REVIEW: 'Kill Train' #1 by Olivia Cuartero-Briggs, Martina Niosi, and Simone D’Angelo

 

Kill Train #1

Writer: Olivia Cuartero-Briggs

Artist: Martina Niosi, colored by Simone D’Angelo, 

and lettered by Becca Carey

Publisher: Mad Cave Studios

Release Date: January 29, 2025

To control the population explosion that nearly crippled the city, New York has instituted Kill Train, a randomized, extermination program where designated subway trains are picked at random, and all the passengers are slaughtered by the end of the line. In this not-so-distant future, we meet Vanessa, a struggling single mom in the midst of a nervous breakdown, who discovers that she, herself, is on a Kill Train. Now, for once in her life and with everything to prove, Vanessa decides she's not going down without a fight.

Score:

★★★★1/2 (4.5/5)

"Kill Train" is a dystopian horror story that keeps readers on edge, bracing for the inevitable. Olivia Cuartero-Briggs wastes no time setting expectations—the title alone signals impending violence, so buckle up. From the start, a sense of dread looms as the story unfolds in a cold, matter-of-fact manner: due to overpopulation, people are randomly culled while riding the subway. The series opens in the aftermath of the latest kill train, a scene as brutal and ruthless as you'd expect. Cuartero-Briggs sets the tone early, and from there, the story climbs toward a terrifying freefall into chaos.

Vanessa, a struggling writer and single mom with an aloof fiancé, is a people-pleaser barely keeping it together. Inevitably, she finds herself aboard the kill train, forced to confront her fears to survive. It’s a perfect setup—watching someone on the verge of a breakdown thrust into a scenario that demands primal instinct and ruthless determination. The build-up may be predictable, but the tension is gripping. You know she’s doomed to this death sentence, but you can’t look away. It’s reminiscent of The Running Man and The Hunger Games—you know the bloodbath is coming, and that’s exactly why you keep turning the pages.

Martina Niosi’s artwork is stunningly expressive. Vanessa’s anxieties, disappointments, and creeping horror are conveyed through her every glance and posture—entire emotional arcs unfold without a single line of dialogue. Niosi’s versatility shines in the stark contrast between the bustling, sunlit city above and the claustrophobic nightmare of the subway below. Simone D’Angelo’s colors intensify this shift, bathing the night scenes in moody purples, deep blues, and inevitable streaks of blood red. When the slaughter begins, the colors explode, amplifying the violence into something almost surreal.

"Kill Train" is already shaping up to be one of the standout debuts of 2025. Cuartero-Briggs, Niosi, and D’Angelo have crafted a relentless, blood-soaked thrill ride, launching readers headfirst into a survival game with no mercy. It’s brutal, fast-paced, and impossible to ignore—this is one series to watch.