Rob reviews Basilisk #11...
As the chess pieces start to play out their checkmate moves, Cullen Bunn brings yet more surprises to the giant game of horror that's Basilisk!
Basilisk #11 continues shortly after the events of the previous issue. Hannah has found herself in the company of Barret, Vanessa is revisiting her past, while Regan is out to stop the Chimera's awakening. It's here that Bunn delves more into these motives as the four cast members draw their lines.
The main bulk of #11 deals with the relationship between Vanessa and Regan, whilst simultaneously adding context to past events. In typical style, we open up in the past as "The Five" are sent into the cave that houses the omnipotent Chimera. As they venture deeper, the group encounters the skeletal remains of those who've attempted the journey before. It soon becomes clear that Vanessa is retracing this journey back in the present day. She's determined to awaken the Chimera from its slumber to then take all of its power for herself.
Utilising the psychic link that "the Five" share, Vanessa drags Regan along this path with her. Whilst Vanessa is on a journey of discovery, Regan wants to forget what happened to them, to then end the Chimera threat. Yet, both siblings will eventually have to cross paths as one needs to die for the other to succeed.
Meanwhile, Barret and Hannah are making their way to Vanessa's location with different plans of their own. Still being fueled by her thirst for revenge, Hannah has taken Barret up on his offer of guidance even if it's a road she won't be returning from. Since the loss of her husband and daughter, Hannah has developed a form of survivor's guilt. She's got nothing left to lose, and if her death means the end to those who took everything away from her - then so be it.
Barret on the other hand is the variable to everything. On one side it seems as if he wants to help both Hannah and Regan. Yet on the other, he also wants to prove himself to the Chimea. Not only does he want to see the "creature" awoken, but he also plans on controlling it. And as such, he plans on sacrificing Hannah's life to do so.
It's been a while since I've sat down and reviewed Basilisk. That being said, the series has continued to be part of my reading pile. What draws me into Basilisk is the mystery that Bunn has created. We're eleven issues in and the narrative is still full of dark wonder. It's not afraid to shock you one minute, to then make you feel for its antagonists the next. No one is particularly "good" in this world, and surprisingly that line is pretty blurred. It's a true testament to Bunn's writing as he can keep you gripped by what's happening, whilst drawing you into the tension, and dread that surrounds his characters.
Jonas Scharf and Alex Guimarães continue their superb work on bringing Bunn's madness to life. I literally can't heap praise onto these two much more than I already have! The line work and colours perfectly capture both the mood and tone seen within the script. There are plenty of light and dark moments, with an incredibly robust transition to events set in the past. Every panel is a complete work of art that jumps from the page. And much like Bunn's writing - it makes you want to turn the page.
All in all, Basilisk #11 makes you want to instantly jump into issue #12. It subverts your expectations of the genre by adding plenty of twists and turns that paint all of its major players under the same morally grey umbrella.
If you happen to read one comic boom this year, you'll be hard-pressed to find something better than Basilisk...
Rating: 8.5/10
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Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev
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