Comics
Review: ‘Ten Grand’ #5
After a long three month hiatus, J. Michael Straczynski’s Ten Grand returns sans the incomparable Ben Templesmith. With a new artistic vision and style that’s vastly different, though still committed to reader enrichment, C.P. Smith does a commendable job rising to the challenge of filling in the rather large shoes of his predecessor. Unfortunately, the new vibe of the book will take some getting used to, but unsurprisingly, the narrative is as solid as ever.
WRITTEN BY: J. Michael Straczynski
ART BY: C.P. Smith
PUBLISHER: Joe’s Comics, imprint of Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: November 6, 2013
If there’s one less thing to worry about, it’s Straczynski’s ability to weave a wholly original and complex tale that holds the reader’s attention from cover to cover. The author has this innate gift of stringing words together to deliver a thoroughly satisfying narrative in a mere 22 pages, and that’s something that was sorely missed these last few months. Keeping with the tone of the previous installments, there’s a palpable theme of anxiety and urgency that Straczynski and Smith really evoke through the narrative in both script and art, as the “Ten Grand” universe continues to expand.
The fifth installment of the series is entitled, “Nothing Interesting Ever Happens in Heaven”, and Straczynski draws upon existentialist thinking to engage readers in his surreal and mysterious world building. The issue follows Joe as he makes his way through the sorrows and deceptiveness of Purgatory on his way into Hell, in order to find his lost love, Laura. Without giving too much away, the supernatural Private Investigator must stay resilient in his quest, as he’s confronted with the miserable souls of the lost, the ravenous howlers that feed off them, and his enemies from the past who are none too happy to see him. The story takes an unexpected turn when Joe is faced with an individual he knows all too well, and with that, Straczynski has opened up a world of possible scenarios for how this book might play out.
In terms of the interior artwork, yes, the pages are visually shocking upon first glance considering the perfectly suitable fit that was Templesmith’s style. But that doesn’t take away from Smith’s talent as an artist, and it doesn’t take away from Straczynski’s amazing narrative, which is as engaging as it is thought-provoking. Yes, it is pretty disappointing that Templesmith can’t continue his work on the book due to time constraints and general work-overload, but he’s illustrated another great cover, and has once again provided his accompanying panels to the usual series rundown which opens the installment. Regarding Smith’s style, he does manage to stay true to the hypnogogic and surreal nature of the series. It’s just that his art is definitely an acquired taste. The colour palette he uses, and the way he renders the pages is a definite highlight, especially when illustrating the scenes with the fantastically imagined Reaper. Honestly, it will probably take a couple more installments for readers to get used to his style, but as long as everyone keeps an open mind, they’ll eventually take to him.
Templesmith is definitely going to be missed. But as long as Straczynski continues to flesh out amazingly written installments that keep his readers on their toes, and C.P. Smith continues to immerse himself in Straczynski’s universe in order to effectively bring his story to life with absolute clarity, then “Ten Grand” will remain one of the better series’ of 2013.
4/5 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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