Comics
Review: ‘The Strain’ #1 – 4
The Strain is an adaptation based on a novel of the same name, one of a trilogy penned by the infamous Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. The book twists the conventional tale of vampires into a genius piece of horrific science fiction, with the concept of vampirism as a plague of sorts. David Lapham offers a wonderful adaptation of the story while Mike Huddleston brings some chilling art to the table. With the release of issue #5 on the way, we thought we’d get you up to speed on the vampires with the giant tongues.
WRITTEN BY: David Lapham
ART BY: Mike Huddleston
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
RELEASE: Out now
Lon(monster) has been covering “The Strain” steadily here on BD, but here’s the gist for those of you just coming in. A Boeing 777 lands on the tarmac of JFK Airport, but it comes to a complete stop. Dr. Ephraim Goodweather from the CDC is called in to investigate, and they soon find that not only was nearly everyone on the plane dead, but also they seemed to be preserved somehow. After that, they discover that there is a new blood infestation that’s transitioning into an epidemic. Before Eph and the others realize it, both the bodies and the infected are piling up.
Issue #1 opens in 1927 on “a dark and stormy night,” with a grandmother telling a story to her grandson. Although the grandson turns out to be the grown-up Abraham in the story, and it’s quite eerie, the flashback doesn’t seem entirely necessary. Framing the narrative this way has had little affect on the plot thus far, but perhaps they will return to it soon.
The first issue lays a really solid foundation for the other issues. Issue #2 keeps up the pace nicely, and contains steadily interesting character development. By Issue #3, the action is in full swing, with quite a few sub-plots beginning to prepare for their respective climaxes. Issue #4 doesn’t tie much up, but it does leave you hungry for the next issue. Keep in mind this is only the quick and dirty, and there’s a lot more that goes on throughout “The Strain”. Lapham does a noteworthy job of adapting such an in depth vampire tale and as the book continues, I imagine it will only get better.
At first, Mike Huddleston’s artwork seemed a strange choice, however, It’s grown on me as it captures the essence of death in the air; people are exhausted, drained, and practically zombified, and it shows. The color has a lot of red-on-blue action; in fact, blue is probably one of the most predominant colors in the series. The dark panels and heavy shadowing really brings out the vibrancy of the reds.
The Strain offers an end-of-days sci-fi twist to a classic horror story. The next arc is sure to contain more action and suspense, and with that, more bloodshed. The first four issues of The Strain are out now, and the next issue will be available from Dark Horse Comics on June 13th.
3.5/5 Skulls (so far)
Reviewed by – Kaity McAllister
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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