Writer: Cullen Bunn

Artist: Brian Churilla

Colored by: Dave Stewart

Reviewer: Ray Willis

Welcome to “Meramec”

Orpheus team is called back to retrieve another soul from damnation but what lurks in this version of Hell.

This issue dialed back on the action but brought more story to the table. Cullen Bunn does a great job of easing us into this world as we see the possessed before they make their trip into Hell to retrieve the soul of the innocent. It’s literally like watching the exorcist as the possessed start to act in various ways like spitting up maggots which I haven’t seen in a while. Also the way the character taunts the priests is priceless. Makes me want to go back and watch some old horror movies. We don’t get as much character development but the interactions between them was good. We get some banter between them and are introduced to some ghouls during their trip. We do learn that there isn’t just one Hell but many versions of Hell which is composed of a fallen staircase the devil constructed to reach Heaven. Knowing that makes it an interesting plot point that this story can go on for a while since there are so many interpretations of Hell.

The art by Brian Churilla is good but rough around some pages. The character look good and the possessed characters scenes are great to see. Some of the panels do get a bit rough at times as well as the characters at times but isn’t too much to take away from it. The colors by Dave Stewart really spice up the issue and brings out the horror of the scenes.

Hellbreak really blends some nice ideas of a prison break in Hell and shows what happens to the person that is possessed while Orpheus team goes to retrieve the soul. The writing by Cullen Bunn is good and lets us know that theres more than one place of damnation. Since we do worship various religions there has to be more than one Hell out there. It’s a very interesting concept that can bring a lot to the table of the interpretations of various Hells. We do have character development and the art by Brian Churilla is good. The highlight of the issue has to be the possessed person which was great to see but some of the characters do seem to look a little rough in some scenes. The colors by Dave Stewart are great in giving us flavor of  the dark and light world of their world. This was a good read, with some improvements it can be better but it’s only issue two. If you’re a fan of horror and love Cullen Bunn’s work, check this title out and also head out to your local comic book store for Free Comic Book Day this Saturday, May 2nd.

3.5 Stairways to Heaven out of 5