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Here we have Leatherface as depicted in Tsutomu Nihei’s Biomega (vol. 2, the color bits in the beginning), surrounded by a Jason X corps of armed enforcers. I’d always thought the villains in Biomega had a Clive Barker feel, but I hadn’t realized until this episode that they were possibly referencing specific characters—or just plugging characters in, as it seems here. This isn’t at all ill-fitting in Nihei’s world, already visually indebted to illustrators like Zdzislaw Beksinski, or the Biomega iteration of such in particular, much more of a seat-of-the-pants action spectacle than Nihei’s longer, earlier, weirder, transhumanism-scented action series Blame!—it’s pretty much Kamen Rider plopped down into a zombie movie to start off with, and there’s something fitting about distinguishing the evolution-minded villains from the rabble by dressing them like hard-to-kill horror movie icons, easily villainous superhuman ‘types’ fit for looping in. Long live the new flesh?

Other icons set to mix ‘n match:

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