Comics
EXCLUSIVE: Interview With ‘The Shelter’ And ‘Suicide Note’ Artist, Dwayne Biddix!
In the first installment of our exclusive coverage for Indy publisher Hardway Studios we have a special interview with “THE SHELTER” and “SUICIDE NOTE” artist Dwayne Biddix. The illustrator sat down with us to discuss these projects, the zombie apocalypse, people offing themselves, and future projects. Read on for the exclusive interview!
THEoDEAD: ”First of all thank you for taking the time to interview with us. Before we get started on “THE SHELTER” why don’t you give readers your ‘origin story’ so to speak? How did you get involved with comics? What did you work on before “THE SHELTER”?
Dwayne Biddix: ”Well, THE SHELTER was, in its most basic form, the very first idea studio publisher, Chris Carpenter and I came up with when we were thinking about starting our own studio, way back in 2005. The original SHELTER is DRASTICALY different from the new one.
As for how I got into comics, I had done some small press stuff and Chris and I decided if we are going to work this hard we should put it toward a company we could succeed with. With the studio, I have done many projects that are still in limbo at other companies, before we became our own publisher, but the work that has made it out are, THE SHELTER (original), MORBID MYTHS, THE SUPREMACY, and SUICIDE NOTE. As well as the new THE SHELTER and I am currently working on a new slasher comic called TOOTHGRINDER. ”
THEoDEAD: ”Tell us a little bit about “THE SHELTER”. What is the basic premise? You co-created the story as well as donating your talents for the artwork, correct?
Dwayne Biddix: ”THE SHELTER was an idea Chris and I came up with where we had a heart-breaking ending idea and we worked backwards to develop the full idea for the story.
The premise is about VIOLET, our lead character, awakens to a world swarming with zombies and she has to find a way to survive. She finds a shelter where survivors can go to wait the invasion out, but she finds that there is not always safety in numbers.
Yes, I am the co-creator, along with Jamison Kasian and Chris Carpenter. I did the penciling, cover colors, and lettering. I plan to ship the comics with my donkey Max soon! ”
THEoDEAD: ”There are a lot of horror stories going on right now, particularly ones that use the zombie aesthetic, what do you think sets “THE SHELTER” apart from the rest of the pack?
Dwayne Biddix: ”THE SHELTER is less about the zombies and more about VIOLET struggling to make it one more day. This is a much more emotionally driven story than your typical gore zombie story, though we do gore it up pretty good! ”
THEoDEAD: ”What kind of zombies are you using in your universe? Are we looking at the classic George A Romero style zombies that are much slower and deliberate, or are they the balls-to-the-wall run for your life type zombies?
Dwayne Biddix: ”It is sort of a hybrid. They are like animals that move in packs that spot a target and just descend on them until they overwhelm. Some are fast and some are slow. ”
THEoDEAD: ”What type of zombie films or stories inspired you with the story for “THE SHELTER”?
Dwayne Biddix: ”The way we see it, every zombie story sort of builds on the ones that follow. All good zombie stories drive you to do better and all bad zombie stories drive you to do better than they did. ”
THEoDEAD: ”Should readers be able to expect a very violent outing with “THE SHELTER”?
Dwayne Biddix: ”It’s not over the top on every page but where we do have it, WE HAVE IT! ”
THEoDEAD: ” “THE SHELTER” is described as a “one-shot in the dark” event. Is there indeed going to be just one issue of the story, or would you like to further explore the world you’re presenting?
Dwayne Biddix: ”This is a one-shot. What we are doing is giving people a one-shot comic that gives them a whole story, to try a new title out. If the book goes over well, we will absolutely go back to the world with longer stories. The ONE SHOT IN THE DARK will offer many different stories that will range from slasher, such as TOOTHGRINDER, to gore fests, to psychological horror, and any other skin-crawling thing we can dream up.
With comic prices going up we want to give everyone the chance to give a new book a shot and get a whole story without having to invest in a series of issues or trade paperback.
So the future of all the stories you read in our ONE SHOT IN THE DARK line will be left in the hands of the reader. If you like it let us know, if enough of you tell us, you will see that world again! ”
THEoDEAD: ”Do you have any other projects coming up this year or even further down the line that we should keep our eyes open for?
Dwayne Biddix: ”Oh, yeah, but my torturer has promised a lot of pain if I give too much away right now. But I do want to talk about it soon!
But I can say that TOOTHGRINDER, a ONE SHOT IN THE DARK comic is coming soon. It is an old-school slasher comic about a deformed killer who loves to disfigure his victims in some very gruesome ways. ”
THEoDEAD: ”Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers and fans before we let you go?”
Dwayne Biddix: ”Yes, before you let me go, can you please pull me back up onto the building? Seriously, our greatest joy is to know people are responding to something we create, so it is awesome that people like you are reading what we say and create.
Thanks for having me; it was a pleasure talking with you and thanks to everyone who took the time to read this! But now I hear someone coming down the staircase, time to look busy!”
We would like to thank Dwayne for the interview, and his keepers for allowing him to speak with us. To check out Dwayne’s work head on over to Hardway Studios website. And be sure to keep it locked here at Bloody-Disgusting.com’s Graphic Content as we continue to bring you exclusive content from the guys at Hardway all month as part of our April Spotlight!
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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