Comics
Review: ‘B.P.R.D.: Vampire’ #3
BPRD: Vampire explodes into action in this week’s issue as Agent Anders’ finds himself in the presence of an ancient undead evil. The previous two issues of this story arc have been lacking the luster that Mike Mignola has built his universe upon. This third issue really makes up for lost time in that sense. The most disturbing thing about this issue is that there are two issues to follow it and with all the plot advancement and action that takes place, I’m truly at a loss as to which direction the story will go.
WRITTEN BY: Mike Mignola, Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon
ART BY: Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
RELEASE: May 29th, 2013
PRICE: $3.50
We ease into this issue slowly as Anders attempts to track down the illusive Lord Wilhelm, soon enough magical powers surrounding the protagonist begin to activate he soon finds himself in the confrontation he’s been looking for. This issue answers some questions revolving around this story but it happens to introduce several big new ones. But the issue holds a lot of plot advancement and gives great insight into the character of Agent Anders, particularly his link to the vampires he seeks. Upon the completion of the issue we are left with some resolution but it’s clear that the ensuing issues will hold key answers to important issues.
The writing is spot on. There is a slow build to the banter between Anders and Wilhelm. It’s as if Anders is playing by the old saying “Revenge is a dish best served cold”. The presence of the ghostly apparitions adds additional dimensions to the dialogue going on for the bulk of the story. This book is no-where near as slow as the previous issues. It has that same slow build quality to it but the climax of the book is reached much more quickly and takes up a solid three quarters of the book. The book is action packed but with proper spacing between panels as not to go against the grain of the average BPRD book.
At first I was not a fan of this book’s artistic style. I felt the simplistic cartoony look of the characters took away from the sinister feeling that accompanies BPRD, but as the book progressed I found that the artistic style has grown on me. This is especially prevalent with Lord Wilhelm. He looks like one bad ass vampire and the contrast between him and Anders gives off that sinister dimension I mentioned previously. The setting of this book is drawn wonderfully, up close the ruins of the dank dungeon and abandoned upstairs are detailed but the back ground is left more with blank colour to give the effect of extreme darkness and large unknown territory left out of panel. When it comes to colours and shading this book is clearly that of the Migonla legacy, soft pallet with a hefty amount of shading and darkness gives the proper mood and effect.
I definitely like this issue the most out of the bunch and I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the arc develops.
3.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – GreenBastard
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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