THE LIVING CORPSE: RELICS #3 – Review

THE LIVING CORPSE: RELICS #3, available from American Mythology on October 6th, 2021, confronts Romero with a much older Living Corpse with much greater power. Meanwhile, Lilith’s role as the Nosferatu Queen takes an unpleasant turn.

The Details

• Written By: Ken Haeser
• Art By: Ken Haeser, Buz Hasson
• Colors By: Blair Smith
• Letters By: Ken Haeser
• Cover Art By: Ken Haeser
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: October 6, 2021

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Was It Good?

It’s impossible not to like a Kung-Fu Living Corpse fight. Go on. I dare you not to like it.

This issue is more than just Kung-Fu action, but you already know you’re off to a good start with this kind of content. Beyond the superficial awesomeness (say it with me “Kung-Fu Living Corpse fight”), you do get quite a significant amount of character development on two fronts that make this comic worthwhile.

First, the Creep of Souls’ origin story is told quickly, efficiently, and effectively. If you want the full scoop, read on through to the next section, but let’s say it’s always a treat when you find out a character has been around since Biblical times and borrows heavily from the mythology of that era to put a new twist on an old story.

Second, said Creep uses his knowledge gained over millennia to show Romero he’s capable of so much more than he ever thought possible. In effect, Romero is shown how to upgrade in the course of a battle, and it’s always a plus when a comic creator furthers the story through the action. Comic battles should never just be about winners and losers. They should tell part of the story through the action, and Haeser communicates game-changing information in this fight.

The B-plot involving Lilith and the Nosferatu may be upsetting for some based on where it’s headed. Being forced to become the mother of the next generation of Nosferatu is as offputting as it sounds. However, credit goes to the creative team for showing some discretionary restraint in what promises to be an awful event.

The art from Haeser and the team is as consistently good as ever. The character designs are unapologetically vicious. The fights are full of rending limbs and flying bones, and the team has an excellent eye (eyes?) for dramatic closeups that hit at just the right point in the story.

This is an entertaining issue with awesome action, plenty of character development, and super fun art.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

To find out how Romero came face-to-face with the Creep of Souls, first read our THE LIVING CORPSE: RELICS #2 review.

We begin with a flashback to ancient Egypt and the origin of the Creep of Souls. He was named Osirus, and his mission was to guard the line between life and death under the command of Asteroth. When Osirus was denied the right to pass on to the afterlife after years of service, he lashed out at Asteroth in defiance. Asteroth entombed Osirus for centuries as punishment for his defiance, only recently being freed.

Now, Osirus wants Romero to team up with him to take Asteroth down. Romero is, of course, unmotivated to get into anyone else’s personal grievances, so he walks away. However, Osirus insists on getting Reomero’s help and the two begin a fight wherein Romero anxiously decides to try out the skills he picked up from spending many months in a Shaolin temple.

Meanwhile, Lilith wakes up naked and strapped to a throne in the Nosferatus’ lair. It was always Count Orlock’s plan to make Lilith his bride so they could give birth to a new generation of Nosferatu. Now that the Count is dead, it falls to his followers to carry out his plan, and it’s as awful as you could imagine.

We conclude the issue with Lilith being overwhelmed by an army of eager suitors, Osirus demonstrating there’s so much more to simply controlling the dead, and Romero finding out he’s not as sturdy as he thought.

Final Thoughts

THE LIVING CORPSE: RELICS #3 is a knockdown, drag-out Living Corpse fight that tells as just much story as it delivers on the action. The art is as grindhouse gory as it needs to be. And the cliffhanger conclusion puts both Romero and Lilith in a whole heap of nail-biting trouble, begging you to come back for the next issue.

Score: 9/10

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