrifice fine detail for atmospheric sweep.

Characters

Sister Hood emerges as a compelling antihero, her con artist’s ruthlessness consistently rooted in survival hunger and sibling love, making her hesitations profoundly relatable. The Scorekeeper’s god-devil duality drives consistent menace, while Lucinda’s sacrifice adds tragic depth. Mr. Oddman and the Butcher hint at richer motivations, begging future exploration.

Originality & Concept Execution

Johns executes the fortune-teller damned to eternal cons with fresh, biting originality, flipping seance tropes into soul-harvesting horror that delivers on Hyde Street’s wicked crossroads promise. The sister-leverage twist innovates supernatural pacts brilliantly, blending historical fraud with modern dread for maximum impact.

Pros and Cons

What We Loved

• Kinetic panel flow propels seance cons into visceral dread seamlessly.
• Sardonic dialogue nails 1920s grift authenticity with sharp wit.
• Moody color shifts amplify transformation horror brilliantly.

Room for Improvement

• Flashback transitions occasionally disrupt present momentum.
• Supporting resident cameos lack deeper emotional layering.
• Butcher tease relies on familiar manipulative villain tropes.

Art Samples:

The Scorecard:

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): 4/4​
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): 3.5/4​
Value (Originality & Entertainment): 1.5/2

Final Thoughts:

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Hyde Street #10 carves out a prime spot in any horror fan’s stack with its razor-edged origin of Sister Hood, blending con artistry betrayal and supernatural leverage into a tale that grips like a tarot reading gone wrong. Geoff Johns and Francis Portela prove this series earns your shelf space through sheer narrative muscle and chilling execution, demanding you follow these damned souls deeper into the abyss.

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