Comics
Review: Buzzkill # 2
“Buzzkill” has a lot on its chest. Ruben pushes through his AA meeting in an attempt to walk away from his superhero past, but his past comes back to haunt him in a big bad way. This series continues to impress and surprise. The narrative kicks into high gear and still remains an uncompromising look at addiction. The incredibly visceral art by Geoff Shaw makes the whole thing amount to a fantastically paced mixture of superhero action and comedic insight on addiction.
WRITTEN BY: Donny Cates
ART BY: Geoff Shaw
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: October 16, 2013
Donny Cates could have really taken the easy way out with “Buzzkill.” The premise alone is perfect to stake its claim in comic history. Instead of simply being the hero powered by drugs and alcohol, Cates opts for a more complex look at the effects of superherodom, and addiction itself. They are almost paralleled perfectly in the climax of the issue. Walking away from the addiction of one is walking away from the addiction of both. Each addiction will do its damndest to drag Ruben back into the depths of personal hell.
Ruben powers and past are the center of the story this month. We learn about how various substances affect him differently. He derives diverse abilities based on his abuse of choice. It’s wonderfully simple and incredibly engaging to deepen Ruben’s powers and addiction.
Cates even treats us to a multitude of off the wall super-villains. The tropes of the genre come bursting off the page, but are beat back with incredible writing. The book teeters on the edge of becoming a parody of the genre, before delving right back into what makes it original.
Within this moment of near parody, Shaw’s art hits with full force. Ruben finds himself drinking again, and attempts to stand up for himself after having his ass grafted to the pavement. The visceral nature of Shaw’s line work and the jagged paneling makes the fighting seem sloppy and unrefined, like the action’s had one too many drinks. There is a certain edge to the art that throws you in and holds you down. Shaw’s work not only compliments the script but also makes it better.
The reveal of the new character is handled in a wonderful way. Cates use of the fixtures of addiction is the most alluring part of the book. Shaw’s depiction of Ruben and Doctor Blaqk’s first meeting is genius. The facial expressions tell you everything about the moods behind the words. I found myself completely in love with a character who had only been introduced a page before, it’s a hard task to pull off but Cates and Shaw make it look easy.
“Buzzkill” is unlike anything else you are reading. It’s intelligent, action packed, and offers a realistic look at addiction. By the end of the issue you’ll find yourself fighting off the shakes in anticipation of your next fix.
Rating 4.5/5 Skulls.
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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