Comics
Review: Stephen Kings’ The Stand Soul Survivors #2
Marvel’s ‘The Stand’ arcs have thus far exceeded all expectations, following in the footsteps of the ever exciting ‘Dark Tower’ spin offs. It would seem that Stephen Kings’ stories, no matter how old, always seem to have relevance, and most importantly, the ability to chill you to the core. You’ll find the full review inside.
Stephen Kings’ ‘The Stand: Soul Survivors’, written by Roberto Aguirre Sacasa (“Sensational Spiderman”, “Angel Revelations”, and HBO’s “Big Love”) is the latest arc in the ongoing story of survival in a world ravaged by a deadly plague that is swiftly wiping out humanity.
The story of issue #2 finds us hot on the trail of a surviver named Larry Underwood once again as he makes his way across the countryside. Still haunted by the nightmares of The Dark Man and Rita, finds salvation in a small home in Maine. He finds that the dreams cease when he is there, and so he decides to roost awhile. Thankfully Sacasa doesn’t dwell too much on this period, instead transports us to Larry’s journey to the ocean. The peaceful moment is shattered almost instantly by a young boy named Joe who attacks Larry with a knife. The scuffle ends with Nadine, the boys mysterious yet beautiful guardian, talking the child down. Later on they are also joined by a young blonde woman named Lucy who also shares their reoccurring nightmares.
From then on we start to learn quite a bit more about the happenings in the world of ‘The Stand’, but like any 1 episode of ‘Lost’, we are given 1 answer and 52 new questions. The script for the issue is tight and compelling. Aguirre-Sacasa has done an outstanding job of capturing the feelings of despair and loneliness in a world God forgot. It is not easily forgotten that King himself has almost all creative control over his creations’ side stories. His touch is found in almost every bubble of dialogue, each character seeming to breathe the life of the beloved characters within his novels.
This is not to say that ‘The Stand: Soul Survivors’ doesn’t sputter a bit. the further we get into the story, the more questions we are given, and rarely are we handed answers. I do understand the importance of mystique, but if I wanted to feel annoyed and confused I’d watch Criss Angel.
Art wise Mike Perkins is as strong as ever, pushing us through the story with a steady hand. The vivid detail he contributes is one of the great draws of the series, and it never goes unnoticed just how well a job he does. The book ends with Nadine fainting oddly as the group are reading a note left by Harold and his group whom they are following. From the looks of it Nadine has some secrets of her own that just might tie her to Larry in a very personal way.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Skulls
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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