January of 2025 features the debut of not one but TWO different titles featuring lots of death aboard a train. Image Comics’ Blood Train one-shot is joined this month by the first issue in a whole new series by Mad Cave. Kill Train is a bit of a strange dystopian horror story by writer Olivia Cuartero-Briggs, artist Martina Niosi and colorist Simone D’Angelo. Like so much dystopian fiction, Kill Train doesn’t exactly make its premise seem all that likely. It’s an awkward amplification of contemporary anxieties that roll quite swiftly across the page. Though it seems a bit silly in places, the first issue of the new series DOES have quite a bit of potential.

The city’s population is out of control. Active measures, HAVE been doing something to curb the crowding. If things keep going the way that they have, they might not have to maintain the Kill Train project anymore. The idea is simple: a commuter train is chosen at random. Everyone on the train is killed. Vanessa didn’t expect to have to deal with the train at all, but a couple of unfortunate things landed together for her in just the wrong way. She gets on the train to go back home. Turns out that it’s destined for other things.

Caurtero-Briggs wisely centers much of the narrative of the issue on a single character: struggling writer Vanessa. She’s just had some bad news. but maybe there’s some chance for things to turn around...that is...until she finds herself on a train that rather quickly gets designated a murder train. If she’s going to be able to survive the situation at all, she’s going to have to deal with rather a lot that may be there to kill her. All she wanted was a short trip. Now she’s going to have to worry about survival. 

Niosi’s art has a thoughtful precision to it that serves the opening issue quite well. There’s a hell of a lot to convey about a culture that would think that this sort of thing is okay, but Niosi keeps the bckgroudn details to a minimum...which speaks volumes about a major metropolitan city that is conspicuously devoid of trash and clutter Vanessa is given a great deal of inner complexity in an opening issue that features quite a few interesting, little moments for her as she makes her way through one of the worst days of her life. 

And having firmly introduced the first big character in the series, Cuartero-Briggs and company are ready to get going on the bulk of the series. It’s nice to see the creative team on f the book take their time in firmly establishing the central character early on so that there’s some sense of concern that might draw-in the reader. It can be so very, very difficult to work-up much of any kind of concern for what’s going on if a premise like this is as strong as it is. 

Grade: B