One thing to get out of the way, first of all. I’m not a true connoisseur of graphic novels. Not that I’m not a fan, I grew up and learned to read on comic books. It’s just the job, the family, and such cut out twenty years of media in the middle of my life, so I largely missed out on the Graphic Novel explosion. However, I am a huge Stephen King and Joe Hill fan, so that’s really where I’m coming from. I can’t speak knowledgably about shading or color schemes or anything else that differentiates a graphic novel, but I know what I like. And I liked this graphic novel. It had everything, setting, gore, mystery, and twists and turns. I caught a bit of ‘Jaws’ vibe with Brody Island, not sure if that was intentional or not.

With multiple beheadings, this series puts the ‘graphic’ in graphic novels! Great setting, great characters, a large dose of the supernatural, and plot twists I never saw coming. Five stars for this tale. Thanks to NetGalley and DC Entertainment for providing a review copy.

A solid horror story with fun twists and great, gruesome art. It makes me very excited to see what the other Hill House Comics stories are going to be. I'm all about good horror comics.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

I love Joe Hill and his work. This book was very good and I really enjoyed it. The plot and storyline in the book gave me what I was looking for. It wasn't over the top creepy but it had its moments of creep factors. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I always keep an eye for this authors work. He is moving up to my top 5.

I really liked the story in this graphic novel, since it has some fantasy elements, but is really a murder mystery with twists and turns. Maybe I am easily fooled, but some of the plot was surprising and new to me. The art is evocative and goes well with the story. Some innuendo, but it seems okay for YA readers as well as adults.

An interesting take on the "survive the night" horror trope. June Branch is visiting her boyfriend Liam, a parttime summer cop on a small East Coast island, when a group of prison inmates escapes and begins wreaking havoc on the town. In the course of defending herself, June ends up beheading one of the inmates with an old Viking axe - and is incredibly surprised when the head carries on talking. June first seeks help, and then her own vengeance, in a gory sequence of events that unfold as she uncovers more and more of a mystery she didn't even know was there. There's a lot to unpack here, and Joe Hill's storytelling is incredible economical - in seven short issues layers upon layers of secrets are revealed, but nothing ever feels unearned or inconclusive. What begins as a story of survival ends up being a tale of cover-ups and police behaving badly (surprise!). A small twist to the ending was a nice little cherry on top.

Basketful of Heads is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

The artwork and coloring/shading is perfect for an 80's slasher comic. June is the ultimate anti-hero. When she believes her boyfriend, Liam, to have been kidnapped, she does whatever it takes to find him. Armed with an old, mysterious Viking axe, she beheads anyone that threatens her. The bodies fall like dominoes. Their heads remain alive and very verbal. June is able to track down Liam and the reason behind his kidnapping.

A corrupt town filled with corrupt officials has finally met its match. June takes on each and every one of them. The minute her life is threatened, she takes them out. The best part, arguing heads - with June and among themselves. The dialogue is pure camp. There is a nice balance between the frights and the laughs. Pure enjoyment and nostalgia.

Thanks to NetGalley, DC Comics, and Joe Hill for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This was my first foray into DC Comics' Joe Hill-helmed imprint. I have to say Basketful of Heads was wonderfully reminiscent of a grindhouse-style flick from the late 1970s/early 1980s. The artist even used Ned Beatty, James Coburn, and John Cazale as visual references for the bad guys in the story. I can't say the story threw too many surprises at me, if you have seen horror movies from this period you'll catch onto the tropes and formulas present. It's still an entertaining read, much like coming across one of those flicks on television on a Saturday night.

really enjoyed this one. i like the artwork, and the story was fun. june was great, and i loved her arc.

I've been a bit disappointed by horror comics in the past, but Joe Hill's background as a novelist clearly serves him well in the pacing of this little run. I appreciate the way that he's able to center a female character as the protagonist and really make us feel for her as she is poised to become the victim of just another home invasion story. Not so thanks to an axe with very unique powers. Armed with this disturbing weapon, she rises to the occasion and seeks answers for why her boyfriend was targeted. Grim and satisfying.

I had never read a horror graphic novel before and I feel like this was a good first. The story was good and the characters were interesting. There were twists and turns and the action was non stop.

This was so good that I read it in one day. Loved the story line, the illustrations. everything I loved.
If you are into horrror and mysteries you will enjoy Basketful of Heads.

I am super excited about this Hill House Comic label! Thanks to NetGalley and DC Entertainment for the digital review copy.

Summer is over on Brody Island. When June Branch visits her boyfriend, Liam, she’s got plans of getting a car together and building their life together. When escaped convicts get loose on the island, June must defend herself. She grabs the handiest item, a Viking axe with weird writing on it. Defending her life, she chops off the head of one of the would-be assailants. He’s dead, except he’s not. His head talks to her and he seems to be fully conscious. If she wants to save Liam, she’ll have to chop off some more heads and enlist their help in taking down the other bad guys.

