Comics
Review: ‘Criminal Macabre/30 Days of Night: Final Night’ #2
With tons of blood-splattering action, Criminal Macabre/30 Days of Night: Final Night #2 kicks up the excitement, boasting a great crossover of two horror titles. One of these two franchises won’t make it out alive from the war between vampires and humans. From the looks of it, we’ll be kept guessing who will be left standing in the end.
WRITTEN BY: Steve Niles
ART BY: Christopher Mitten
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics/IDW Publishing
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: January 30, 2013
In an epic crossover event, Steve Niles’ two comic creations come together for a final showdown. From “30 Days of Night,” Eben Olemaun has been building an army of vampires and strategizing attacks on FBI buildings. After sacrificing his life to save the citizens of Barrow, Alaska, Eben wants vengeance for the loss of his wife, Stella. With his humanity completely gone, Eben has nothing left to lose. The only person who can get in his way is Cal McDonald, the supernatural private investigator from the “Criminal Macabre” series. The vampires have just made a fatal decision by killing someone close to Mo’Lock. The future of the human race is at stake as Cal and Eben must battle to the death.
In a clever take on the horror genre, Niles uses vampirism as a metaphor for domestic terrorism. In an interesting note, the vampires are committing hate crimes against the ghouls, who want nothing to do with the Eben’s war. Because they choose to side with the humans, Eben deems the ghouls as traitors to his cause, Eben is creepy and dangerous, as he takes on a “you’re either with me or against me” attitude.
Because the crossover means an end to one of his series, Niles is building suspense as the story heads towards the final destination. Cal is at his weakest as he kneels over and vomits black bile. Even when Cal tries to smooth talk Alice Blood, he can barely stand on his own two feet. There is no possible way Cal would make it out alive from a confrontation with Eben.
In a stand-out scene, Christopher Mitten plays around with Niles’ dialogue between Alice and Cal. Hinting at a weird attraction to each other, Cal shows off to Alice his trophies from his previous supernatural battles. To highlight the flirtation, Mitten illustrates the smirks and winks in the facial expressions. In a wide shot, Alice and Cal choose not to face each other as they turn around and drink.
The most exciting panels are when Eben launches a full-scale attack on Cal’s filthy and messy home. During the siege, the vampires jump through windows and crawl across the ceiling. At its most violent, Cal knocks the jaw off of a vampire, as he swings his shotgun at him. The only way to stop these bloodsuckers is a shot to the forehead.
With its combination of pulp noir and horror, “Criminal Macabre/30 Days of Night: Final Night” #2 promises a no-holds barred showdown between these fan-favorite characters.
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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