Comics
Review: ‘Hellraiser: The Dark Watch’ #10
While continuing to horrify fans with its disturbing imagery, “Hellraiser: The Dark Watch” #10 lets loose on an all-out battle between two demonic races. The previous installments have been foreshadowing an upcoming Demon War and now, the “Hellraiser” series delivers on that gory promise and more as the action kicks in.
WRITTEN BY: Clive Barker and Brandon Seifert
ART BY: Tom Garcia
PUBLISHER: Boom! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: November 20th, 2013
Finally freed from an orb, Kirsty Cotton has reunited with her long-lost “daughter,” Tiffany. After years of being separated, Kirsty and Tiffany are now working together, side by side, on bringing down Elliot Spencer and Abaddon’s army. The Cenobites are no longer safe in Hell as Abaddon has ordered Spencer, the former Pinhead, to lead the slaughter. Kirsty and Tiffany have to decide whether or not they should choose sides in this Demon War. Will they help Harry D’Amour lead the charge against Abaddon’s growing army?
Though I previously thought of Kirsty and Tiffany more as “sisters,” I really like how Clive Barker and co-writer, Brandon Seifert, have explored it as a mother/daughter dynamic. Notice how Kirsty listens to Tiffany’s exploits as if she were a surprised and proud parent. While worrying about her safety, Kirsty knows Tiffany can definitely handle herself in the end. Like an obedient child, Tiffany even stays put when Kirsty tells her too. I enjoyed the dialogue between Kirsty and Tiffany when they shared scenes together. I really hope Barker and Seifert continue with this in later issues.
War is brewing in Hell and it’s interesting to see how characters are strategizing their attacks. As the detective, Harry D’Amour searches for meaning behind every clue before planning his next move. Leviathan even has plans for the Female Cenobite, Spencer’s Ex, but whose side is she really on? The subplot in this installment also ties itself together to “Hellraiser Annual 2013,” and brings back a character from Ben Meares’ short segment, “Something To Keep Us Apart.”
Artist Tom Garcia delivers such stylized demon vs. demon attacks throughout the narrative. In the opening pages, Garcia introduces a member of Abaddon’s army, which is a giant bug with hairy claw-like arms. With a human head placed on top of the bug’s body, Harry drags the corpse across the floor by its tongue. In a big panel, Garcia focuses on the pained expression on the dead bug’s face, as if the creature died screaming.
Mid-way through the narrative, readers get an epic attack between the Cenobites and Abaddon’s army. Garcia illustrates a swarm of giant flies circling around, taking a nosedive towards Harry and Kirsty. While Harry and Kirsty are in the middle of a conversation, notice that there are dead bodies falling in the background. Spencer even makes a grand entrance in his new demonic form.
The first battle in the Demon War takes place in “Hellraiser: The Dark Watch” #10. The Cenobites face a dangerous adversary who’s willing to wipe out their entire race. When the Demon War is finally over, who will be left standing?
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
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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