Comics
Review: Shadowman #6
The initial story arc from Valiant’s re-launch of Shadowman breathed new life into this classic ’90s character, and writer Justin Jordan and artist Patrick Zircher did a great job of establishing a new mythos that they could build the character on. They also developed a stellar supporting cast for Jack Boniface to play off of, which offered readers another reason to care about what happens inside the pages of this book. With issue #6, writer Justin Jordan is really starting to find his rhythm on this book as he heads into the second story arc.
WRITTEN BY: Justin Jordan
ART BY: Patrick Zircher, Neil Edwards, and Lee Garbett
PUBLISHER: Valiant
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: Out Now
Justin Jordan has established all the major key players and has developed enough compelling plot points to leave readers hungry for more. Jordan does a great job at establishing Master Darque as truly freightening character that keeps readers on the edge of their seats whenever he takes center stage. Justin Jordan is laying some solid groundwork for the future here, and that alone is a reason to keep coming back for more.
Unfortunately the art in this issue doesn’t do the writing justice. The use of multiple artists in this issue, hinders its ability to properly convey Jordan’s story. Artist Patrick Zircher pages in this issue were nothing short of brilliant, and it proves that he was born to draw this book. His artwork is dark and expressive, which is exactly what a book like “Shadowman” needs to be a cut above the rest. Zircher’s opening scene with Master Darque here is what they need to use as a benchmark for all future “Shadowman” art.
After Zircher’s pages, the art switches back and forth between Neil Edwards and Lee Garbett and quickly goes off the rails. The fill in artists cannot match the tone that Zircher has previously set for the book, so it looks and feels rushed. Artist Neil Edwards maybe an adequate superhero artist, but here in the pages of “Shadowman” he simply feels like a fish out of water. The artist on “Shadowman” should be able to convey the dark and haunting tone of the story and Edwards simply doesn’t cut it. The other pages of the book are drawn by Lee Garbett, who did an amazing job on the second arc of Valiant’s X-O Manowar, but his simplistic style looks a bit awkward inside the pages of a horror book. With three artists that all have drastically different styles working on one issue, the transition from page to page becomes muddy. The end result is that the artistic changes are too drastic and end up negatively impacting the audiences’ ability to fully immerse themselves into the story.
Now that the creative team has a few issues under their belt, “Shadowman” is destined to either sink or swim in its second story arc. While issue #6 of “Shadowman” may falter at certain points artistically, Justin Jordan is still developing a strong story that needs horror fans will enjoy.
3/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Big J
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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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