Comics
Advance Review: ‘Liberator’ # 2
Matt Miner’s “Liberator” continues this month is a more focused and driven chapter. An important and engaging story, Liberator proves that real world issues can be explored thoughtfully in comics. “Liberator” is a book with deep understanding of its subject matter. A world most of us are familiar with. Few of us have more than a surface level understanding of animal cruelty. As such there are times where the story borders on preachy. Yet, at its best “Liberator” is a hard-edged exploration on real world heroes.
WRITTEN BY: Matt Miner
ART BY: Javier Sanchez Aranda
PUBLISHER: Black Mask Studios
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: July 31, 2013
I use the term hero, since I find the word vigilante carries certain connotations. Yet, make no mistake that heroes and vigilantes are practically one in the same. That being said. Miner’s Damon is as focused and driven a hero as you can have.
The series is grounded in reality. The characters in “Liberator” never feel sensational and the conflict very much exists in the real world. Comparisons to “Kick-Ass” are sure to be made, due to Damon donning a mask. Yet, Damon takes the streets with a cause that defines him, and defines his actions. Ultimately giving the book a moral conscience that is missing from most vigilante justice stories.
Damon is firm in his beliefs about animal rights. His job sucks, and he won’t stand for injustice. His temper can get inflamed rather easily but it doesn’t prove to be a problem just yet. Damon’s arrival to the McMartin Fur Farm is dramatic and interesting. Miner’s script favors the small moments to build character.
The issue kicks into high gear when Jeanette joins Damon. Our heroes are clearly established and their goals become clear. The banter back and forth about the Batman and Robin dynamic was fantastic and funny. Miner’s script allows for some levity in moments that should be tense.
Miner continues to cement his heroes’ motivations with a vivid script. Aranda’s art depicts some acts of animal cruelty that are hard to look at. Which is surely the point. The art allows us to immediately sympathize with Damon and Jeanette’s goals.
The issue is surprisingly light on action. However, the story doesn’t succumb to any pacing issues. Aranda’s art uses the slower, more expositional script to dive into the characters. Intimate facial expressions and big panels are on full display here. It invests the reader and the face work conveys almost everything a character is going through.
The hooks set up for the future of the series are great and engaging. I was worried as I saw Damon’s face on page 17, and I can’t wait to see how this thread pays off. The issue ends with a bang, and allows us just to see what our heroes are capable of.
Miner’s script is incredibly strong and well constructed. The story ebbs and flows ensuring there is never a dull moment. If you ever sympathized with animal rights in the slightest I urge you to pick up this book. There are worse ways to send an important message. Not to mention the book is really well written. The entire thing is poignant and refreshing.
“Kick-Ass” with a cause.
4/5 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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