Comics
Late Review: ‘Comeback’ #2
As with any decent time travel story, Ed Brisson’s Comeback is not designed for the passive reader, but there’s no doubt that it’s worth the extra effort. Artist Michael Walsh’s purposeful lack of refinement occasionally detracts from an otherwise brilliant read – some faces are little more than handful of loose lines – but the pros outweigh the cons when all is said and done. Brisson’s wibbly wobbly, timey wimey narrative is so admirably ambitious that it’s easy to forgive the book’s visual shortcomings.
WRITTEN BY: Ed Brisson
ART BY: Michael Walsh
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
Price: $3.50
RELEASE: December 19th, 2012
“Comeback” #2 is all over the place, as far as time is concerned. RECONNECT, the shady company that ostensibly employs time traveling agents to rescue people who have died in the past, finds itself under the FBI’s microscope as their less-than-legal activities ping the radar of Agent Simon Tanaka. Meanwhile, RECONNECT agent Seth breaks the cardinal rule of time travel by meeting up with his former self to share some sensitive information and his poor partner Mark is seemingly trying to clean up everyone else’s messes.
Issue #1 gave readers more answers than questions and while #2 doesn’t come close to illuminating the mysteries of the first issue, it feels like Brisson is finding his rhythm as a storyteller. Time travel narratives are always a tricky business but “Comeback” #2 evolves in almost musical movements. You’ll probably still be a bit baffled by the end of it, but nonetheless, it’s a damn good good ride.
While Walsh’s line work could use a touch more polish , Jordie Bellaire’s colors are the issue’s crowning glory. There are moments of masterfully balanced chiaroscuro coupled with hues so vibrant, they practically bleed off the page. In the hands of a less adept colorist, Walsh’s artwork may have fallen flat, but Bellaire works her magic to elevate the overall aesthetic of “Comeback” #2 to greatness.
I’m hesitant to give too much away, but it’s definitely an issue worth getting your hands on. Brisson’s temporal acrobatics are a true delight and you’ll find yourself itching to give this many layered parfait of a comic a second read sooner rather than later.
Rating 4/5
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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