Comics
Review: ‘Miniature Jesus’ #3
Ted McKeever returns with another disorienting and bizarre installment of “Miniature Jesus” for Shadowline and Image Comics. Ripe with religious overtones and grotesque imagery, issue #3 strikes an even balance between dark humor and blasphemy; all the while maintain itself as one of the most thought-provoking books on the market today.
WRITTEN BY: Ted McKeever
ART BY: Ted McKeever
PUBLISHER: Shadowline/Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: June 19th, 2013
Ted McKeever delivers a visually captivating cover for issue #3, featuring rabid beasts protruding out of Chomsky’s head, an image that’s most telling of our protagonist’s journey in this series. Particularly in this installment, as the recovering alcoholic discovers that the relentless intrusions of screaming voices in his head aren’t all figments of his imagination.
Part Three continues in and outside of the demolished church where the miniature Jesus was resurrected. Divided into two intertwining storylines, the first half of the issue follows Chomsky’s own conjured up, rotting cat corpse companion, who’s set its sights on the newly awakened 8 inch Christ. McKeever does a great job illustrating the talking feline to look as decayed as possible, while still making it distinguishable.
To say this character is a source of comic relief seems to be almost too buoyantly inaccurate in such a bleak and depressing book. But it jeers and antagonizes the miniature Jesus in a way that’s dark and hilarious. Plus, it breeds blasphemous imagery of the silent Messiah flipping the bird with his detached arm. Definitely something not many people (if anyone) have seen before, and McKeever depicts it well.
The second half of the issue sees Chomsky dealing with a visually grotesque demon who butchers a condemned woman in front of him, just to demonstrate some cold hard truths about repentance, sin, and vindication. McKeever doesn’t shy away from repulsive imagery during these panels. Not when taking into account the sexually explicit “seed of repercussion” facial the woman receives via the demon’s mouth. McKeever’s probably one of only a few writers and artists who can get away with that kind of symbolism.
There are only two more issues left in the series, and because this installment meanders its way to the final pages, it’s hard to say where the narrative is potentially going. Hopefully, Chomsky will be able to find some redemption in the end, but it doesn’t seem likely at this point. The story is too unpredictable and bizarre for anyone to really know what’s going to happen; which is great in the grand scheme of things. But by issue #3 there should be some semblance of an idea, right?
McKeever’s artwork is as solid as ever. From stunning cover to compelling final panel, there’s plenty to love, though admittedly, it’s an acquired taste. What’s interesting about his style for this series is that technically, he’s using black ink on paper, yet visually, some panels give the impression of pyrography (the controlled application of a heat to an object). This can definitely be attributed to the details in his line work and his shading techniques. His heavy inks fit the dark style of the series perfectly.
Final thoughts: Buy the single issue for McKeever’s amazing cover art, and wait until the series is collected in a trade to read it in all its bizarre glory. It will probably make for a better reading and visual experience.
3.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – ShadowJayd
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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