Murder Kingdom by Fred Van Lente - Comic Review

Maybe we push back on that theme park for another year kids...

There’s something deeply unsettling about theme parks. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s a strange tension in walking into a place that looks like a cartoon from your childhood, handing over thousands of dollars, and watching adults in oversized chipmunk costumes shuffle around for minimum wage. It just screams capitalism—and I’m not here for it.

All those smiling families, barely holding it together, screaming internally: “I can’t pay rent next month because of this trip!”… Ah, the memories.

But as creepy as theme parks can be, they’re the perfect setting for horror—which is exactly why Murder Kingdom by Fred Van Lente, Chris Panda, and Becca Carey is such a brilliant and unsettling read.

I like to believe that most people working in theme parks want out. It’s the only way I can keep a sliver of faith in humanity. That’s certainly true for Tanith, our protagonist. After choking on someone’s MeeMaw’s ashes (yes, really), she finally decides: enough. Time to ditch the park and take my chances with the hygienic nightmare that must be the cat cafe down the road.

Unfortunately, life (and horror stories) don’t let you off that easy.

Soon, Tanith is pulled into a nightmare scenario—one where she’s no longer just playing a role in the park but becoming the protagonist. Suddenly, eating meemaws becomes the least of her worries. And that’s when the proverbial shit hits the fan.

I won’t spoil anything because this comic is full of twists, turns, and genuinely wild moments. Fred Van Lente pulls off something that feels smart, ironic, and self-aware without losing the tension or the stakes. Murder Kingdom has easily climbed to the top of my 2025 reading list.

I haven’t read any other reviews yet—I like to form my own thoughts first—but growing up in the ’90s, this story hit all the right notes. It reminded me of those genre-savvy horror films like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Friday the 13th, Halloween—where the characters either lean into the clichés or fall victim to them in exactly the ways you expect… and still somehow enjoy every second. Seriously kids… there is a serial killer on the loose. Maybe going skinny dipping next to where they were last seen is not such a good idea.

I don’t watch much TV anymore, but if you love horror that’s self-aware, satirical, and just a little unhinged—Murder Kingdom is your next must-read.

The art from Panda just follows through to the end. We are talking about some gruesome stuff in play. Guts hanging, flesh dissolving, bear traps … Panda can make you think that you might actually prefer a little bit of light during your night reading tonight. You are not scared… it’s just good for your eyes to put the lights on…

P.S.

Seriously now… the fact that people hold character through pretty much every provocation thrown at them in theme parks is crazy to me. Some of them theme park workers need an oscar. Bravo!