Its too soon to say if DCs new Hill House label will be a hit, let alone if it will bring horror comics back to their pre-code days. Basketful of Heads #1 is an auspicious start, however, and is highly recommended. Read Full Review

This issue is enough for now and will deliver quite the treat to any readers who save it for Halloween night. Read Full Review

Basketful of Heads has demonstrated a huge amount of character development in its first issue. I feel like I've known Liam and June for ages instead of just a single chapter of their story. Again, this makes their imminent danger all the more impactful. I hit the final page of this comic with eyes wide and bated breath. More importantly, I'm begging for more, which is exactly the kind of feeling you should have when you hit the end of a comic like this. Read Full Review

What an excellent starter of a series and the Hill House universe. The last page is so amazing. I am all keyed up and ready for issue two. The tension is real. The situation, while obviously insane, feels grounded in reality. Stories about baskets of talking heads will not work if all the characters are some kind of two dimensional cut outs. That is not the case here. I would say, get a basket and fill it with issue of this comic (not heads). Read Full Review

Hill and Leomacs create a great partnership in this debut. It was important for Basketful of Heads to come out swinging as a lot is riding on the partnership DC has with Hill. As it was mentioned at the Diamond retailer event, DC Comics is going all in with Hill House and it looks like a great decision Read Full Review

Basketful of Heads launches a promising line of horror comics with a trip to the past for some small town scares. Read Full Review

Joe Hill sets Hill House Comics on a promising course with this impressive debut. Basketful of Heads is not to be missed. Read Full Review

Stewarts choice of color pallet is probably the single best feature of this comic as he utilizes a wide range of yellows and oranges during the daytime scenes and blues and grays at night. It may seem like no-brainers to use these color schemes, but it isn’t always so noticeable how beautiful the colors can be used. Very well done. Read Full Review

Leomacs art does a great job of giving the story a feel for the times. I really enjoyed the look of this issue and look forward to seeing what comes next. Read Full Review

Basketful of Heads #1 (Hill, Leomacs, Stewart, Bennett) is a bright beginning for a dark future. With an establishment of characters that grow on the reader, it will be interesting to see where this story takes us. Read Full Review

Even without the titular wicker bundle of disembodied delights, Basketful of Heads #1 would be a moody rural yarn of the highest order. Joe Hill, Leomacs, Dave Stewart and Deron Bennett have crafted a vivid tale of small-town tension that sucks you in with easygoing dread. This first issue may not make for the most terrifying Halloween reading, but it promises to keep the thrills and chills going long after the holiday has passed. Read Full Review

Niggles about DCs branding debacle aside, there is very little that I can fault in this issue. If anything, Id have liked it to be longer, and Id actually have liked the opportunity to read all seven issues right now, because I know its going to be a bloody, fantastic, romp! Read Full Review

Basketful of Heads #1 was a fascinating beginning for this series. It wasn't as dark or as disturbing as I expected"but there's little doubt in my mind that those elements are on their way. I also have no doubt that we're going to pay for our emotional investment in the characters. Read Full Review

Fans of Stephen King will definitely recognize his influence in his son's work, from the slow burn to the intimate scenes in a Maine town, but I'm not sure it's the best way to kick off a new horror line. A comic is very different from a book, and the leisurely pace might make it hard for this intriguing book to keep readers from month to month. Read Full Review

In conclusion, if you don't want to bet on A Basketful of Heads, I can't really blame you. It's well written with mostly good looking art" but unfortunately, this issue is a bit too slow-paced for you to understand what the comic is about and that can make it a bit of a hard commitment for some people. If you can't spare the space on your pull list, I can't exactly recommend it, but if you have enough faith in Joe Hill, it's not bad at all. Read Full Review

My only quip is that most of this issue sets up what we need to know going forward. It took longer than I would have liked to get going; however, those moments were still engaging. Read Full Review

The vast majority of this issue is setup and character development, and it feels like it's a lot longer than 22 pages because it's so wordy. It's not the most entertaining issue but I enjoyed the conversations that were taking place, and the art fits the tone and story very well. I feel like I know these characters pretty damn well now and I'm ready to see what's about to happen to them. And I'm really ready to see those axes be put to use. Read Full Review

Oddly written but well-illustrated and colored, "Basketful of Heads" #1 starts 'Hill House Comics' in a weird place. Read Full Review

Though not a complete wash, as it looks appropriately old-school both in its striking layouts and rich artwork, Basketful of Heads #1 is a disappointment. Read Full Review

Beautiful art, well rounded and charismatic characters, and whole lot of potential for horror - of which this issue doesn't have much, but it more than makes up for it with everything else.

