Exquisite Corpses’ assassin TCG aims for the sweet spot between Magic: The Gathering and Ultimate Werewolf

The hook of Exquisite Corpses — a huge new collaboration from 10 heavy-hitting horror comics creators — is that the citizens of Oak Valley, Maine, must band together when the richest families in America drop 12 of “the deadliest people in the world” into their town for a one-night-only, last-man-standing free-for-all to the death.

But while the comic series follows those innocent citizens, Exquisite Corpses: The Game, developed by artist Michael Walsh (The Silver Coin, two dozen Magic: The Gathering card illustrations), puts players in the shoes of their favorite killer from the series, in “a mix between competitive trading card games like Magic: The Gathering and casual party games like Ultimate Werewolf,” according to a news release from Tiny Onion Studios.

Exquisite Corpses: The Game won’t launch until Exquisite Corpses has finished its first 13-issue season — that is, no earlier than the back half of 2026. But, Polygon can exclusively reveal, interested readers and players can start getting their hands on the game’s cards this May, when some variant copies of Exquisite Corpses #1 will come with a random card.

The comic itself is the brainchild of Walsh and writer James Tynion IV (Batman, Something Is Killing the Children), who envisioned it as a way to bring the collaborative writers room of a Marvel or DC Comics crossover to bear on an original horror concept. Walsh and Tynion developed the “bible” of the series, then invited fellow comics creators Valentine De Landro (Bitch Planet), Becca Carey (Absolute Wonder Woman), Adam Gorham (Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant), Gavin Fullerton (Bog Bodies), Jordie Bellaire (Birds of Prey), Pornsak Pichetshote (The Good Asian), Tyler Boss (The Department of Truth), Che Grayson (Batman: Urban Legends), Claire Roe (Dark Spaces: The Hollywood Special), and Marianna Ignazzi (Catwoman) to nail down the story and craft its 13 issues.

As the official summary of Exquisite Corpses #1 puts it:

Every five years on Halloween, the wealthiest families in America play a game. Twelve of the deadliest people in the world are dropped into a small town with just one goal: last killer standing wins. For the citizens of Oak Valley, Maine — this year’s unlucky arena — the goal is much simpler. They must survive the night.

Exquisite Corpses: The Game began with Walsh drawing out the comic’s collection of serial killers and assassins onto dry-erase cards right in the first development meetings — work that turned into a card game the whole team would play when they got together.

“Gameplay has been right at the center of the development of this project from my first conversation with Walsh,” Tynion told Polygon via email. “At the heart of the story concept is a brutal, bloody game that these wealthy families play, pitting these dangerous killers against each other. We knew that we wanted to give our readers a way to play along, and thankfully Michael’s experience and affinity for the tabletop game world meant that his brain was cooking from go on how to build this. We didn’t have to go out and hunt down a team to help us design this game — we built it together, right alongside the comic book.”

“Exquisite Corpses: The Game is an easy-to-learn social strategy card game,” Walsh told Polygon via email. “You get to play as your favorite killer, make alliances… and then break them, as you rack up your kill count using the unique skills of your chosen killer. I wanted readers to experience the story of Exquisite Corpses in a brand new way, where they decide who lives, who dies, and who wins.” Walsh has been playtesting the game with a dedicated group since 2024, according to Tiny Onion’s news release, and wants the game to be an easy thing to pick up and play at a party, but “hard to put down.”

Exquisite Corpses the comic kicks off on May 14 with the first 60-page issue of its first season. Exquisite Corpses: The Game, however, is currently set to be released “after the first season of the comic series finishes,” according to Tiny Onion’s news release. But there’s still a way to get its planned 12 killer cards: For $2 more, fans can grab the polybagged Cover C variant of the issue, which will include one random killer card.

“If readers are picking up the Cover C variants,” Tynion said in the news release, “they will be able to start playing a streamlined version of the game as the series releases.”

You can check out two of those killer cards — along with Michael Walsh’s Cover C variant cover art — below, of the Fox Mask Killer and Leopold Strong.