Comics
Review: ‘The Strain: The Fall’ #8
A quick read, “The Strain: The Fall” #8 is a pure shot of adrenaline. Finally, these are predatory vampires we’re actually dealing with. While I’m anxiously waiting for the TV series to surface this summer, horror fans still have this terrific adaptation of the best-selling trilogy of novels by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. It’s one of the most consistent books on stands.
WRITTEN BY: David Lapham
ART BY: Mike Huddleston
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: Feb. 19, 2012
After the massive train attack, Ephraim’s son, Zack, and girlfriend, Nora, are on the run from the bloodthirsty parasites. Hiding in the underground tunnels, Zack and Nora follow the tracks to lead them to the surface. Their only hope is to reach New Jersey in time before the vamps find out where they are. Meanwhile, Ephraim was captured by The Master’s henchmen and rescued by Gus and the street gangs. Ephraim now joins Abraham’s small but growing army as they try to decipher the ancient book that the Master has been searching for. Whatever lies within the text may hold the key to humanity’s salvation.
What I particularly enjoy about David Lapham’s adaptation is how the writing manages to converge each subplot. While keeping the pacing at a fast beat, Lapham develops the character arcs, while delivering the surprising plot twists. I really liked how Eldritch, the wealthy billionaire in league with the Master, was brought into the fold and added tension to the protagonists. Now, Eldritch and the Master have a deadly confrontation over who is the real mastermind .
At first, Nora was the faithful love interest who never left Ephraim’s side. Now, Lapham has developed her character growth into a reluctant fighter. After Ephraim has relapsed from his sobriety, Nora suddenly became the sole parental figure in Zach’s life. Having lost his mother and been abandoned by his father, Zach just wants something permanent in his life. Nora steps up and attempts to be the guiding voice that Zach doesn’t have.
In his artwork, Mike Huddleston uses crooked angles and extreme close-ups to heighten the action-packed sequences. Huddleston builds the suspenseful atmosphere as he illustrates Zack walking through these dark and shadowy tunnels. There is just something creepy about a little kid holding a really big knife. Huddleston keeps the action flowing as Nora defends herself against a small group of vampires.
Though the tone is bleak for the protagonists, Huddleston highlights the comic relief in his illustrations. I got a kick out of seeing Gus and his street gang eating Twinkies and doughnuts while Abraham is foreshadowing the end of the world. Gus and his gang don’t care really if the sun doesn’t rise and humanity falls. These guys just want to go down fighting.
“The Strain: The Fall” #8 closes on a shocking cliff-ganger that packs a wallop. I really liked how the relationship between Nora and Zach has been built up. I want to see how that part of the story progresses.
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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