Comics
Review: ‘Kill Shakespeare: The Tide of Blood’ #1
With a promising new story arc, Kill Shakespeare: The Tide of Blood #1 is the perfect issue for newcomers to jump into the series. If you are already a fan, the “Kill Shakespeare” series spins another great yarn of medieval adventure, fantasy, and dark magic. You have never seen an adaptation of Shakespeare’s works like this before.
WRITTEN BY: Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col
ART BY: Andy Belanger
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: February 20th, 2013
Three months have passed since the ultimate defeat of Richard III and Lady Macbeth. Since the re-appearance of wizard-god William Shakespeare, Juliet Capulet’s rebellion has taken a much-needed break. A new nation is building and the Council of Thirty-Seven has been structuring their government. But a different threat is rising from the border as Titus is gathering an army. Titus will strike and no one will ever feel safe again, especially now that Shakespeare has gone missing again.
Using an assortment of Shakespeare’s works, writers Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col are building their own mythology, while breathing new life to forgotten literary characters. Because time has passed, McCreery and Del Col let their protagonists mature from their previous experiences. Othello and Juliet were once soldiers strategizing for battle, but now there is no more use for them because it is peacetime. Othello might never change because he still wants to get into a fight. Juliet is enjoying the calmness the most, but Hamlet is having a difficult time with the transition.
Though Hamlet is still integral to the plot, the spotlight is really on Romeo this issue. As a deeply flawed protagonist, Romeo drinks himself to death while yearning to find a purpose in this new life. Like before, in “A Sea Of Troubles and The Blast Of War,” McCreery and Del Col avoid iambic pentameter but keep the spirit of Shakespeare’s wordplay. You don’t need to bring your college/high school notes on Shakespeare to understand the dialogue. This really gives readers a refreshing chance to fully enjoy the story.
Artist Andy Belanger captures the medieval look with the boots, ragged clothing, and capes. In a creative page layout, I enjoyed the scene where Romeo and Hamlet have an argument in the middle of the woods. Belanger handles the poses, mannerisms, and facial expressions as if he is recreating a performance. The way Hamlet and Romeo are standing, it’s as if the woods is their stage and the two are acting out in a theatrical manner.
Belanger’s illustrations stands out when Romeo arrives to the rescue of a damsel-in-distress. Wish a sword in hand, Romeo recklessly throws himself into a horde of angry wolves. After slashing the head off of one of the wolves, another wolf is biting his arm, tearing his flesh with its fangs. In a surprising turn-of-events, the damsel-in-distress suddenly destroys the wolves and burns them to ashes.
The Bard’s greatest heroes and villains are pitted against each other once again in “Kill Shakespeare: Tide of Blood” #1 . Though Prospero’s island is just teased, this is a major reason to be excited about the next issue.
4.5/5 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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.