Comics
Review: ‘The Milkman Murders’ HC
Wickedly uncompromising and brutally candid, The Milkman Murders is a hard-hitting tale about the dark side of modern suburban life. The shock value alone on the first few pages is a real eye-opener to the world of real life terror. Now available as a hardcover edition, this new publication of the infamous 2005 horror miniseries proves it stands the test of time.
Written By: Joe Casey
Art By: Steve Parkhouse
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $14. 99
Release: September 26th, 2012
On the surface, neighbors seem to think the Vale family is comfortably quiet and boringly settled down. Casey’s infuses the book with the idea that no one in has any idea what exactly occurs behind closed doors. Mild-mannered housewife, Barbara Vale, has finally hit her breaking point, after carrying on with the entire family’s dark secrets. Nothing will ever be the same in suburbia after Barbara unleashes her inner rage. Not even her own family is safe when Barbara is consumed with bloodlust.
Even though Joe Casey’s viewpoint on the American household is a fascinating depiction, this is a difficult story to get into. When readers are introduced to the Vale family, they are presented as such an unlikable group. None of the family members have a redeemable qualities. After reading the opening chapter, I was thinking, “Why should I read a story about these bunch of losers?” While Casey is making an incredibly gutsy move by presenting the main protagonist in an unflattering light, the writer is unabashed in presenting such a series topic. It is asking a lot from readers to take a journey with these unpleasant characters, but the end result is absolutely intriguing.
Casey’s running social commentary focuses on the deconstruction of the American suburban nuclear family. After realizing she has failed in her hopes and dreams, a brutal incident finally pushes Barbara Vale toward a self-destructive path. Because of what television has told her, she expected the manicured lawns, a loving family, and a well-kept home. Casey incorporates the notion of television and the American Dream throughout the story to give it a bit of a surreal, paranormal tone without venturing too far into that realm. The housewife from the TV show Barbara watches eventually worms her way into Barbara’s mind, becoming an ephemeral manifestation that gives Barbara the extra push she needs to go insane. With the facade breaking down in front of her, Barbara has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. Readers are given a twisted coming-of age tale that slowly becomes a rape-revenge story.
In Steve Parkhouse’s artwork, the faces of the characters are exaggerated and ugly to match Casey’s plot. Keeping in tune with the themes of television and paranoia, Parkhouse offers a satirical take on Leave It To Beaver throughout the narrative. The interiors of the suburban homes are always kept in a bright and colorful palette. The illustrations, though not typical for a “horror” story, deliver a scary and moody world.
The gritty violence is unflinching and disturbingly realistic. Parkhouse wants you to see the spousal abuse Barbara suffers through. Because the violent behavior is depicted visually, the painful suffering Barbara is going through allows readers to understand her mentality. This isn’t a cry for help, but a point of no return. Through close-ups and medium shots, Parkhouse finds ways to tell the readers that Barbara is slowly losing her mind, as well as her very soul.
“The Milkman Murders” is quite possibly one of the most compelling horror comics you will ever find. Readers will be sinking into the psychological terror that lurks within these pages. With a thought-provoking social message that is very loud and clear, “The Milkman Murders” delivers a poignant and satiric take on the American nuclear family.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by- Jorge Solis
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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