This comic was so much fun! It’s horrific. It’s got a badass lady protagonist. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes. There’s some cool Viking lore that comes into play, and it’s a small thing, but I loved the art on each of the issue title pages. The style reminds me so much of vintage cartoons, and that made me smile.

I haven’t been reading many print titles while in quarantine, but as life gets back to “normal,” whatever that’s going to mean, I’m looking forward to all the comics I’ve gotten behind on, and I can’t wait to see more from this line.

This one will be out in September, just in time for the best season of the year. Halloween!

This book is such a strange and funny premise. As always, I enjoyed Joe Hill's creativity in that regard. What starts as a sleepy little mystery quickly escalates into heads literally rolling, and then still talking. It's like Hill was pondering the age-old issue with mysteries: the dead cannot speak, and then wondered how he could get around that in the most gruesome and funny way possible.

June is a delightful character: fierce and defiant and sexual and everything you want in a hero. This is such a great feminist piece. Every man in this story is horrible, and June manages to fight and claw her way against each of them, sometimes pulling her victories from the jaws of defeat. I would absolutely read more stories starring June.

While I'm not shrinking violet and have not issue with vulgar language, the nastiness of the men in this story can be overwhelming at times. Maybe that's the point, to show how horrible men can really be to women, but I found their demeanor and words sometimes more overwhelming than their actions. Each of these men are SO Jekyll and Hyde, the story became a little formulaic and tiring. None of these men were charismatic once the jig was up, none were horrible without also being misogynistic. I wanted more variety in them once their cards were on the table.

A final-girl kind of story that's a bit more leer-ing than it needs to be, but is still enjoyable enough. It's the end of summer, the mid 80s, and something is rotten in a small Maine island town. A storm rolls in, some convicts go missing, and oh yeah a Viking axe allows a young woman to chop off heads (that manage to stay alive). It's a tale of bad men getting their comeuppance, straight out of a grindhouse double feature. And it's good-not-great.

3.5 stars for this one. Graphic violence and profanity color this interesting story about life on an island. And drugs. And a weird weapon. And talking heads. Anything more and I'd be giving out spoilers, so I'll quit here.

I received this as an ARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and DC Comics Studios for giving me access.

Joe Hill can really bring you a story! Nothing is what is seems in this horror story. It had some twist and turns that you don't expect, which is exactly what I love in a good graphic novel.

I felt the story was completely original and bonus points for a female heroin that doesn't need to be saved.

The art style was a little strange. It showed character movements that was overlaid on top of each other making it confusing as to which movement was first.

4.5 stars
Wow, this was a really fun read. I finished it all in one sitting. This is very reminiscent of the movie “Ready or Not” to me. The art style was perfect for this type of story. The style looked old and vintage, almost as if you’re watching an 80s slasher movie as you read through the comics. I love a good fast paced story that takes place all in one night, as well as a story where you can’t trust anyone. I suppose my only critique of this is that I didn’t find this story to be extremely deep or profound, although I think this is definitely (at least in part) a critique of money and corruption consuming public officials. Also, a story doesn’t necessarily have to be extremely deep or profound to be enjoyable. I like the connection between June’s thesis and the events of the story, her thesis being about “the way masculinity is shaped by shame”. Upstanding, God-fearing, Reagan-voting, public officials murdered people in order to contain their shameful secrets from the public (even with little knowledge of what evidence was even captured of sed secrets). I was originally going to say that the main character, June, needed more development. However, I feel like that is a bit too harsh. This story takes place over a very short time and it’s at a fast pace. I also appreciate how she realizes her worth and dumps Liam(‘s body on a burning boat) at the end. I love the ridiculous parts of this story. In particular, I love the fact that a random psychology student ,who is not mentioned to have any combat or weapons training, is able to decapitate/dismember 5 men. It’s hard to cut through a spinal cord, you know. But then again, that’s kind of explained through the magical axe. :)

What a great graphic novel to kick off Hill House Comics! Perfect for fans of Joe Hill, the Horror genre or those looking for a vengeful and somewhat snarky wild ride! Can't wait for all the titles on this new imprint!

A classic horror comic that brings to mind the pre-comic code horror books, such as Tales From The Crypt. The story keeps the reader guessing as our protagonist works to figure out the mystery she was thrown into. An excellent read for those that love horror movies. The story's setting gives the book a timeless quality which makes it an excellent choice for a library collection.

Creepy and funny and twisted. Great illustrations. Wasn’t sure what to expect and this did not disappoint. Loved it. Looking forward to more like it.