Comics
Review: ‘Blackacre’ #2
I had my worries that the second issue of Blackacre would suffer through a bit of a sophomore slump. What made the first issue exceptional was the subtext of the plot as well as the plot and characters themselves. It was a commentary on modern socio-political inequalities, economic abuses and the unsustainable state of affairs that exists in present day America. And it would have been easy to set this aside, at least for a few issues, to focus on developing its story. And “Blackacre” does develop in issue #2, but it also retains and expands upon the subtext present in the first issue. This isn’t a step back; if anything, this is an improvement.
WRITTEN BY: Duffy Boudreau
ART BY: Wendell Cavalcanti
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE DATE: January 2nd, 2013
Issue two of “Blackacre” picks up pretty much were issue one left off; Hull, a soldier at the eponymous post-apocalyptic stronghold, is off on a mission to retrieve Greene, a fellow soldier gone missing in the wasteland that was America. Little does Hull know that the tracking device planted on him by Sinclair, a superior with eyes towards obtaining more power within Blackacre, is actually a bomb that will detonate when he finds Greene. In addition, there’s a side-plot involving a refugee family captured by a fanatical religious group; they appear to be the only powerful group beyond the walls of Blackacre, and use this power to enslave or kill whomever they come across.
The opening scene depicts Hull on patrol with Greene before the latter’s departure, engaged in a conversation about the nature of their role in the world. Greene is clearly beginning to question the justification behind Blackacre’s excesses, and even its very existence. It’s become obvious that Greene has left Blackacre voluntarily, although this is not depicted, out of ethical objections to the nature of the morbid disparity between the palaces of Blackacre and the desolate wastelands filled with starving, desperate travelers, and the willingness of his superiors to use violence to maintain this disparity. It gives us our first introduction to Greene, and establishes Hull’s relatively indifferent attitude to the horrors that he perpetuates.
Wendell Cavalcanti’s art is better this time around. The inconsistencies that were present in his first issue are essentially gone. His characters are solid, and his environments are getting better. Perhaps where he’s most improved are in his facial animations and the sense of scale and impact he manages to convey in a few particular panels, which really emphasize certain scenes well.
It doesn’t take a genius to read this as a direct criticism of US economic policies, the relative indifference of the affluent towards the almost-comical disparity in income that has become exacerbated in the past few decades, and the willingness of power, whether in the form of government, private corporations or religion, to utilize its most base form – force – to maintain the favorable status quo. But even if you don’t pick up on the political subtext and commentary, this is still an excellent comic because of the strong story, characters and improving artwork. This is becoming one of the better comics Image is putting out… and it’s only issue two.
4.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – George Shunick
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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