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.
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