Comics
REVIEW: ‘Scarlet’ Issue #5
So far, every issue of Scarlet has left me in high anticipation without much satisfaction. At the end of every issue, I feel hopeful that the next installment will be where the book finally makes the leap from a cool, interesting read into an extraordinary one. Unfortunately, issue 5 was not the issue to break that trend. Read on for the full review…
“For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Scarlet is a red-headed girl in her early twenties who has had some tough times. After her boyfriend was killed by a crooked cop and she, herself, was shot but amazingly survived, Scarlet has decided that she’s had enough of the corruption in the world. Even more than that, she’s decided to take action. So what does she do? She starts killing off all the corrupt cops in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. After some time, Scarlet begins attracting some fans, and, at the end of the previous issue, she’s on the brink of starting a small revolution against the police force.
Scarlet is the newest creator-owned comic by writer Brian Michael Bendis after he ruled as the king of Marvel for some length of time. His abilities as such a successful comic book writer are definitely shown off in this series. Every line of dialogue, while not containing the most insightful or pressing bits of information, is very well crafted and never seems cheesy. One aspect Bendis never quite addresses, though, is whether what Scarlet is doing is actually justifiable. As a reader, I never really know if I’m supposed to think of Scarlet as a hero and agree with her actions and opinions. Throughout the series, there are many cool scenes where Scarlet talks directly to the reader, something both original and effective, but her words are often told in such a way as if the reader is supposed to accept what she is saying. Personally, in the future, I would really like to see her come into greater conflict with the rationality of her actions. In this issue, which is the end of Book One, we finally get some inclination of her uncertainty as she tells the reader that she now has to live up to what she’s begun and to what her followers expect from her. I hope that Bendis decides to flush out this idea in the next several installments.
While I have been somewhat unsatisfied, but nevertheless intrigued, with the plot of Scarlet, the artwork by Alex Meleev is what smoothes it all over and allows me to justify spending my hard-earned cash for each issue. Meleev’s unique blend of incredibly realistic drawings with blurry textures and surreal colors is a delicious treat for the eyes. It really says something when a person who’s read a good amount of comics over the years stares bewildered at a panel wondering how the artist was able to pull it off. In the latest issue, there is one series of panels in particular involving a grenade that is visually very simple but amazing in its effectiveness.
If you’re new to Scarlet, this issue is a good place to start. Obviously, you would be missing a large portion of the story, and I recommend you read it from the beginning, but being the end of a story arc, it would give you some introduction of what is to come in the future. Above anything, if you haven’t read it yet, you need to pick up this issue just to be subjected to the masterful work that Maleev puts into each page.
At the end of the first book, I really expected more to have happened by now. In a way, I feel somewhat cheated as if Bendis has a fantastic story planned in his mind but is giving it to the readers in a very slow almost teasing manner. But then again, perhaps that is what is so intriguing about Scarlet. Perhaps, when the series is complete or at least has come to a respectable age, I will look back at the story and realize that it really was an incredibly structured plot. Whether or not that will actually be the case I do not know. All I can say for now is that I have my fingers crossed for book two.”
“SCARLET” Issue #5 Is Available NOW From Marvel Comics! (MSRP-$3.99)
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.