Comics
Indie Spotlight: ‘Pulp’ One-Shot
Pulp fiction and comics go hand in hand. The original pulp magazines from the early 20th century were known for their exploitative nature and their often-shocking conclusions. This transferred over to comics in their early years, and that pulpy style is seeing resurgence in contemporary comics. Up and coming writer Jeremy Holt teams with fellow rising star Chris Peterson to deliver the nostalgia-filled one-shot, “Pulp”, that captures the mood and essence of original pulp magazines. “Pulp” delivers a lightning quick story about the dangers of obsession that will leave readers shocked with its brutal truth.
WRITTEN BY: Jeremy Holt
ART BY: Chris Peterson
PUBLISHER: Self-published
PRICE: Pay what you will
RELEASE: Out now
“Pulp” is a simple story about an author who holes himself up in a secluded cabin to get cracking on his next hit novel. Two storylines are interwoven throughout, but it’s difficult to say when either of them takes place. In the end, it doesn’t really matter because they collide in a way you won’t see coming.
On a broad level, “Pulp” is a story about the dangers of becoming obsessed with desire. However, at its core, it’s a story about the curse of being a writer. Let’s face it, writers are a particular breed that sometimes like to be alone so they can brood with all their deranged thoughts, and this gritty tale captures that stereotyped essence to a tee. For anyone who has laid pen to paper, or fingers to keys, the ruthless final pages will hit like a sledgehammer. The final reveal is a violent one, and exactly what you would expect from an R-rated pulp story.
Jeremy Holt’s writing comes to the forefront in this one-shot. He manages to interweave the two storylines with a furious pace. Holt ensures that the last panel of a sequence always transition seamlessly from one setting to another, until the worlds finally collide.
Holt focuses on sound effects throughout the issue. I don’t generally take the time to appreciate a good sound effect in comics, but this book shows Holt’s ability to create the illusion of sound in an otherwise silent medium. And that silence is equally potent in “Pulp”. The minimal dialogue makes for a quick read to drive you headlong into the punch line.
Due to the fast paced nature of the story, “Pulp” is an extremely speedy experience, but I think it is best read by taking the time to bask in Christ Peterson’s art. While his style isn’t exactly what you would expect from a pulp story, his beautiful single-color illustrations capture the feeling of dread and isolation that the story demands. Peterson’s exterior establishing shots are detailed and emotive, giving the secluded cabin a life of its own. He also manages to capture the film-noir style with the harsh lighting and the blue and yellow wash.
“Pulp” is available online now as a “pay-what-you-will” digital story. If you love gritty, pulpy tales that deliver, it’s worth your time and money. Plus, you get to support some rising indie creators who do it all for the love.
4/5 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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.