Comics
Review: ‘Bedlam’ #1
Its Halloween week and Image comics chose this unique opportunity to introduce their newest serial killer to the world of comics. From the brilliantly creative mind of Nick Spencer comes the twisted story of Bedlam, a city, that has recently, gotten over the terror of the murderous acts of a sick and twisted man who preys on the local children and women. Especially children. This book isn’t the customary serial killer story, and the wonderful art by Riley Rossmo reflects its untraditional style.
WRITTEN BY: Nick Spencer
ART BY: Riley Rossmo
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: 3.50
RELEASE: October 31st
The story of “Bedlam” is a solid one; it uses flashbacks to explain the origin of Madder Red, a psychopathic serial that at one time slaughtered thousands of people just for the hell of it. Now, he’s dead but the city is still haunted by his work. As the book progresses it becomes clear that the main protagonist, Fillmore, has a dirty little secret. At this point the flow of the book can be hard to follow; utilizing the flashbacks to progress the story of Madder Red with lots of dialogue that helps the reader get into his head while showing Fillmore’s life in the present day. As the book comes to its conclusion the story definitely fits cleanly together and makes sense but throughout the read it can be tedious at times.
Nick Spencer knows what he’s doing; he’s become known for his stray-from-the-beaten-path storytelling that keeps the reader guessing from start to finish. It would be hard for anyone to read Spencer’s Madder Red and not think of the Joker, but regardless I love it. The book starts off with a bang and keeps pacing well throughout. There are times when the story slows down for some expositions, but even when the dialogue is hefty the delivery is done in such a way that it doesn’t feel slowed. Where “Bedlam” really starts to take shape is the final few pages of the issue, showing that this is not just a Joker ripoff, but something else entirely. Something that could never be done in the DCU.
The art in this book is the kind of awesome you’d expect from Rossmo. The flashbacks images are look as though they are not finished, adding a sense of grit and unease. At these stages of the story the images are also in black and white except for anything red, whether its clothing or the enormous amounts of blood, adding to the uniqueness of the art. When the story follows Fillmore, there is still an emphasis on the colour red but the art is much more cleaned up and with many other colours in the spectrum.
“Bedlam” has a lot of potential, though the story was confusing at times the ending tied together well, leaving so much room for the creative team to run free. The issue is also extra-sized, which gives you an extra bang for your buck. Every fan of the horror genre should read this book.
3.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – GreenBasterd
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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