Comics
Review: ‘Revival’ #17
A gripping mystery, “Revival” #17 keeps the story running at full speed with red herrings and plot twists. This is a perfect crime where all the evidence is lost and no one has actually been murdered. Not only is the series a clever twist on the zombie genre, “Revival” is also a potent suspenseful whodunit thriller.
WRITTEN BY: Tim Seeley
ART BY: Mike Norton
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: Jan. 29, 2013
For one day in rural Wisconsin, the dead suddenly came back to life. As the media showed up, with all their nosy reporters and cameras, and the government trying to quarantine the small town, there is no peace for the nicknamed “Revivers.” While everyone else is trying to understand why the dead have returned, Sheriff Dana Cypress is trying to figure out who killed her sister, Em. While Dana is in hot pursuit of a major suspect, Em is tracking down a college reporter, May Tao, who knows too much. Dana and Em are on their own as they search for the truth, which will lead them to a very dangerous enemy.
What I really enjoy about Tim Seeley’s writing is his examination about death and its aftermath. Em has returned from the dead to face the consequences of her actions. Forced to seek closure, there are things Em wishes she could take back. In their confrontation, Em and May have to look inward and ask themselves what they really want. Are they seeking justice? Or are they searching for redemption?
My favorite part of the story is Seeley’s characterization of Dana. At times, we see Dana cross the line between good/bad cop. Dana has to take part in a crime, in order provide herself with an alibi and protect the victim. She doesn’t need to think about her questionable actions; she just does them without hesitation. Dana is willing to get her hands dirty because she is so obsessed about finding out what happened to her murdered sister.
Artist Mike Norton is able to pinpoint the dramatic moments through facial expressions. In the opening pages, Dana’s possible suspect is getting rid of the evidence from his laptop. Rather than place the camera on the evidence, Norton focuses on the suspect’s guilty behavior. The suspect, Aaron Weimer, knows there is no turning back now, as if this will be the last time he sees his wife. This is more about showing the character’s moral conflict than the explanation of the crime itself.
I particularly liked how colorist Mark Englert and Norton worked together on Em’s character design and wardrobe. When Em is wearing her hoodie, notice how there are just three hints of color – with red, black, and gray tones. The black inks are used to illustrate the shapes of bones on her sleeves and the wings of an angel on her back. When Em bows her head, you can tell there is a skull on her cap. This is a clever way of portraying Em as the Grim Reaper as she contemplates killing May.
Murder mystery fans are going to relish every bit of “Revival” #17. Gritty and humorous, the “Revival” series has an interesting premise and delivers the perfect crime with zombies.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
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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