Review – Killer Influences #1 (IDW Publishing)

Publisher: IDW Publishing (IDW Crime Imprint)
Writer: Joey Esposito
Artwork: Valeria Burzo
Colours: Inaki Azpiazu
Lettering: Alex Ray
Release Date: 1st July 2026

On sale this week from IDW Publishing’s IDW Crime imprint, Killer Influences introduces us to Melvin, a serial killer who – while undeniably good at his “job” – isn’t quite grabbing the headlines the way he hoped. Melvin’s meticulous crimes are being connected by Kylie, a bored writer for a small‑town newspaper with dreams of becoming a big‑time true‑crime podcaster, which immediately puts her in the crosshairs of the polished psychopath. However, rather than allowing herself to become Melvin’s latest victim, Kylie offers him a mutually beneficial proposal: she helps him with “branding” and gives his kills publicity on her fledgling channel, and he provides her with the notoriety she needs to boost her following and hopefully achieve her dream. Pretty messed up, right?

I absolutely love the premise laid out here by series writer Joey Esposito. In a world where social‑media fame is the obsessive dream of so many, and true‑crime podcasts are reaching saturation point (assuming we haven’t passed that point already), throwing those two themes together and giving them a suburban serial‑killer twist is pure genius. In this double‑sized first issue, we’re given plenty of time to get to know both Melvin and Kylie – Kylie more so than Melvin – and slowly watch their worlds collide.

Valeria Burzo’s artwork certainly does the job, but isn’t really given much interesting to do outside of the brief flash of Melvin dispatching a victim and the admittedly dynamic meeting between our two leads. Some of the character faces are a little uneven and unnatural‑looking – for my tastes, at least – but Inaki Azpiazu’s colours are rich and evocative, and Alex Ray’s lettering is clean and well laid out, giving the book an impressively polished feel throughout.

The final page hints at the real meat of the story, flashing us forward in time and single‑handedly answering my “so… what now?” question. It’s going to be interesting to see how the rest of the series plays out, and this twist to the status quo seems to hint at a reversal of the established dynamic of who’s actually good and who’s actually bad. Well… sort of.

Overall, this is a solid opening issue with an undeniably interesting premise, but it takes a little too long to get where it needs to be going. Perhaps that’s a downside of the double‑sized 40‑page opener, but it sometimes feels like not a lot is actually happening, and the events of this first chapter could quite easily be condensed into a regular‑sized issue without losing too much value. That said, there’s still a lot to like here, and hopefully the pace picks up in subsequent issues to give the series the energy and tension it sorely needs.

Rating: 3/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK]