Comics
Review: ‘Evil Empire’ #1
Max Bemis’ “Evil Empire” #1 accomplishes exactly what a first issue in a series should accomplish. It introduces the main players, sets up vague and mysterious connections, inexplicitly details what conflicts are to come, and drops an atomic bomb on us in the final panels. If you come away from this issue armed with a list of questions, you’re not alone. But it’s that type of enigmatic opener that makes me clamor for the next issue.
WRITTEN BY: Max Bemis
ART BY: Ransom Getty
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: March 5, 2014
We are dropped into some near future society, corrupt and on its way to full-blown evil empire status. Though, in this first issue, none of that is completely articulated. Candidly, it just looks a lot like present-day America. Immoral and fraudulent national leaders, crime-riddled streets, the bad go free while the good suffer type of society. It’s a page out of our everyday handbook. But we’ve been told that this is an evolving comic, a society that evolves (that’s the operative word) into an evil empire, so if this is truly the case, the set up is superb.
Reese, an underground rapper with very strong anti-establishment, dare I say anarchist, views is approached by Democratic nominee Sam Duggins after one of her shows, and although I found his fangirling a little off-putting (think: young girl meets one of those British pop boy band guys), it quickly becomes oddly charming. And that charm is solidified as he pops up again a few days later during one of Reese’s MTV interviews to support her unconventional political stance. But it’s toward the end of this sequence that his charm feels two-faced. We are left feeling unsure whether or not his intentions with Reese are pure or whether he has other less savory plans in store for her. We are entering an evil empire, after all.
Ransom Getty’s art is excellent. I appreciate the strong realistic bent to the art given the story itself is meant to arouse familiar feelings in us. The pacing is quick and the different stories within the arc flow seamlessly together. I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a slow clap for the phenomenal use of literary misdirection in the opening sequence. The use of vague terminology turns into a play on words that leads the reader to believe they are about to dive into a post-apocalyptic comic with zombies and overlord machines, only to find out those terrifying descriptions are in fact being applied to modern society. And frankly, my dear, it’s damn good writing.
As I mentioned, this comic leaves you with buckets of questions, I’ve yet to see the true evil empire, or at least, anything more evil than what I see every day on the news. And more questions abound because at this point, none of the characters can or should be trusted. But Bemis pulls all of this off with perfection and ease, that is, if you enjoy reading some comics with your politics.
4/5 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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