Comics
Review: “Pretty Deadly” # 2
Kelly Sue Deconnick and Emma Rios’ “Pretty Deadly” continues this month with an action packed issue. Rios’ art hits full stride in a beautiful display of a battle that honestly had me gasping with each successive panel.
Deconnick’s story is somewhat of a mystery. Multiple characters occupy these pages and thier relationships to one another are yet to be clear. However there is an air of history that permeates the page. The west was a territory built on tall tales, and inside these pages we are treated to an even taller version of the majesty of the west.
I’m not sure that I completely understand it, but I do know that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
WRITTEN BY: Kelly Sue Deconnick
ART BY: Emma Rios
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: November 27, 2013
This book is an absolute treat for the eyes. The opening pages envelop you in the luscious detail of Emma Rios pencils. Each blade of grass is fully realized with painful detail, and the wings of a butterfly are beautiful enough to move even the hardest reader.
The story itself seems to be steeped in history, legend, and mystery. It bothers me, but not enough to take me out of the book. Instead I find myself thoroughly intrigued as to who these characters are and their relationships. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wanted more, but for the time being the subtle hints are enough to keep me invested.
There is a certain charm to “Pretty Deadly” that is hard to pinpoint. It’s equal parts western and a surrealist dreamscape. It’s difficult to identify the nature of this world, but the detailed art sweeps the reader away into it.
Emma Rios has done an incredible job with bringing this inventive script to life. There is a showdown so intense in the middle of the issue that pacing ratchets up so quickly that you’ll find yourself lost in the motion of the art.Rios makes some pretty excellent executions come alive on the page. Her mastery of sword fighting may be completely unrivaled in comics today. Each successive death by the blade was surprisingly beautiful.
“Pretty Deadly” completely earns its title for better or worse. There are some grisly depictions of violence within these pages that will make you cringe, but they are depicted with such beauty that it’s impossible to look away.
The narrative itself seems too massive to articulate in these first two issues. I’m lost in a sea of characters, each of them more interesting than the last. Deconnick’s script is strong in its deep characterization, but something remains lost in translation once it reaches the reader. If this is by design than it is a bold choice that will hopefully pay off in the future, or perhaps I’m just stupid and missed the clarity that is present on the page.
There is no denying the magic of this book. It is something truly special and beautiful. I remain hopeful that the narrative will become clearer as we press forward, but even if it doesn’t Rios beautiful art will have me coming back.
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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