Jumpscare is an extension of writer Cullen Bunn and artist Danny Luckert’s Beyond Mortal universe which combines superheroes with horror. Bunn and Luckert have masterfully mashed the two genres here.

Empire City is a haven for crime, but not the regular kind; these crimes are a lot more supernatural, with just as much splatter. Growing up, Allison was the black sheep of her religious family and always in the shadow of her sister due to her love of horror movies. So much so that a rift caused the family to disown Allie (and her super abilities as vigilante Jumpscare). That is until Allie’s sister is kidnapped and their parents need Allie’s help to save her from zealots known as the Dismal Concordant.

Jumpscare is a superhero splatter fest, and the shift between each genre is handled well. While this comic makes reference to real-life horror movies, the ones that Bunn conjures up for Allie to wield are fantastic homages to the genre’s heaviest hitters and cult classics. It’s campy, but ultra-violent, tone gives this book hardcore Troma vibes.

Jumpscare herself is playful, like Spider-Man, making quips while conjuring any weapon from a horror movie she has seen to fight crime. Each weapon is identified by an in-panel movie ticket and movie name. The villains of Empire City are just as impressive. It seems to be a grab bag of parody and homage to the horror genre’s favorite monsters.

Danny Luckert’s art is as bonkers as the story, but it would have to be. This is a bloody good time. The various amounts of monsters and ghouls on each page are as impressive as the many different ways they are disposed of. They are only outnumbered by the amount of rainbow-colored fluids that are sprayed from them as they meet their demise. Jim Campbell’s letters are just as insane, but, again, they would need to be to match the energy of this comic.

The amount of pocket universes in Dark Horse’s lineup of books just seems to multiply. While Dark Horse has become one of my favorite places to get horror stories in the last few years, my only complaint is that they usually cap their volumes at four issues. Sometimes, I’d like these stories to have a little more room to breathe. That being said, Jumpscare leaves us on a really good cliffhanger for another volume that I can’t wait to get my hands on.

Creative Team: Cullen Bunn (writer), Danny Luckert (artist), Jim Campbell (letterer)
Publisher: Dark Horse
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