Comics
Review: “Pretty Deadly” # 3
Kelly Sue Deconnick and Emma Rios’ “Pretty Deadly” makes the effort to make more sense this month and is infinitely better for it. The motivations of the primary characters become clearer and the depth of the world is deepened in the series best chapter yet.
WRITTEN BY: Kelly Sue Deconnick
ART BY: Emma Rios
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: December 18 2013
Following Fox has been a blind pursuit up until now. The reader seemingly had no reason to be doing so, but followed the man on his quest because Deconnick willed it to be so. The journey was mysterious and often disorienting but was always painted with such beauty that it was almost impossible to look away.
This month the motivation of Fox becomes much more clear. We’re treated to a story of his past. We come to understand what motivates him and how Ginny plays into the entire thing.
Let’s be honest. Not everything is entirely clear as of yet. However, this month marks the biggest effort to create a coherent sense of motivation since the series began. Almost everything is briefly touched upon here, so the larger scope of the world seems condensed and focused.
Which breathes new life into “Pretty Deadly.” The world is robust with details. Magic has taken hold, and the western has become something else entirely. Which make it something special, something that defies the conventions of what came before it to make something entirely new and inescapable.
The charm of this book is its ability to surprise you with the conventions of the western. Its seamless blend of the magic of the west and literal magic culminate into something otherworldly and beautiful.
Which is to say Emma Rios’ wispy art creates a world unto itself. What began as a tribute to the west has created a fantastical fantasy in its spirit. The incredible color work done by Jordie Bellaire, gives the entire thing a washed out feeling that is still vibrant and full of its own life.
The large panels, and the frail lines make for a world that could break apart at any moment. The delicate balance at play within each panel shows a world that could potentially fall apart with one conflict, and indeed it will. But the otherworldly elements really allow Rios to shine. The final moments with the devilish symbolism of the hands emerging from the river absolutely blew me away. I was attracted to the danger in a way that I couldn’t fully explain and couldn’t look away for the life of me.
I have a feeling that Deconnick and Rios have a masterpiece on their hands. The gamble with the narrative in the first couple issues has now seemingly paid off to create a more coherent story that is in line with the beautiful art. Now, the final two chapters of the first arc will hopefully continue the threads sewn here to create an even more coherent sense of the journey. There are still characters I lust to know more about, and the world seems ripe with elements I have yet to experience. Show me more, tell me more, and teach me more. I’m absolutely loving it.
Rating: 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.
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