Comics
Review: ‘Evil Jester Presents’ #1
Short stories are one of the best forms of storytelling. They offer fast-paced tales that don’t beat around the bush. Horror comic anthologies used to be all the rage with books like “Eerie” and “Tales from the Crypt”, and thankfully they are seeing resurgence. The newest player in the game is “Evil Jester Presents”, and it’s an impressive debut issue with stories from Jack Ketchum, Jonathan Maberry, William F. Nolan and Joe McKinney. All four are quick and to the point which is just was short horror comics should be. Though Evil Jester is new, their story choice for the premiere issue are well thought out and freaky, which bodes well for the new kid on the block.
WRITTEN BY: Jack Ketchum, Jonathan Maberry, William F. Nolan and Joe McKinney
ART BY: Beni Lobel, Esteve Polls, Salva Navarro and Nacho Arranz
PUBLISHER: Evil Jester Comics
PRICE: 3.99
RELEASE: Out now
All four stories are a good fit for a first issue. Two are quick and dirty while the other two offer a little more length, but one thing they all share is an excellent representation of the horror genre. I’m going to focus on the two stories I most enjoyed from this book, the first and the third.
“The Box” by author Jack Ketchum has both a simple and alluring title. It’s cryptic in the sense that the box is shown at the outset, but never returns to the narrative. The tale follows a father who slowly watches his family slip away from him while despair fills his every nook and crany. The story itself is simple but the premise is anything but. As the tale unfolds, the situation becomes more shocking until the final few panels. The art by Beni Lobel is solid, but some of the coloring has a certain digital look that takes way from the horror. Still, Lobel does an excellent job of showing the decaying effects that the box has had on the family.
William F. Nolan’s “Small World” is a bleak take on the future of humanity as aliens wipe out everyone on Earth above the age of 6. The story follows what could be the last adult on Earth as he makes his way through the wasteland that the once highly populated planet has become. As the tale flashes between present and past the scope of the story expands, making you feel for this last bastion of humanity. The end of story is simply stunning. Salva Navarro has a realistic style infused with a nice sinister look. He makes the present dark and bleak, while the flash backs have a brighter look to offer an appropriate contrast.
“Evil Jester Presents” has my attention. It’s given me the urge to dive into classic anthologies for more short horror stories and any comic that makes me want to read more has done its job. With such talented creators on board, Evil Jester is definitely a publisher to keep your eye on in 2014.
You can pick up the first issue on the Evil Jester website.
3.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Green Basterd
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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