Comics
Pick Of The Week: Hoax Hunters #0
There are a fair share of supernatural investigation reality shows right now, most notably so is SyFy’s Ghost Hunters. As we well know, reality shows have, unfortunately, become the butthole of television. Everyone’s seen at least one, they’re never classy, and sometimes they’re full of shit. However, Steve Seeley and Michael Moreci, have taken up paranormal reality television and turned it on its head to deliver an incredible series debut of Hoax Hunters. The creative team deliberately addresses the cheesiness of reality TV, simultaneously offering a weird and intelligent plotline, all while never taking their tongues out of their cheeks. This is a strong first issue that shows plenty of potential, leaving a lot of room for future episodes. Read on for the skinny…
WRITTEN BY: Steve Seeley and Michael Moreci
ART BY: JM Ringuiet
PUBLISHER: Image
RELEASE: March 21
This 0 issue is actually a collection of the backup stories that appeared in Hack/Slash over the last year, but seeing it together in a single issue does a lot for the reading experience. The story follows the Hoax Hunters, a crew of paranormal investigators as they discover that an astronaut from the 1960s has suddenly reappeared in Russia. Yeah, it’s weird but I am a sucker for anything to do with outer space or astronaut conspiracy theories, so I was sold right off the bat. The plot gets quite eerie at some points, mostly due to the murder of crows that follows the astronaut wherever he goes. Mixing in elements from many different genres, this book has something for everyone.
The pages at the beginning and end that take place within the Hoax Hunter reality TV series are wonderfully contrasted with the real plotline that occurs when the cameras stop rolling throughout the rest of the book. By going behind the camera, it not only gives the reader more information but it also points out how unlike reality these so called “reality” shows can be. The comic thus works on equal levels as a social commentary on modern entertainment and as a well-crafted paranormal investigation story. The idea of using a TV show to frame the narrative of a comic is quite brilliant, and I’m not sure why it hasn’t been done before.
In just one issue, Seeley and Moreci are able to offer an in-depth look into their world. Thinking about the plot now, there is so much I want to write and so much analysis I could get into but I’ll spare you from having to listen to my half-thought out rants about social structures and the current state of American entertainment. Suffice it to say that the best part about this series is that by cutting the camera from the main plotline, it allows the characters to act as real people, rather than acting as they would on television. That is to say, not stupidly.
It’s often difficult in comics to begin a series with a long list of characters, who are all of equal importance. In Hoax Hunters, there are several central characters, and the team does a great job of introducing them to the reader. The three main characters are archetypal heroes that you would expect from books in this vein. This not only works with the whole reality show idea, but it allows the reader to relate to them. The characters are so intriguing at first glance that the book leaves a lot left to be desired, in the best possible way. I want to know what mysterious powers Regan has, I want to know more about this spaceman, and I want to see them operating as a team on longer story arcs. As any good writer should, Seeley and Moreci give each character something unique, which will draw you back in for subsequent issues.
The spaceman mystery is a great launching point. JM Ringuiet’s artwork was a stellar fit for this book (even though a change may be happening as the series continues). The spaceman and his crows are splendidly spooky, and the cartoony style combined with the wide pallet of colors is largely responsible for the atmosphere of the book. The final few pages that focus on the astronaut are gorgeous, and lead perfectly up to the shocker in the final panel. Artwork and script mesh together well, and I have a feeling it will only get better as they continue their Hoax Hunters run.
Simply due to the fact that there are so many hoaxes and legends out there, this series has almost unlimited potential. I’d love to see the Hoax Hunters crew go from Sasquatch myths to alien conspiracy theories to the Loch Ness legends. Not unlike Image’s Proof series a few years back, Hoax Hunters has the potential to be a really thrilling and, more importantly, entertaining series (unlike Ghost Hunters). While the world is not yet developed fully, it seems that these guys have a lot in their minds that they are just waiting to spill out on to the page for us.
Hoax Hunters #0 is a very strong start to what could be a great series. The creators leave a lot of questions unanswered and a lot of doors wide open, which left me craving more of the Hoax Hunter team. It’s hard to tell exactly what the team has planned after this issue; the series could move toward a BPRD style, or it could move the complete opposite direction and take on a Hack/Slash approach, thus destroying all those ridiculous reality shows. Comparison’s aside, Hoax Hunters #0 is a strong story that has a lot going for it.
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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