Comics
‘Progeny’ Unites The Top Cow Universe
Top Cow enthusiastically announced that they will be launching another universe-changing crossover, Progeny, that brings together their mainstay titles, “Artifacts”, “Witchblade”, and “The Darkness” for a four-issue event. Since the Top Cow Rebirth, all the titles have been building to this moment that will see the artifact wielders united once again in an attempt to overthrow Jackie Estacado and The Darkness.
Ron Marz, Stjepan Sejic, Marco Turini, Tim Seeley, Diego Bernard, David Hine and Jeremy Haun will be the leading creators for the event which kicks off in “Artifact” #25.
Official Press Release:
The events of Top Cow’s vanguard titles have been building to the climactic confrontation in a universe-changing four-issue crossover event: “Progeny.” Jackie Estacado, wielder of the ancient power The Darkness, has remade the world according to his own wishes. His daughter with Witchblade bearer Sara Pezzini, Hope, sacrificed as a baby to save the universe from obliteration, is, in his new world, on the verge of adolescence, and Jackie’s high school girlfriend who had died tragically, Jenny, is her mother — and alive.
Now, the hero of the series ARTIFACTS, Tom Judge, has unraveled the truth of what happened to the world. Ron Marz, Stjepan Sejic, and Marco Turini (ARTIFACTS), Tim Seeley and Diego Bernard (WITCHBLADE), and David Hine and Jeremy Haun (THE DARKNESS) unite to form an interlocking story as Judge gathers together his fellow Artifact bearers for a final clash with Estacado.
“My issue [WITCHBLADE #164] is about Sara facing Jackie for the first time since she became aware that something was ‘wrong’ in the universe,” Seeley said in an interview with Comic Book Resources. “Sara has to deal with what she did to save the universe, and she may not be sure the sacrifice was worth it.”
In another interview with CBR, Marz commented on the odds the heroes of Top Cow’s titles face in their confrontation with the powerful Estacado: “He’s got a bit of an overwhelming advantage, but, you know, if the heroes have an overwhelming advantage, that’s not a very good story.” Marz continued, “That’s really the question: how are they actually going to defeat Jackie and by the time we get to the fourth part of this it’s hopefully an answer that nobody really sees coming.”
“Progeny” begins in ARTIFACTS #25, continues in WITCHBLADE #164 and THE DARKNESS #111, and will come to a dramatic conclusion in ARTIFACTS #26.
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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