REVIEW: 'Vinyl' #3 by Doug Wagner, Daniel Hillyard, and Dave Stewart

Meet Rennie. The next serial killer operative in Walter's operation to rescue his "friend," FBI agent Dennis from a death cult.

VINYL #3

Writer: Doug Wagner

Artist: Daniel Hillyard, Dave Stewart

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Publisher: Image Comics

Release Date: August 25, 2021

Cover Price: $3.99

As Walter continues to go even deeper into the sunflower death cult's underground gore bunker, his serial killer friends decide to split up to sew their unique brands of chaos. New wickedly disturbing monsters are revealed on both sides. Who wins when the criminally insane take on pure evil?

Score: 

★★★★☆ (4/5)

'Vinyl' is one of the most unique and bizarre titles of the year. It's also darkly funny and bloody as hell. A team of serial killers tries to rescue an FBI agent from the clutches of a death cult. It's a cat-and-mouse game between the beautiful but deadly cult leader Madeleine and serial-killer-in-charge Walter. Walter has enlisted an eclectic roster of killers and in issue three Rennie gets a proper introduction. 

So far, Team Walter has had their way with Madeleine's security forces. The psychotic twins and the stoic giant have feasted on the poor henchmen Madeleine has led to slaughter. Rennie appeared at the end of issue two and she has a thing for murder, draining the blood of her victims, and skinning them. It's quite the Tinder profile. Here, she gets some character development and while very popular among fanboys like the twins, Rennie has a lot of reverence and affection for Walter who saw her for her. It's very sweet were it not for all the history of murder and a literal soaking tub of blood, an actual blood bath she needs to calm her eczema. 

As for Walter, his connection to vinyl records is explained, and damn it if Doug Wagner didn't make a serial killer a sympathetic figure. He's a patriarchal type, an aging and veteran killer whose delusion that this FBI agent is his friend spurs this entire rescue mission. It's sad but it grounds this otherwise bonkers slasher series with real pathos.

For such a black comedy, it's only right that Daniel Hillyard and Dave Stewart provide such bright and light images of mayhem and menace. You'll find few comics with more bright red blood than 'Vinyl.' Yet, they find the right balance of gruesome violence and emotional body language and expressions. From the wild-eyed fanatism of the twins to Victoria's shock-face to Walter's earnest concern, Hillyard's versatility hits all the right beats. 

'Vinyl' #3 takes a step closer to completing the rescue mission while introducing another serial killer to the team. It's another wild and violent issue that surprisingly adds a lot of heart and empathy to the mix. There's nothing quite like 'Vinyl' and that makes it a gem of a comic full of dark comedy, thrills, and blood. So much blood.