Advance Review – You’ll Do Bad Things #1 (Image Comics)

March 1, 2025

2–3 minutes

Publisher: Image Comics
Writer(s): Tyler Boss
Artist: Adriano Turtulici
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Release Date: 26th March 2025

The first issue of this new six-part crime horror miniseries introduces us to Seth Holms, the acclaimed author of “He Came in with a Smile”, a true crime book chronicling the sickening murders carried out by the ‘Nursery Rhyme Killer’. Unfortunately for Seth he hasn’t been able to pen another title in the decade since, and with his newly-acquired moral misgivings about the exploitative nature of true crime novels, he’s trying to write something a little more upbeat and uplifting, maybe even with a happy ending? The only problem is that every story he starts inevitably ends up with the leading character’s death – and even worse, these stories seem to be starting to bleed out into the real world, with horrifying results.

Writer Tyler Boss describes this series as “a love letter to the Italian slasher genre of Giallo”, and that’s definitely something that seeps through from the very first page, blending horror and thriller notes with a mysterious killer and a beautifully cinematic staging to the violence. More than that though, there’s a metatextual self-awareness at play with Seth’s reluctance to engage in tacky ‘true crime’ inadvertently resulting in more true crime, and the line between fiction and reality being frequently (and violently) blurred.

Artist Adriano Turtulici does a fantastic job of establishing the dark and foreboding tone of the story with his simple-yet-effective linework, capturing every key story beat – from frustrated expressions to the slash of a blade – with consummate flair. His colour choice is also a real key to this story landing as well as it does, bathing his pages in a muted neon haze that evokes memories of classic retro comic strips which in turn gives the story a feeling of innocence and nostalgia that is most certainly at odds with the horrifying violent outbursts peppered throughout the issue .

In a story about writing, it’s only right that letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou is given ample opportunity to shine here, with his typically outstanding work – packed with expressive, creative and dynamic word balloons – leading the reader confidently around the dark, foreboding pages. He also does a great job of switching up fonts to emphasis the narrative shifts, with Seth’s writing serving as a bleak overlay to the pages as the horrific murders unfold.

Honestly, it’s hard to pick any faults at all with this first issue. Perfectly paced, immaculately delivered and feeling very much like a labour of love for the entire creative team, You’ll Do Bad Things takes the well-established True Crime genre and flips it on its head, providing us with an intriguing leading character, a genuinely unsettling killer and a captivating mystery at the heart of the story. Highly, highly recommended.

Rating: 4.5/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]