THE VOICE SAID KILL #1 – New Comic Review

The Voice Said Kill #1, by Image Comics on 7/23/25, serves up a Cajun crime caper in the Corbeaumort Wildlife Refuge, where the alligators aren’t the biggest threat and there’s more moonshine than moonlight.

Credits:

• Writer: Si Spurrier
• Artist: Vanesa Del Rey
• Colorist: John Starr
• Letterer: Hassan Otsmane- Elhaou
• Cover Artist: Vanesa Del Rey (cover A)
• Publisher: Image Comics
• Release Date: July 23, 2025
• Comic Rating: Mature (language, gore, nudity)
• Cover Price: $4.99
• Page Count: 32
• Format: Single Issue

Covers:

Analysis of THE VOICE SAID KILL #1:

First Impressions:

Reading this comic felt like slogging through the mud in boots two sizes too big. The gloom and grit should’ve been delicious, but instead it’s like staring at a window after an all-day rain: blurry, directionless, with no clear picture in sight.

Plot Analysis:

Corbeaumort Wildlife Refuge is short-staffed, sick with food poisoning, and crawling with problems. Sergeant Marie Burgau, a pregnant park ranger, limps through her morning as her team gets sidelined by spiked punch and bad shellfish. While she tries to hold the line, a mood of anxiety hangs over the whole swamp, not helped by the arrival of Mr. Norris and the local bail-paying bruisers.

Marie, running on fumes and forced into shady deals, has to play nice with Mrs. Watters, the no-nonsense matriarch whose runaway son, Buck, is out of jail, off his meds, and potentially stirring up more trouble. Marie’s interrogation is interrupted by local chaos and gunshots in the woods. Turns out, Buck’s dumped a stash of hallucinogenic mushrooms into everyone’s drinks, sending the officers into a fever dream meltdown and leaving Marie almost alone on the job.

Things go from bad to wild when Marie’s radio patches in state dispatch. She tries to keep a grip on things as locals toss accusations, deputies melt down, and Buck—high as a kite and howling about his swamp domain—shows up, gun in hand. A tense faceoff unfolds in the tangled thicket, as Marie, still very pregnant, pleads for restraint, but violence erupts anyway.

The fallout is messy. Marie lies about the confrontation, covers for the chaos, and is immediately tasked with driving out to meet parish police where a body has been found. One disaster tumbles into the next, and the issue closes with that signature swamp stench: something rotten, unfinished, and a promise of more trouble just beyond the trees.

Story

The story fancies itself a Southern-fried thriller but can’t decide if it wants bayou noir, pulpy crime, or hallucinogenic fever dream. Dialogue wants to float on local flavor, but lines get lost in translation. Exposition drops like an alligator in muddy water: sudden, jarring, and rarely additive. Attempts at tension drown in meandering pacing, with every scene stretching longer than needed and never quite landing a punch.

Art

Vanesa Del Rey brings a heavy brush, but it feels less atmospheric and more suffocating. Faces blend into backgrounds, action scenes blur into drifting smears, and the whole book is drowning in earth tones. What’s supposed to evoke sticky Southern gloom just turns scenes into a guessing game. At times, you can’t be sure if a panel’s meant to build suspense or just hasn’t fully loaded.

Characters

Marie Burgau tries for weary determination, but spends pages as a punching bag for plot and townsfolk alike. Mrs. Watters chews the scenery but barely registers as more than a walking threat display. Buck, our wayward antagonist, veers between sad and cartoonish, while side characters drift in and out with accents thicker than the mud. No one feels like a real person—just sketchy outlines shuffled through the swamps for flavor.

Positives

Even in its muddle, The Voice Said Kill does one thing right: it gets that desperate, humid, and weird Louisiana swamp vibe. There are flickers of southern gothic danger, and a few confrontations have real teeth, especially between Marie and the locals intent on pushing her in directions she’d rather not go. Some word balloons do manage a snap of local levity, and the comic gets points for committing to atmosphere.

Negatives

Nearly everything else sinks. The pacing blunders from slow trudge to sudden leap with no warning, losing what tension the plot tries to build. The art, instead of amplifying the weird menace of the bayou, smothers details, hiding action and leaving too much obscured instead of enticing. Characters lack depth and motivation, relying too hard on clichés, and every scene overstays its welcome. Dialogue often feels like a translation exercise rather than authentic voice. The whole comic wants to be a fever dream, but ends up a confused, muddy mess.

Art Samples:

Final Thoughts:

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THE VOICE SAID KILL #1 thinks it’s a midnight swamp ride in a haunted airboat, but it’s more like getting lost on a foggy hiking trail—confusing, laborious, and a headache to untangle. If this is a taste of things to come, best bring a flashlight and a map. Reading this comic is more work than it’s worth.

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