Comics
Review: ‘Evil Ernie’ #2
The first issue served as a solid introduction to Ernie Evil and his back story, and he’s already out for blood in the second issue. #2 opens with a flashback scene from Ernie’s childhood where he suffered horrific physical abuse at the hands of his father. The flashback acts as the catalyst that sends Evil Ernie into a bloodthirsty rampage as he shreds through prison guards to get to his father. The issue offers a whole lot in the way of action, but does not deliver enough on the character front.
WRITTEN BY: Jesse Blaze Snider
ART BY: Jason Craig
PUBLISHER: Dynamite Entertainment
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: Out now
Writer Jesse Blaze Snider is capable of delivering a emotionally compelling story and has all the puzzle pieces in place. Thus far Snider’s flashbacks have been great, as they give the action sequences more impact and help them resonate with readers. However, despite the fact that this is only the second issue, there is still the feeling that Evil Ernie’s supporting cast has been under developed. One of the best things about the original series was that the enormous supporting cast that helped prevent the book from being more than Ernie mindlessly slaughtering everyone. Hopefully we get to see more of Dr. Leonard Price, Mary Young, Rick Young and the rest of the supporting cast in the next few issues. This issue focused a little bit too much on action and not enough on Ernie himself or what drove him into murderous frenzy.
Artist Jason Craig delivers his hyper detailed line work again in this issue with some fantastic action sequences. His work perfectly captures the mood and his graphic depiction of violence is exactly what a book like this needs. Unfortunately, towards the end of the issue a few of Craig’s panels look quite rushed. This inconsistency takes the reader out of the story.
The issue ends on cliffhanger as Evil Ernie finds himself caught in the middle of a prison riot. While first issue of this series had a great mixture of character development and action, issue #2 focuses more on the carnage that Evil Ernie can inflict as he goes on a prison rampage. It will be interesting to see where the creative team take this storyline and what they will do to keep readers interest peaked after their initial thirst for blood has been quenched. Snider and Craig are going to need to find a balance between action and character development if they want to keep readers on board for the long haul.
3/5 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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.