Comics
Eric Switzer’s Top 10 New Comic Series of 2014
2014 has been an incredible year for the comic book creator; more and more creators have edged out more control in an industry that has routinely bowed to capes and tights. With Marvel and DC making efforts to differentiate their offerings, they still are having trouble keeping up with the incredible new series being launched by the creator owned world. So without further adieu, here are Eric Switzer’s best new series of 2014.
#10 Alex + Ada
I have a really soft spot for “Alex + Ada”, the story about a guy who risks his life to give sentience to his robot girlfriend. It’s kind of slow, and definitely really wordy, but it deals with so many interesting themes and raises a lot of moral questions. It reminds me of the classic sci-fi stories from Ray Bradbury that I grew up on. It has a lot in common with her, so if you liked that film, you find a lot to like about “Alex + Ada”
#9 Dark Engine
“Dark Engine” is a fantasy book by Ryan Burton and John Bivens about a doomed society in the future that creates the ultimate killing machine and sends her back in time to save them before it is too late. “Dark Engine” is rich and expansive and, although there is a bit of a learning curve, it is an expansive and completely original story. It doesn’t always make a lot of sense, but this book is just so utterly other that you can’t help but get sucked in
#8 The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Last year Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa blew us away with his Hard-R revamping of the Archie Franchise with “Afterlife with Archie #1”. This year Roberto and Robert Hack bring us another stunning reinvention with “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”. Only one issue has been released thus far delivering a new, darker origin story, but it’s safe to say “Sabrina” will be an equally huge hit. Roberto is making big things happen at Archie (including next years “Archie” by Mark Waid and Fiona Fucking Staples) and you are going to want to be a part of all of it.
#7 Wytches
Scott Snyder’s first ongoing series at Image is a horror title called “Wytches” created with past collaborator Jock. “Wytches” has already been optioned for a film, so get wise and get it on this book early because it is fantastically creepy. Scott has always been methodical with his plotting, as you may know from his extra long arcs on “Batman”, and Wytches is no exception. There is a really interesting balance between the archetypes and contributions to the witch legend. Everything these guys do is magic.
#6 Intersect
This book is bat shit bananas crazy and I am completely transfixed by it. Ray Fawkes is handling all the heavy lifting here to deliver the us into a terrifying world that exists only in the deep dark recesses of his twisted mind. The book is a fever dream involving a dying city, transforming bodies, and freaky riddle repeated ad nauseum. This book stands out the most on this list for its abstract and expressive art. Unrestricted by panels, the images flow into each other and at most merely suggest form. It is a beautifully dark book and one I think everyone should take a look at.
#5 Nailbiter
Hannibal fans will be enthralled by this gruesome horror-noir. “Nailbiter” by Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson is the best ongoing horror comic this year. 16 serial killers have come out of Buckaroo, Oregon, and Agent Finch wants to know why. The book is deliciously gruesome and a must read for any kind of horror fan. Every issue delivers a new kind of madness, and “Nailbiter” shows no signs of slowing down.
#4 Robocop
This book is Nostalgia on ecstasy. Joshua Williamson and Carlos Magno have dedicated themselves to matching the original films tone and style perfectly. This “Robocop” reads like a sequel to the first movie, and just nails it week after week. Its all over the top violence and diabolical villains with just enough 80s humor to feel like the real deal. This IS your daddy’s Robocop, and you’ll be glad it is.
#3 Southern Bastards
Jason Aaron and Jason Latour’s “Southern Bastards” an intimate portrayal of culture and corruption in a small southern town. Its a bit “Dirty Harry” and a little Coen Brothers. I think it is the most violent book of 2014, not necessarily in depictions of violence, but in tone. The blood red pages are so full of rage and desperation and the characters, though archetypal, display the most incredible conviction, even the villains deserve respect. Southern Bastards is dense read, but a really fantastic story.
#2 The Fade Out
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have been writing crime comics together for a long time, and “The Fade Out” just might be their best work. It is deeply nostalgic and unapologetically hard-boiled, but these guys are such masters that they stopped imitating a long time ago and became just as relevant to the genre as Chandler, Hammet, and Bogey ever were. “The Fade Out” is just about as good as it gets for any comic, and if you aren’t reading it you are really missing out.
#1 Sex Criminals
From the comic dynamos Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky, “Sex Criminals” is a hysterically funny and emotionally honest exploration of sex and relationships in the millennial generation. Suze and her boyfriend Jon discover they both have grown up with the ability to stop time with an orgasm and discover how financially beneficial their powers may be. It is silly and crass, but also tender and relatable. Matt and Chip might shake their fists (or dicks) at me, but I think “Sex Criminals” makes a significant statement for literary legitimacy in the monthly comic format.
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Eric Switzer is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles. His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality. He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com.
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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