Comics
Review: ‘Colder’ #5
Everything has been gearing up for this installment as Colder #5 ends on a riveting and fantastic conclusion. Ending with a bang, the “Colder” series finishes its tale with such fast-paced storytelling and vivid visuals.
WRITTEN BY: Paul Tobin
ART BY: Juan Ferreyra
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: March 6th, 2013
During a deadly inferno, an evil and sadistic entity, known only as Nimble Jack, came out of a portal. Since his first encounter with Jack, Declan has been stuck most of his life in a deep coma. Jack though has lived a long life by killing innocent lives whenever he pleased. After being awakened by his nurse, Reece, Declan realized his body has dropped below freezing temperature. Declan has a chance to stop Jack but Reece gets caught in the crossfire. Holding her hostage, Jack will do everything he can to torture Jack before he finally finishes off with Reece.
Writer Paul Tobin shows just how dangerous and deadly Nimble Jack is during his confrontation with Declan. Because Declan has something personal to lose, Jack uses Reece as if he were a cat playing with a mouse. In a scene with layers of subtext, Jack uses Declan’s feelings for Reece as a way to break him. In a dimly lit-restaurant, Declan holds Jack as his prisoner while drinking a glass of red wine. During their suspenseful conversation, monstrous flies are swarming over their heads.
Tobin unlocks a piece of the mystery that goes back to the first issue. In a creative use of flashback, readers get to see what happened before the deadly inferno. To demonstrate how much they need each other, Jack is holding an important piece of Declan’s memory as a bargaining chip. Readers will be left wondering, who really started the fire back then, Declan or Jack?
The major reason why I really enjoyed the “Colder” series is Juan Ferreyra’s terrific illustrations. When readers visit Jack’s insane world, colors are washed away, leaving only grey and black tones. The color red pops out when Declan slams his fists into Jack’s face. After thinking he has killed Jack once and for all, Declan turns around and sees hundreds of Jack copies, cheering for the fight to go on.
My favorite part of the issue is when Jack decides to fight back. Jack jams his fingers into Declan’s face, pressing his fingertips underneath the skin. Delivering on the creepy imagery, Ferreyra makes it look like Jack is pulling Declan’s flesh off his face. Adding to the grotesqueness, Jack is trying to put his entire head into Declan’s elongated mouth.
Ending on a spectacular note, readers will be very satisfied with the finale in “Colder” #5. Definitely pick up the “Colder” series for the amazing artwork. I am very excited to see what the next projects will be for writer Paul Tobin and artist Juan Ferreyra. These are two names you have to look out for.
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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