Comics
GRAPHIC CONTENT PICK OF THE WEEK: Lonmonster – “Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance” Issue #3
Despite all the changes that Batman has undergone in his lifetime, his moral code has always been the one thing that remained steadfast. Whether it’s Bruce Wayne or Dick Grayson wearing the cowl, Batman has never broken his one rule: “no killing”. But in Flashpoint, where “everything you know will change in a flash”, it seems that along with Gotham, there has been a major shift in Batman’s morality. For three issues only, the dream team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso (100 Bullets) come together again to give readers the Batman they’ve always wanted, darker, grittier, older, and more bad-ass than ever before (who thought that was possible?). The team already has an Eisner Award under their belts, and Azzarello’s graphic novel, Joker, ranks up there with the best Batman stories. Azzarello has proven his masterful ability to create some of fantastic noir worlds in comics, and this book should be no exception. Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance is one Flashpoint tie-in that you won’t want to miss. Read on for the skinny…
WRITTEN BY: Brian Azzerello
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Eduardo Risso
“FLASH FACT! He spends his days running Wayne Casinos!”
DC has a knack for keeping their plans secret, but this time the entire future of the publishing giant is a total mystery. As you should already know, Flashpoint is one of the largest events in DC history, and much of the future of DC universe depends how it plays out. From the looks of it, DC will be wrapping up all their major titles by the end of summer as Flashpoint comes to an end, and this leaves our heroes in a strange place. Because of all the uncertainty, Flashpoint is both extremely concerning and exciting for DC fans, and nobody really knows what to expect. What I do know is that Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance is going to be one of the most intriguing versions of Bruce Wayne to date.
Batman is one hero that writers don’t usually mess around with, however, here Azzarello (who tends to stay away from major events) gives us a special treat with this Batman tie-in. Azzarello and Risso are two of the most reputable names in the comic industry today, and they deserve an incredible amount of respect. For anyone who isn’t a stranger to Azzarello’s works, they know his ability to write gruesome detective stories that throw characters headfirst into modernity. While he never changes a character completely, he is known for bringing them into the real world, and seeing how they stand in the face of contemporary society. I can only begin to imagine what the dream team has up their sleeves for The Caped Crusader. Judging by The Bat’s appearance in Flashpoint #1, he’s going to play a major role in how Flashpoint pans out.
As far as we know, Bruce Wayne in this timeline is older, has a highly ambiguous ethical code, and spends his days running Wayne Casino’s. It seems that Batman has become fed up with crime fighting, and his interests no longer lie in deep detective investigations. Instead, Batman will be taking a more, shall we say, “hand-on” approach to cleansing the streets of its villains (which you can also expect to be very different, surprise, surprise). On top of all this madness, the city of Gotham also seems to have changed drastically. It’s gonna be one dim and wild ride, that could change the face of DC forever.
The goliath mystery that is Flashpoint begins to reveal itself this week as several tie-in issues come out on Wednesday. Hopefully after this week we’ll have a better idea of which one’s to follow, and which one’s can be left on the shelf. While I could go on for days speculating about what we may see in this tie-in, I have a feeling this will be like no Bat-book we’ve ever read before.
“Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance ” Issue #1 Drops June 1sy From DC Comics ! (MSRP – $2.99)
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
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