Comics
MOTHERS DAY Scribe Takes On Comics With KILLING MACHINE
If there is a remake that I am looking forward to this year (And yes, I have considered “A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET”) then it has to be Darren Lynn Bousman’s (“SAW 2-4”, “REPO THE GENETIC OPERA”)upcoming “MOTHER’S DAY”. All of the press I have seen for it makes it look like it might not fall into “STEPFATHER” territory, and for that I think we can all be thankful. So when the news that Scott Milam, the writer of the screenplay for said film, was releasing a comic book series later this year fell into my inbox, of course I was interested. Read on for the details of Arcana’s newest foray into “The Not Robocop But Totally Robocop” genre in “KILLING MACHINE”.
“Arcana Studios, an award winning comic book publisher and transmedia producer, is proud to announce the upcoming graphic novel, KILLING MACHINE, by screenwriter Scott Milam that is currently in production.
Killing Machine tells the tale of Franklyn J Hurt, an undercover agent for the Global Crime Task Force sent to infiltrate the criminal organization only known as The Syndicate Six. When his cover is blown, his wife taken and daughter murdered before his eyes, Frank wakes up barely a man, a torso with an unrecognizable face, hanging in a warehouse and used as an example for those who betray The Synidicate Six. However, Frank is rescued by Special Forces and taken to a secret installation where in its depths a massive facility of alien technology awaits. There Frank is given the bionic treatment. After rejecting his new duties, Frank seizes an opportunity to escape and go rogue to find his missing wife and seek revenge for the murder of his daughter using a new body that gives him the means to track down and destroy the killers.
Creator Scott Milam is the screenwriter of the upcoming MOTHER’S DAY, directed by SAW 2-4 and REPO THE GENETIC OPERA’S Darren Lynn Bousman and starring Jamie King and Rebecca De Mornay. In addition, Milam is currently adapting Dark Horse’s THE SECRET for Universal and THE WOLFMAN producer, Scott Stuber. Milam originally brought the idea to producer Daniel Alter, who produced 20th Century Fox’s HITMAN and is currently developing the sequel, as well as a JOHNNY QUEST movie at Warner Bros, KANE AND LYNCH at Lions Gate with Bruce Willis attached, and the film adaptation of Devil Due’s popular comic book series HACK/SLASH at Rogue. Milam was originally going to spec the project as a screenplay until Alter had the idea to bring the project to Arcana to “reverse-engineer” it into a comic book property before shopping it as a feature film and video-game project.
Arcana Owner and CEO, Sean O’Reilly said, “Working with Scott has been incredible and it’s simply fascinating to see what his mind comes up with…” Killing Machine is Milam’s first foray into comics. The book is planned as a series of graphic novels illustrated by newcomer Kenneth Loh.”
Thus far no word on a release date or a price for this one. I’m sort of on the fence about it seeing as it sounds like the same type of story we have seen done 10x before, but I’m hoping that since it’s Arcana it will at least offer something new to the sub-genre. Thoughts?
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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