Comics
Review: ‘Nowhere Men’ #1
The first issue of Eric Stephenson’s Nowhere Men attempts to court one’s interest by throwing a good deal of information at the reader while giving very little away. It’s a noble effort, but not one that’s entirely successful. Despite the alluring mix of science, intrigue, and rampaging primates, “Nowhere Men” #1 ultimately falls short of delivering on its potential and the end result is a book that only makes it halfway down the road to interesting.
WRITER: Eric Stephenson
ARTIST: Nate Bellegarde
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: November 28, 2012
In a manner reminiscent of Matt Kindt’s “Mind MGMT”, “Nowhere Men” relies on a variety of story-telling modes to construct the image of a morally ambiguous omnipotent organization. Using a mix of newspaper clippings, advertisements, and leaps in time, Stephenson hints at the seedy underbelly of World Corp, a research conglomerate spearheaded by a group of supposedly charismatic intellectual rock stars. Though we’re told early on that they’re the Beatles of science, issue #1 doesn’t reveal the pertinent details as to how they ushered in a new Scientific Revolution. It’s a decision that’s intended to create an aura of mystery but the end result is more frustrating than intriguing.
The book opens with the quartet of bright, young scientists – Dade Ellis, Simon Grimshaw, Emerson Strange and Thomas Walker – ready to take over the world. We then leap forward several years in time when, ta da! They pretty much have. They also manage to play god by creating a gem-encrusted, potentially immortal, gorilla monster and the battle to take the beast down is, by far, the most visually stunning part of the book.
The mid-section of the issue is dominated by a lot of talking heads, who are all very angry and very, very vague. The veritable cornucopia of stern expressions and gritted teeth is surely a sign that the stakes are high but it’s difficult to care much about the generic clash of idealism versus practicality. We get a hint of a compelling mystery in the book’s third act, where a group of researchers appear to have been quarantined and left for dead but the cardboard cutout characters aren’t likely to leave a lasting impression.
Stephenson’s plodding dialogue and Bellegarde’s mostly stiff drawing do little to rouse excitement. Jordie Bellaire’s coloring is at its best when Bellegarde gives her something to work with, which he doesn’t do nearly often enough. The premise of “Nowhere Men” could lead to something unique and interesting but the debut issue leaves something to be desired. The blueprints for greatness are there, but only time will tell if subsequent issues improve upon the execution.
Rating 2.5/5
Reviewed by MelissaGrey
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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