Comics
Review: ‘Sheltered’ #7
With such suspenseful pacing, “Sheltered” #7 keeps readers riveted until the very last page. As each installment gets better and better, the “Sheltered” series must be on every reader’s must-buy list. Once you’re finished reading this issue, you’ll understand why this comic was recently optioned for the big screen.
WRITTEN BY: Ed Brisson
ART BY: Johnnie Christmas
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: Feb. 26, 2014
With horrible timing, Clifford discovered what was really going on behind the gates of the Safe Haven compound. Lucas and his sadistic teen followers murdered their parents, hoping to save themselves from the upcoming apocalypse that would never happen. If Clifford escapes and reaches civilization, the police will raid upon the compound and arrest everyone. Lucas has to prevent this from happening and orders the others to kill Clifford. But luck may finally be on Clifford’s side as Victoria comes along to threaten Lucas’ control of his cult.
Writer Ed Brisson keeps the pacing running at full speed while transitioning between multiple subplots. After disappearing from the previous installment, Victoria returns from her hiatus tougher than ever. Brisson uses Victoria as the voice of reason as she argues against one of Lucas’ followers, Mitch. Because Mitch murdered his parents and Victoria’s father in cold blood, there is no forgiveness, no chance at redemption for him. Victoria strikes at Mitch’s heart, forcing him to realize that it was all for nothing. The end of the world that Lucas prophesized is never going to happen.
I really like how Brisson is also depicting Lucas’ downfall as he slowly loses control over his cult. His once-obedient disciples aren’t following his orders anymore. Lucas may have been convincing and resourceful as a leader but his followers have a taste for blood now. You really feel for poor Clifford because he has to deal with an army full of psycho teenagers with itchy trigger fingers.
In the opening pages, artist Johnnie Christmas unleashes the rage and terror lurking inside Victoria, Mitch and his sister. Christmas is able to depict each vibrant personality through their facial expressions. Mitch is always angry at himself because he failed his parents. Mitch’s sister is just a scared little kid who wants to the nightmare to go away. Obsessed with finding Lucas, Victoria seeks revenge for her father’s murder.
In a shocking scene, Clifford takes down one of Lucas’ followers as he shoots the teen in the chest. You can argue that Christmas’ illustration is exploitative, maybe gratuitous, but it never steers towards offensive. There is a subtle message underneath Christmas’ depiction of violence. How do you live with what you’ve done? Christmas captures that emotional turmoil Clifford is facing in his close-up.
“Sheltered” #7 ends on a series of gripping cliffhangers, each one better than the last. I can’t wait to see what happens when the next issue gets here.
4.5/5 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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