Just go and get it now!!! It's great!!!

The Hill House imprint is off to a strong start!! I’m excited to see where this series and the imprint’s back-up (‘Sea Dogs’) goes.

Love it. Hooray for horror comics being back at DC.

For transparency, I tend to write a rough draft of my reviews in a notebook before uploading it to the site. I've written this full review twice and misplaced it. Not sure what the issue is but I lost both copies of the written reviews for this book so I'm going off of memory.

This series is going to be decompressed. If that bothers you I think you may want to pick up the title in trade. The comic isn't bad but most of the story elements do not come into focus in this installment. There is definitely a basket full of heads shown in this issue but it pops up on the first page or two before time jumping back to the '80s.

Basket Full of Heads #1 was the first title released under Joe Hill's Hillhouse imprint at DC Comics. The issue isn't particularly scary or creepy. This may be a negative depending on what you're reading the series for, or how you're consuming the material.

What the book has going for it is really strong dialogue and characterization. I was drawn to all of the named characters. Once the horror elements ramp up the time spent developing these characters will pay off in the end.

As I write this review most of the first wave series are almost over. I predict that even if the Hill House comics aren't flying off the shelves of the local comic shops, the series will do well in trade format. I've reviewed The Dollhouse Family #1 and Daphne Byrne #1 and they all seem to be telling complete stories. This is great in the long run because you'll get an entire story in a single volume. I still would have preferred that the titles be released as graphic novels.

The story presented is interesting and is driven by the characterization. The supernatural elements are there but firmly in the background. Liam is interning as a deputy for the Brody Island Police Department. June is a Psych major planning on going into social work after graduation. The bulk of the book takes place at the end of Summer (1983). Liam and June have a burgeoning relationship and with Summer being almost over they are planning their next steps in life as well as their relationship.

Their planning is interrupted when Liam stops to investigate a prison break. The Chief tells Liam that he has the situation under control. He wants the kids to head to his wife's home for dinner and for protection while he tracks the escapees.

As time passes and the prisoners aren't caught. Additional bodies are found and the situation comes to the head as the escapee's break into the home.

Basket Full of Head's #1 reads like an adaptation of a television series or film and I mean that as a compliment. We get a lot of comics that feel like bait for a streaming series or film but in this case, the characters are endearing and I can see myself being stressed as they are put through their paces. Joe has a great voice for everyone even the supporting cast.

Leomac's pencils offer a cinematic vibe to the issue. I didn't know that Joe Hill was Stephen King's son until recently and looking back at the issue there are a ton of callbacks to King's stories, including staples like the reoccurring Maine setting. Shawshank Penitentiary pops up. I'm also pretty sure Ned Beatty makes a cameo in this issue.

Although the issue is light on actual horror it lays the groundwork for potential greatness. Strong characters and great art go a long way here. The story isn't as atmospheric or as creepy as the first issues of Daphne Byrne or The Dollhouse Family but I believe that Basket Full of Head's is the best of the initial Hill House offerings I've reviewed to date. more

Very cool. I seem to always enjoy writers the most who originally come from prose BUT also understand the comics medium. Happy that I gave it a chance in spite of the horrible junk cover.

Hm.

I hoped for a while that DC Black Label would branch out into horror so my anticipation was high for the Joe Hill comic series. And this did not disappoint. Not much on scares but it sets up the story nicely and the ending really makes me want to read #2.

This was pretty good. Solidly written, if a bit slow and wordy.

Slow start. Nice enough line art but the colours from Dave Stewart are superb. I have Hugh hopes from this line of Horror comics

This was okay, but so far nothing that grips me. A little slow, a little whatever.

Cool, a bit of a slog. I’m not worried though.

THE GOOD:

-I like the art quite a bit. it has this nice nostalgic feel to it.

-That flashback story about the suicide jumper was great. The art definitely helped. I love the look of that panel with the hand sticking up, barely in frame.

THE BAD:

-Guess I'm gonna have to be that guy. I did not like this.

-Not sure why, but the second page made me laugh. The slow-buildup, leading to this white backgrounded, colorful page of a decayed arm in a basket holding up its index finger, with the title spelled out in bright red letters sitting on the basket felt like comedy execution.

-I honestly don't care about these characters. They feel super cliched and their dialogue often made me cringe.

-I don't know, the story doesn't really interest me thus far. I'm much more interested in where it's headed. Guess that's why this was a boring read for me.

-The setups are painfully obvious and quite annoying.

-The backup story is interesting in concept, but the execution feels off. I almost feel it needed to be a full issue, considering how rushed it all felt. more