Comics
Review: ‘The Walking Dead’ # 117
Two weeks after the harrowing events of the last issue Kirkman and Adlard return with another chapter of All Out War. “The Walking Dead” has recently succeeded in widening its world through the addition of other communities. These additions have been interesting, but the real focus of this larger world is Negan. Originally introduced as the major antagonist of the series Kirkman has taken several steps to paint him as a second protagonist, and this month solidifies it.
WRITTEN BY: Robert Kirkman
ART BY: Charlie Adlard
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: November 27, 2013
If you told me last summer that I would he sympathizing with Negan I would have laughed in your face. His introduction was steeped in cruelty and he was sold as a man who would eat the Governor for breakfast. Over a year later Kirkman has done something truly special. He has made us sympathize with this character and come to understand his motivations.
Desperation is one of the core themes of the book. Kirkman often enjoys painting his characters into desperate corners to see who they become and how they’ll react. So with the events of last month fully in motion it’s Negan’s turn at desperation.
He is lost, fucked, and completely at odds with his own camp. He keeps it together. Kirkman has been hinting that he is more than a psychopath. He’s a man with a code and he’s a natural leader. He sees the light at the end of the tunnel and in many ways he is remarkably similar to Rick.
It’s truly a shame Rick and Negan don’t get to spend more time together. Thier similarities are so overwhelming that any time spent in close proximity would only make them come together. Instead both are so headstrong that they’re unwilling to compromise. So here we are in the midst of a war over egos.
Adlard’s art continues to be on point this month. His work paints Negan into an inescapable situation and depicts it with beautiful simplicity. He also ensures to spend extra time with Negan’s emotional range. Adlard treats the reader to an emotional roller coaster with Negan’s struggles. The entire thing is particularly riveting and makes you question whether or not Rick was correct in his actions.
Regardless of the actions that brought on the war, it is clear now that this struggle could have been avoided. Kirkman has effectively pitted Rick against himself, and while it may seem like he is winning the war, I’m sure Negan won’t stay down for long.
The added depth to Negan is much appreciated but the growing cast of characters leaves much to be desired. Too many characters are left in limbo with each passing issue. Which leaves many storylines completely hanging for months. “All Out War” continues to be paced with breakneck speed, but perhaps slowing down is just what the book needs.
Rating: 3/5 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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