Comics
REVIEW: ‘Green Wake’ Issue #5
Image’s Green Wake series perfectly balances moments of grievous depression and undying love, and this supposed-to-be-conclusion is no exception. In fact, it’s the best issue yet. From the moment you open issue #5, you will be blown away by how deeply into Morley’s mind it dives, how mysterious the town remains, and how beautifully dark the conclusion is. Green Wake was only supposed to be a mini-series, thank god Image decided to make it an ongoing starting in October, because this is hands down the best new horror comic I’ve read all year. Read on for the skinny…
WRITTEN BY: Kurtis Wiebe
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Riley Rossmo
PRICE: $3.50
Many critics have chastised Green Wake for being too cluttered in terms of artwork and too confusing when it comes to writing. The plot does tend to jump around a lot from dialogue to journal, from real world to Green Wake, and from past to present. But, Green Wake is much, much more than a clutter of ideas thrown into a melting pot. This “final” book messes with your head so much, and really makes you feel the despair of the characters, proving that Green Wake is like no other book currently in publication.
Issue #5 concludes the drama between Carl and Ariel, and alike the rest of the series, it’s tragic and as weird as can get. The main plot is largely resolved in the first few pages, with the rest of the book dealing with Morley’s mysterious past. Morley finally discovers what brings people to Green Wake, and perhaps a way out, but I won’t spoil it for you.
Before I lose my cool and tear my shirt off (Hulkamania style), I need to talk about Rossmo’s art. The artwork in Green Wake is exactly what the book needs; no better artist could have been chosen for the series. It’s dark as hell, sketchy, lines going everywhere, faces blurred, and an eerie, dreamlike green (or purple) that pervades almost every panel. The full page spread about a third of the way through issue #5 is ominously breathtaking, fully taking advantage of the mix between reality and surreality. I understand that the illustrations can be confusing because sometimes it becomes difficult recognize the minor characters, but this is not a book you should be whipping through in five minutes anyway. If you take your time and really look at the artwork, you’ll see how amazing it is.
The same can be said for the writing. The plot sways back and forth between time frames and sometimes you don’t really have any f*cking idea where you are. But, this perplexity mirrors what the characters in the book feel after awaking in the strange town of Green Wake. The only bad thing I can say about Green Wake is that we now have to wait three months for the ongoing series.
Green Wake offers a tense, dreary horror comic book that the writer obviously has extremely personal ties with. If you’re able to sit down, read this one slowly and fully immerse yourself in the town of Green Wake, then by the time you reach the last page, you’ll be begging for more. The final page is a flawless ambiguous ending to the arc, leaving lots of room for Wiebe and Rossmo to spread their wings come October. If you haven’t been following the series, I suggest you put the trade at the top of your list when it comes out. This is one series you need to read.
5 out of 5 skulls
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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