Comics
Review: ‘Crawling Sky’ #2
Back with their second installment of Crawling Sky, Joe R. and Keith Lansdale take a backseat to Brian Denham’s talents in visual storytelling, as their reliance on expository dialogue reaches unsatisfactory heights. With a script that’s carried by its artwork, “Crawling Sky” #2 doesn’t deliver as magnificently as its series opener; but considering this is merely a five-issue miniseries adapted from a gratifying novella, a gratuitous amount of build-up is to be expected.
WRITTEN BY: Joe R. Lansdale, Keith Lansdale
ART BY: Brian Denham
PUBLISHER: Antarctic Press
PRICE: $4.99
RELEASE: January 13th, 2013
As previously mentioned, this issue’s main problem is that it takes a winding, but perhaps necessary, course through explanatory territory, making it quite clear that the series is adapted from a prose narrative. On its own, it wouldn’t be a great hindrance, but for a visual medium such as comics, a single issue that meanders towards its final panel with only one significant plot point is slightly off-putting.
Issue #2 continues with Reverend Mercer following Norville back to his isolated cabin, ready to face the demonic spirit that’s lurking in a nearby well. Seeming to understand the gravity of the situation, he slowly begins to piece together the growing mystery surrounding the savage creature, as they find a secret tome called The Book of Doches. Working quickly before night falls, Mercer instructs Norville to build a protective barrier inside the cabin, while he studies the contents of the spell book. Stopping the demon from returning to the source of its power is their main objective, but it must be summoned first.
Though not nearly as riveting as the first installment, the Landsdale’s infuse the narrative with some fleeting instances of humorous asides, which Denham illustrates wonderfully. For example, when it’s revealed that the cover of The Book of Doches is made out of skin, he renders an image of Norville amusingly wiping his hands on his clothes in distaste. Denham remains artistically consistent, excelling where the scenes call for excessive shading and darkness.
Overall, “Crawling Sky” #2 suffers for the pacing of its narrative, but Brian Denham effectively pushes the story along with his pencils. Admittedly, the final panel leading into the next installment is thrilling, as readers are offered a glimpse of the monstrous demon that Mercer and Norville will be facing in Part 3.
3/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – ShadowJayd
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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