Comics
Review: ‘Hack/Slash’ #23
As the countdown of the series’ last issues inevitably continues, Hack/Slash #23 promises lots of twist and turns, while the action heats up. With all the important players gathering, an epic war is about to take place. You definitely don’t want to miss out on the slasher slayers’ last stand.
WRITTEN BY: Tim Seeley
ART BY: Elena Casagrande
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: January 28th, 2013
In the previous issue, writer Tim Seeley was focused on building the somber atmosphere of grief and mourning. Very little action took place as Seeley built up on the drama, and spent time with his characters expressing their emotions. Because it is now time for nasty revenge, Seeley lets loose on the blood and action. Seeley delivers these intense car chases, as Cassie and Vlad have to stop the two soda trucks driving across the highways. Cassie is dodging bullets while the truck screeches, flips over, and explodes.
One of the scenes that stand out occurs in the opening pages. In the backyard, Vlad is teaching self-defense to Gertrude. During their session, Gertrude mentions she would be better off using a gun than a knife. True to his character, Vlad demonstrates many ways how to disarm a gun with his knife. Though he looks like a hideous freak, Vlad displays how he is a properly trained and skilled fighter.
One of the highlights of Elena Casagrande’s artwork is the major emphasis on clothing. When Vlad enters the War Room, which is a cramped kitchen, Casagrande concentrates on the designs of the women’s apparel, which feels modern and fashionable. In a wide shot, readers are able to distinguish the characters just by their outfits and hairstyles.
All the gore and combat happens midway through the issue. In the action-packed sequences, Cassie has to single-handedly stop the swerving soda truck. First, Cassie has to jump on top of the moving hood. As the action intensifies, Cassie has to get to the steering wheel while being punched at and blocking a hammer being swung at her face.
“Hack/Slash” #23 is an entertaining read for horror buffs. As the “Hack/Slash” series heads towards its grand finale, longtime fans will be anxiously awaiting to see how it will all end for Cassie and Vlad.
4/5 skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
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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