Comics
Review: “Uber” # 9
Much like the supersoldiers on its pages “Uber” exists in a league of its own. The depth of research involved in telling the story makes Kieron Gillen’s script a supernatural primary document. All of which is disgustingly brought to life by Caanan White’s brutal artwork. This book isn’t for the faint of heart, but the brave will find a riveting look into the horrors of World War II.
Issue nine pick up in the Eastern front. Where the ubermensch program doesn’t adhere to the rigorous testing it did elsewhere resulting in a harrowing look at the USSR’s desperation inside this conflict. Once again Gillen hits it out of the park.
WRITTEN BY: Kieron Gillen
ART BY: Canaan White
COLOR BY: Digikore Studios & Canaan White
PUBLISHER: Avatar Press
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: January 29, 2014
World War II is a fascinating and terrifying slice of history. Throughout my university years where I acquired a history degree, the classes on the war were always the most interesting. They were also hard to sit through. Nobody got through the war unscathed that much is clear but as Gillen outlines in this issue nobody had more to lose than the Soviet Union.
Issue 9 smartly structures itself on the second battle of Kursk. After literally cutting a hole through their army in search of ubermensch candidates Stalin believes he has a force ready to take on the battleships. The ensuing conflict shows ninety of these Soviet supersoliders take on Battlegroup Siegmund. You can guess how it works out for them.
Caanan White must revel in these scripts. Siegmund wields so much power on the page that gigantic splashes are used to demonstrate the insanity of taking on these battleships. It’s tremendously visceral and doesn’t skip a beat in terms of bloodshed. White ensures that the Soviet desperation is felt within every panel, and by the end of the conflict you’ll certainly feel for these red soldiers.
The few pages after the battle twist the narrative into a new and interesting direction. It seems Gillen was a little worried about these departures to the other fronts after the incredible first arc. Yet, he takes time to develop the mythology of his world. The result is actually more dynamic and interesting because once the second year of “Uber” begins the playing field will be entirely different.
The issue finishes with the perfect tease of what’s to come and a wonderfully informative piece by Gillen that sums up the arc.
“Uber” is a master class in historical fiction. It never denies the weight of the issues it deals with but heightens them to a fantastical place that makes the conflict and characters more engaging and dramatic while making a bloody mess. Often World War II stories tread the line of sensitivity and historical accuracy falling too far on either end to be compelling.
Gillen understands the plight of the conflict and manages to convey all of its pitfalls in a supernatural world. It’s actually stunning to see. If you are a fan of world history then I can’t recommend “Uber” enough. It’s just not for the feint of heart, but then again what Avatar Press book is?
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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