Comics
Review: ‘Black Science’ # 2
Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera’s second chapter of ‘Black Science’ is still ripe with tension despite being a lot slower than the first issue. The stunning visuals are a little more subdued, the nature of dimension hopping is discussed, and the dynamic of the team is revealed. It’s an excellent second chapter of the series that sees the characters take the forefront while still maintaining an excellent sense of danger.
WRITTEN BY: Rick Remender
ART BY: Matteo Scalera
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: December 18, 2013
Now that Grant has successfully escaped into a new dimension, its time for his team to further question his motives. A German speaking solider quickly overruns them, and Grant is further wounded. The team falls into disarray about what to do next, and we learn everyone’s contributions to the dynamic and their larger motivations for joining the mission.
This new dimension is just as interesting as the first; with technological and alien like Indians battling Germans for supremacy almost anything could happen. The team is fractured without Grant and in need of a true leader. Tension bleeds off of every page, and nothing quite feels right as the narrative pushes on.
Matteo Scalera takes time to revel in the small moments here. The opening panels that depict a relaxed Grant rolling a joint are incredible. The detail in the roll, and the flame speaks to Scalera’s talent as an artist. Meanwhile his depiction of the new threats is ripe with subtle details. The armor of the Indians is a mixture of traditional and technological. This makes for a formidable opponent that we learn almost nothing about.
The sense of danger is further intensified with this chapter because no one really knows what they’re doing. Threats are being established both inside and outside the team, so any major catastrophe could undo everything. Grant’s team is lost without him, but he never seemed concerned with leading them in the first place. It’s a phenomenally interesting dynamic because often in this type of story we’re treated to a team of dedicated scientists making this sort of breakthrough.
Further defying the mold, Remender shows a haphazard group who each seem to be there for their own selfish reasons. Grant was the one thing that ties them all together and in his absence the cracks begin to spread. I highly doubt that the final panel of the issue will have any long-standing effect on the narrative but if it does I’ll be sincerely in shock.
Remender does a great deal for his protagonist by removing him from the picture. You learn how he affects each and everyone in the team, and proves that less is more when it comes to character.
“Black Science” is still wildly unpredictable and an absolute joy to read. The extra character beats this month solidify the world before the discovery and create an even more interesting interpersonal threat outside of the insane dimension our heroes have found themselves in. Making for another homerun issue that I cannot recommend enough.
Rating: 4.5/5 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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