Comics
Image Comics’ “Infidel” Could Become the Next Great Horror Film
Horror stories allow us to confront the darkness in our own souls and the world around us. So it’s a genre full of fun, cathartic, thrills, but it can also be incredibly thought-provoking. Because some of the best stories aren’t just about literal monsters. They’re also about the metaphorical ones that plague society. A great and recent example of the progressive power of horror is Jordan Peele’s Academy Award-nominated 2017 film Get Out which took on racism. The success of that film has inspired Hollywood to look for more thought-provoking horror films to develop. Producer Michael Sugar and Tristar Pictures believe they may have found just such a story in the Image Comics series Infidel by writer Pornsak Pichetshote, artist Aaron Campbell, and colorist/editor Jose Villarrubia. They optioned the comic series for development back in May after only two issues had been released. Having just finished reading the series fifth and final issue it’s clear that they’re on to something. Because Infidel is a visually stunning and highly entertaining horror comic with a profound message.
At its heart, Infidel is the classic haunted house trope, but Pichetshote and his collaborators have reinvigorated that formula with contemporary relevance. That’s because Infidel takes place in a haunted apartment building plagued by spirits fueled by hatred and xenophobia. The series also features a diverse cast of characters including Aisha, a Muslim woman in an interfaith marriage; and her best friend and neighbor, an African American woman named Medina.
As Infidel unfolds we follow Aisha, as well as her family, friends, and neighbors as they try to get to the bottom of the mysterious and horrific phenomenon plaguing their apartment building, which seemed to arise in the aftermath of a mysterious and possible terrorist attack. So the story has this great sense of creeping dread and mystery to it and we also get some powerful human drama that comes from the inevitable clash between neighbors. Eventually, readers learn what happened to the apartment building. It’s a shocking reveal, but also poignantly and powerfully real.
The series is made even more immersive by Campbell’s art. The way he depicts the cast and the emotions they’re feeling makes the characters easy to empathize with or all the more frightening. Where he really excels though, is his design and renderings of the twisted ghosts haunting the apartment building. Their distorted forms are terrifying and creepily convey the toxic, twisting power of hatred.
Villarrubia’s color palette perfectly compliments Campbell’s art too. Over the course of the series, his use and choices of color heighten the moments of horror, grounded realism, and powerful emotion.
So, if you’re curious and want to get in on the ground floor of a story that has the potential to be the next great horror film phenomenon check out Infidel. It’s a fantastic example of both great horror and the visual power of the comics medium. All five issues are currently available in print or digital format. And a trade paperback collection of the entire series will hit stores September 26th.
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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