Comics
Review: ‘Rat Queens’ #5
With each issue of “Rat Queens” we get closer and closer to the heart of these four raucous chicks, showcasing the brilliance of this series. It doesn’t shove emotions down your throat all at once—it slowly builds up to the moment when you realize you truly care. It’s not just a blood-soaked, drug-hazed, comically-penned fantasy anymore… it’s got real guts.
WRITTEN BY: Kurtis J. Wiebe
ART BY: Roc Upchurch
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: February 26, 2014
This issue is a roller coaster ride through a series of elements that seamlessly move together. It starts with ferocious violence, setting up a flawless transition into an emotional bit that is pertinent but short—as not to ruin the attitude of the series—going into a light reprieve filled with signature personality and wit, finishing off with a nice dose of intrigue.
Old Lady Bernadette comes back in her own storyline that has you reeling from beginning to end while the Rat Queens continue their face off with the Trolls. During the course of this issue some crucial secrets are borne and a shit-ton of blood is shed, with on of the Queens shedding more than others…
Something that really struck me in this issue are the vast differences in personalities, physical abilities, emotional responses, and societal backgrounds of each Rat Queen. They really stand on their own, completely individualized, yet fit together like a perfect puzzle. And because each one has such a relatable story, there is something for all of us to connect with. This is where the heart seeps into the story. This is how Wiebe teaches us to care.
Slow clap for the cliffhanger ending. Extremely severe cliffhangers like this tend to feel cliché, like a cheap ploy to get us to pick up the next issue. But this one was pulled off so effortlessly. In fact, it’s not just a single cliffhanger but rather a series of cliffhangers, one right after the other, that leads to an ending chock-full of heaping questions. But everyone is in the dark. Not just the readers but the characters as well. This causes the reader to interact with the cliffhanger out of concern, rather than selfish motives. It’s really effective. It lingers with you. And I’ll say it again: It makes you care.
The brute force of Wiebe’s signature wit combined with Upchurch’s flawless art and inexorable paneling make for a quick pace and tremendously entertaining read. Though I’ve never found the fantasy world of dragons, ogres, and wizardry to hold much appeal, the way this comic is presented is universally palatable. I lapped it up and seriously cannot wait to continue my feast.
4.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Bree Ogden
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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