Comics
Review: ‘Liberator’ #1
Matt Miner’s “Liberator” is a comic with a purpose, a voice, and a platform. It also happens to be incredibly well written and paced. It’s well worth your money, and some of the profits go to an incredible cause.
WRITTEN BY: Matt Miner
ART BY: Javier Sanchez Aranda
PUBLISHER: Black Mask Studios
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: June 19th, 2013
Matt Miner has created a series about hard-edged vigilantes with a noble cause. “Liberator” is ingrained in the real world. It is the story of activists who refuse to stand idly by and watch helpless animals go through torturous acts. The reality of “Liberator” is present on every page. The story drips with knowledge of this world, and constantly engages because of it.
“Liberator’s” subject matter isn’t really up for debate. As a reader we know animal abuse is wrong, but perhaps don’t know the terrible depths of it’s reality. Miner does. He uses this knowledge to create a compelling story on a real world issue. Humans are butchering animals and Damon isn’t going to take it anymore.
Already, without Damon dressing up as a vigilante, “Liberator” would be a book about heroes. Damon and Jeanette are the type of people who refuse to sit down and let animals be victims. Yet, whenever their protests can’t do enough to sway the masses, they take the law into their own hands to change the tide.
The story of “Liberator” # 1 is a little slow. It falls into many of the pitfalls of a typical first issue. Not enough action and too much exposition. The final three pages are truly fantastic. They kick things into high gear and set up the rest of the series.
However, judging “Liberator” by regular conventions is a disservice to the story. It exists in its very own school of thought, and almost defies conventional criticism when it comes to pacing or plot, based solely on the fact that the subject matter is so important.
Aranda’s art is crisp, clean, and dynamic. Character designs are fantastic. The paneling is cleanly arranged and never distracting. Page sixteen and seventeen are particularly haunting, and help to contextualize the real world nature of the plot. However, near the end of the issue Aranda’s art takes some missteps and perspective warps. Character’s proportions start to change and while this sort of thing is more forgiving in moments of dynamic action, it unfortunately happens in slower panels.
“Liberator” is well worth the price of admission. Miner has created an original story that is incredibly important to him, and it is clear on every single page. The story would be compelling enough without the addition of masked vigilantes. However, we do indeed have those too. So what results is an important story with the right mix of comic book elements.
“Liberator” # 1 has something for everyone. I usher you to check it out. Not only because doing so will help a great cause, but also because doing so will help Miner tell more stories of this nature.
3/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jimbus_Christ
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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