Comics
Review: “Ghosted” # 7
Trick gets a little help from his friends, Jackson gets more than a little pissed off, and Williamson introduces a fantastic new supernatural threat for our criminal team of miscreants. The uncanny world hits Jackson hard in “Ghosted” # 7 with the disembodied return of fan favorite character the second arc hits full stride and doesn’t show signs of letting up.
WRITTEN BY: Joshua Williamson
ART BY: Davide Gainfelice
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: February 19, 2014
The creative blend of crime and horror doesn’t let up for the second arc of “Ghosted.” Thanks to the incredible inclusion of Trick things for Jackson actually get seedier. The most unsightly portions of the criminal underworld are exposed and the new members of the gang aren’t quite prepared. We’re briefly introduced to The Brotherhood of the Closed Book: a group of mask toting bastards with a haunted temple for a lair. Jackson’s lost among it all. He finds himself in the middle. Torn between not giving a shit, and finishing the job he set out to do.
The real star of issue is the return of Anderson. It’s no spoiler since it’s right there on the cover. How she ultimately fits into the larger narrative is anyone’s guess, but for Jackson she’s a token of his past. She is there namely to torment but Williamson shows that she’s not all bad. It’s a fantastic device that keeps the possibilities for this series nearly limitless.
Gainfelice’s art slides into this criminal underworld with style to spare. His thick line work makes for bold characters. When shit hits the fan and it does often, his work really comes to shine. There is a lot of energy in his panels that translate really well to both the horror and the action. Anderson’s first appearance is handled magnificently. It begins terrifying only to leave a footnote of her beauty. The whole book has a delicate balance and incredible pace that matches Jackson’s razor sharp wit.
Newcomer Skinner gets some great character beats that complicate his relationship with Jackson. He’s not quite as detestable as he was last month. While Trick is useful but completely untrustworthy, I found myself doubting everything that came out of his mouth. A great dynamic ripe with conflict keeps the character interactions interesting.
The final act of the issue twists Jackson’s fate into another horrifying situation with seemingly no escape. It’s a beautifully dark tease for the shit that is yet to come, and manages to surprise by taking the story in a completely new direction.
“Ghosted” continues to deliver on the promise of its premise in new and interesting ways. This second arc is another fun spin on the horror genre with a near perfect fuse of crime elements. It manages to breath new life into both genres and creates something entirely new and totally enviable. It continues to be my favorite horror comic on the stands and with each passing issue only proves to be more captivating.
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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