Comics
Review: ‘Revival’ #7
The latest issue of Revival is perhaps the best in the series to date. While it has an interesting side plot that provides a visceral, shocking twist at the end, it’s the focus on the officer Cyprus and her pursuit of Mr. Hine, a reviver, which makes this issue so good. This book is at its best when it examines the impact revival has on the people who have to suffer with its consequences. With issue #7, “Revival” finally begins to live up to the potential we all knew it had.
WRITTEN BY: Tim Seeley
ART BY: Mike Norton
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: February 20th, 2013
There are, as per the usual “Revival” issue, other stories as well. Two, both regarding some new characters, are interesting. One concerns the Check brothers, three siblings who are apparently dismembering people and transporting their body parts for reasons currently unknown. The other focuses on Clyde Birch, a reactionary pastor preaching for God and against government. It’s always enjoyable to see some digs at the religious right, but Birch isn’t just around for satire. His speeches articulate the anxiety of the world and exacerbate the divide created by the Quarantine Zone. His words portend the inevitable collapse of law and order in the face of panic and uncertainty in the wake of this revival.
There are a number of other, short looks at characters we’re familiar with that don’t really contribute anything to the plot and feel more like filler. But the meat of Tim Seeley’s story is about Anders Hine, the father of Jamie Hettinga and stepfather to Justin Hine, the latter whom he disemboweled two issues ago. Slaughtering Justin for having sex with Jamie and slowly killing him with poison, he goes after Jamie (after killing her husband) with Officer Dana Cypress in pursuit. He reaches Jamie first, but when Cyprus arrives, he reveals he didn’t kill Jamie, even though his ability to “feel” has left him hollow and unable to perceive emotion. He reveals he acted out of a sense of justice, before putting a gun to his head. It’s an interesting conclusion Birch comes to, and a welcome counterpoint to the idea of zombies as these mindless creatures compelled to act, rather than rational creatures that simply cannot feel anything anymore.
Mike Norton’s art is great, as usual. Seriously, go back and read the rest of the reviews I’ve written, because it’s the same story here; quality character work with appropriately stark and brooding textures. And yes he does gore well, you awful sadists.
“Revival” #7 is an excellent issue, though it does have a bit of filler in it as well. Still, by and large this is a great comic, and certainly worth picking up if you’re not following the series already (and if not, shame on you).
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – GeorgeShunick
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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