Refrigerator Full of Heads #1
DC Comics
With how things ended after Basketful of Heads, we return a year later to Brody Island with a Refrigerator Full of Heads. We see that there is more to the legend of the mystical Viking ax as other weapons hold similar powers.
Words by Rio Youers
Art by Tom Fowler
Letters by Andworld Design
Color by Bill Crab
We are introduced to Arlene and Cal Marshall, who are escaping city life to gain inspiration for a new story. Brody Island has changed ever since the events involving Cheif Clausen and his family a year prior. The new Cheif Carmody hasn’t done much to keep the island clean and family-orientated as his predecessor did. There is also the issue of a man-eating great white shark terrorizing the beaches.
The issue makes it clear that this is an entirely different story from Basketful of Heads. From establishing a new chief, criminal cohorts, dated 80’s references, and casually tossing in unneeded subplots. The story goes from one extreme to another using the logic of things seen in a movie.
The biggest flaw of the story is how things are purposely featured to be used later. The obnoxious Jaws rip-off was to show the power of the ax, bikers running amuck was to show how tight they are with the Cheif, Cal and Arlene are not looking to get away after the encounter with the bikers.
Sadly, the art doesn’t do much to salvage the issue. Each panel feels distorted due to the unexplainable changes of hand placement on weapons, characters’ expressions, and actions out of continuity progression. At times, the characters’ facial expressions are hard to distinguish as what is going on around them does not match.
Final Thoughts on Refrigerator Full of Heads
Refrigerator Full of Heads does not know what story it wants to tell. It becomes massively overcomplicated by the additional subplots that take up too much time, and the payoff is underwhelming. The issue doesn’t work, and taking a bunch of different unconnected or barely connected ideas to jumble together mimics a cohesive story.
If the purpose of Refrigerator Full of Heads was to mock the absurdity of 80’s horror sequels, it did the job. I just hope that the following issues bring clarity to a complicated disaster.