Comics
[Indie Spotlight] ‘Twisted Dark’ Vol. 1
Twisted Dark Vol.1 is a collection of 13 mind-warped short comic stories from Neil Gibson and a slew of artists. Most of the stories come with surprising twist endings, that are rather refreshing. This is a collection of compelling tales that ranges from crime to horror to sci-fi. Genuinely surprising, the storytelling is quite unpredictable and the various styles of artwork capture the morbid nature.
WRITTEN BY: Neil Gibson
ART BY: Atula Siriwardane, Caspar Wijngaard, Heru Prasetyo Djalal, Jan Wijngaard, Ant Mercer, Olga-Mia Gots, Dan West
PUBLISHER: T Publication
PRICE: $12.99
RELEASE: January 11, 2012
The first tale, “Suicide,” sets the serious and dark tone of the collection. In “Windopayne,” a wealthy businessman waits for his invention to start a never-ending massacre. “Cocaína” follows a low-level drug dealer as he rises through the ranks of a criminal organization. But is he willing to give up the rich lifestyle to marry a crime lord’s daughter? In “Blame,” a vicious killer is contemplating about forgiveness as he is about to slit his victim’s throat. Each of the 13 tales share a common theme about the worst in human nature and its unrestrained cruelty.
What I really enjoyed about Neil Gibson’s writing is his emphasis on characterization. In the suspenseful tale, “Routine,” a father is patiently waiting for his son to return from his hunting trip. Gibson builds the anticipation as the father wonders if his son accidentally shot himself or someone else. Then, the father is revealed to be an angry and abusive drunk, who doesn’t remember what was the last thing he said to his son. As Gibson develops this remorseful protagonist, he ends the story on a major shocker.
Just when you think you know where the story is headed, Gibson pulls out the rug from under the reader. Because they are never formulaic, the plot twists change everything you thought you knew about the main character. Even without a last-minute surprise, the story always hits the right nerve. In “The Pushman,” a disgruntled employee remembers the events that led to him being a failure in life. You’re never quite sure if he is going to snap, or if he is just having a bad day at work.
The suspenseful atmosphere in “Routine” works because of Caspar Wijngaard’s scratchy illustrations. The trees and mountains aren’t fully formed because they represent the protagonist’s shattered mind-state. Ant Mercer captures the unhinged mind of a lunatic in “The Game…” Through close-ups and hairstyle, Mercer provides an eerie depiction of a madman who thinks he is a contestant on a reality TV show.
My favorite amongst Jan Wijngaard’s illustrations are in “The Pushman” and “Windopayne.” Wijngaard’s artwork in “The Pushman” is heavily influenced by Japanese Manga, especially with his abstract backgrounds. Notice how the buildings in the panels have a distinguishing pattern. In the sci-fi tale, “Windopayne,” instead of looking out the window, the viewer selects the image they want to see. In wide shots, Wijngaard focuses on the details of the foreign countries so that reader feels like they are traveling.
“Twisted Dark Vol.1” contains a collection of bleak tales that will indeed shock its readers. You can pick up a copy here.
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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