FILTHY LAMBS (2026-) #1 Review

Filthy Lambs #1 is written by Pallie Paul Allor and published by Mad Cave Studios. Artwork is by Chris Evenhuis, colours by Sjan Weijers and letters by Pallie Paul Allor. Main cover art (left) is by Chris Evenhuis.

Filthy Lambs #1 is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.

Synopsis

In the basement of Grimaldi Manor, the family patriarch says a prayer and stabs himself in the throat. Blood falls. The demon watches. A woman tries to scream. Upstairs, three generations of the Grimaldi family and a snapping turtle fill the house with unfulfilled promise and joyful childhood shrieks. These are tremendous, terrible times for the lineage! The Grimaldis hold a contract with Their Lord Below for ten more years of prodigious wealth and glory. But old contracts can sour. Monsters can misbehave. And a filthy little lamb can still have teeth.

Review

2026 has been an eventful year for Mad Cave Studios, with a diverse range of comics debuting over the last twelve months, including Dog Tag, Astro Quantam, Junk Punch, and Is Ted OK? just to name a few. Some titles have been more successful than others, but the publisher shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, as they’re bringing yet another new series to comic book shelves, simply titled Filthy Lambs.

There have been many examples in horror of satanic sacrifices, demented family trees and twisted lineages, and writer Pallie Paul Allor is well aware of that. With Filthy Lambs, Allor is quick to establish tropes and character dynamics we’ve come to expect with this sort of narrative, only to throw expectations out the window for something far more engaging. Each family member in the Grimaldi family has their own distinct traits and personalities, all of which play a part in setting up the underlying tensions between them all. However, Allor doesn’t let that be the main focus, as he constantly maintains a biting humour in the dialogue that keeps things interesting from start to finish.

Alongside the writing is the artwork, which does a lot of the heavy lifting here. The gothic atmosphere really comes alive through Chris Evenhuis’ illustrations, while Sjan Weijers’ bold colour work helps give the comic a vibrant yet grounded style that works brilliantly for the slightly playful tone this series is going for.

The one hurdle this first issue faces, which hopefully will be rectified over its remaining four instalments, is the conflict between the initial set-up for the story and the unfolding of the story itself. Allor doesn’t waste any time and jumps straight into the proceedings, which is good for grabbing your attention immediately. However, the dialogue and general momentum of the narrative play out in such a snappy, tongue-in-cheek manner that you are left assuming certain information that is needed moving forward…yet that information is never elaborated on.

This fault, which is more of a nitpick than anything else, is thankfully overshadowed by the truly bonkers and gory closing pages that set up a lot of unhinged potential for the rest of the series. These closing moments do not hold back in the slightest, unleashing hell on the family members in satisfyingly violent fashion. The shocking scenes are made that much more impactful thanks to Weijers’ colouring, where purples, blacks and reds all work in tandem to create a palpable sense of terror.

What initially seems like familiar territory is quickly and confidently subverted in the best possible way with Filthy Lambs. From its striking artwork to its sharp writing, this is a punchy first instalment to get the series off the ground and I cannot wait to see where it goes from here.

Verdict

Filthy Lambs is a fantastic new series for Mad Cave Studios. Filled to the brim with backstabbing, bloody violence and a style unique to itself, this is a comic you don’t want to miss.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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