Bleeding Hearts #7 Review
Writer: Deniz Camp
Artist & Cover Artist: Stipan Morian
Colorist: Stef Bartolić
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Variant Cover Artist: Manny Vincent Carbonilla
Editors: Chris Conroy & Mathew Levine
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 US (cardstock)
Release Date: August 12, 2026
Poke and Mush have reached a parting of the ways. After
learning that his best friend's heart had begun beating, Mush realized he
should have listened to the mushrooms growing out of his neck. They kept
telling him that there was something different about Poke.
Yet even if Mush felt betrayed by how Poke hid the changes
he was going through, at least Mush didn't kill Mama. And when Mama returns,
she brings a gun to the Live Ones’ hunt. Can Poke, Mama, and Rabbit begin
again? And is Poke a Zombie, a Live One, or something no one has ever seen
before? Let’s leap into Bleeding Hearts #7 and see!
Story
As they sit together, studying a painting, Rabbit tries to
help Poke speak like a Live One. Yet, Poke's thoughts center on his friendship
with Mush and the community he has betrayed. As she watches her daughter
continue to ignore the facts and maintain her friendship with "Flower
Boy," Mama's thoughts dwell on all the sacrifices she has made and what
they have netted her.
In Bleeding Hearts #7, Deniz Camp interlaces Poke’s journey
with Mama’s. With both characters stalled in contemplation, Rabbit works at her
familiar occupation of bringing people together. Unlike Rabbit, both Poke and
Mama believe their fellowship cannot last. Yet while Mama and Rabbit’s
prospects for finding a Live Ones community seem unlikely, Poke still has a
home to return to.
Despite rescuing her daughter from the ritual Out-Break
hunt, Mama struggles with despair instead of celebrating her victory. Like
everyone she has ever known, the Zombies have consumed her community and
culture. Poke also struggles to know where he belongs. Since his heart began
beating again, everything has changed. Poke can trust nothing, not even
himself, because he is both dead and alive.
As Poke rises above the limitations of both communities, he yearns
to help people from both cultures. While Rabbit has been gifted with
overweening optimism, Poke’s efforts spring from his beating heart. Yet as
opposing cultures clash, any offer of help seems likely to be misunderstood in
Bleeding Hearts #7.
Art
As Stipan Morian's long, thin panels showcase Mush's
relationship with the growing Zombie community, cartoony drawings symbolize
Poke's personal journey. The mushrooms sprouting from Mush's shoulders
highlight the Zombies' rapid growth. A woman's Ankh symbol suggests the
community's long-term health.
After Stef Bartolić adorns Poke’s fight to reconcile his
recent actions with a vibrant palette, Mama sits by a dying fire. The blue
boxes and covered equipment turn gray as the flames struggle for life. After
sepia tinges her triumph and failure, a red background highlights the violent
nature of clashing cultures. Yet, when she feeds the fire, the yellow flames
also seem to devour the surrounding blue. As Poke stares at a painting of white
and violet flowers in a blue pot, his skin takes on the coloring of the leaves.
Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou places Mama and Poke's black uppercase
thoughts in white boxes. The letters in narrative boxes and dialogue balloons grow
bold for intonation, and shift to lowercase for lowered voices. Poke and
Rabbit’s attempts at communication change colors to match their skin or
clothing, while raised voices accompany a fight for belonging. Yet while he
struggles to accept change, the red beating of Poke’s heart suggests his desire
for growth and beginning anew in Bleeding Hearts #7. Thanks to DC Comics for
sharing this story with us.
Final Thoughts
While Mama struggles to find meaning in Human culture, the
Zombies unite via their rituals and shared values. Unlike Mama and the Zombie
community's leaders, Rabbit and Poke stare at the world in wonder. They may
lack the certainty of the Zombie preachers' beliefs. Yet both prize life over codes
of conduct, as Rabbit and Poke strive to help others in Bleeding Hearts #7.
Rating 9.8/10
To look inside see my preview of Bleeding Hearts #7.
For what happened last time, see my preview of Bleeding Hearts #6.
For what happened before that, see my review of Bleeding Hearts #5.
For what happened even before that, see my preview of Bleeding Hearts #4.
For how this series began, see my preview of Bleeding Hearts #1.