Comics
Review: ‘Abe Sapien’ #4
Coming fresh off his debut arc in his new ongoing, Abe Sapien continues on his journey of self-discovery in the two-part “Abe Sapien: The New Race of Man”. After the last horror-filled arc ended with an intense confrontation and massive battle, this issue dials it back a notch, but really pushes forward the development of the plot and subplots.
WRITTEN BY BY: Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
ART BY: Max Fiumara
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
RELEASE DATE: July 3rd, 2013
PRICE: 3:50
The book starts off as an intense nightmare. After having been killed, Agent Vaughn is violently reminded of his demise before stirring to consciousness. This side of the story lasts but a few panels before Abe Sapien takes over for the rest of the book as he journeys to the Salton Sea to see one of the areas affected by the giant creatures plaguing the Earth. Though this arc is focused on the evolution of humans and not that of Abe, we see that old habits, like prejudice and ignorance, are still prevalent.
John Arcudi writes an intense tale, using Abe’s inner dialogue to elaborate on the events that had taken place during his coma. In the last arc we saw him confused and fleeing from the B.P.R.D. Now that he has plan of action, Arcudi is able to zero in on this aspect of the tale. The pacing is slow, but there are some interesting philosophical parts dispersed throughout the dialogue that make the slow ride inconsequential. I find it very interesting to see Abe’s interactions with other people, especially following the events last month.
Max Fiumara showcases his skills in this book in the detail and precision of the images in each panel, but I think the most significant part of his work is the differences with his brother Sebastián. In the previous issue, where Sebastián took the drawing role, the images were much more sketchy, similar to Mike Mignola’s style. Max, on the other hand, has a very clean look to his illustrations with hard precise lines. I’m not knocking one or the other but Max’s style of art is tailored to fit the book.
This series is one of my favourites of the year, and I can’t wait to see where Abe’s path takes him in coming issues.
4.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – GreenBasterd
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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