Comics
Review: ‘Clockwork Angels’ #1
Rush drummer Neil Peart’s lyrics get a little more mileage in the comic book “Clockwork Angels” #1, an adaptation of a novel by the same name (and same author), which is in fact, a novelization of Rush’s concept album, also by the same name. Or in other words, it’s a copy of a copy and the effect is starting to lose its impact.
WRITTEN BY: Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart
ART BY: Nick Robles
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: March 19, 2014
“Clockwork Angels” is a dystopian story set against a steampunk backdrop. Owen Hardy, a teenage boy from a “utopian” society, starts to question the very notion and push back against the “perfect” life that has been arranged for him. There is nothing new about this concept. It shares the plot and plot elements with a lot of dystopian novels that have come before it. Sometimes an overly used plot can make a refreshing comeback, unfortunately, such is not the case in the first issue of “Clockwork Angels”.
Full disclaimer: I’m not a Rush fan. Word on the street is that this is a great read for Rush fans. And I can imagine why. The plot so accurately portrays the concept album it’s based on, and furthermore, seems to be a straight adaptation of the novel. I can imagine any Rush fan would find it exhilarating to see some of their favorite music come to comic book life. So in all fairness, there’s that.
But overall, this is the type of comic that presents a lot of problems for me as the reviewer. There is nothing entirely wrong about the comic, but there’s nothing entirely right about it either. There are plenty of positive things to say and plenty of not-so-positive things to say, with absolutely no middle ground or fence-sitting on my part.
Perhaps the most evident problem is that “Clockwork Angels” is TOO well crafted. The illustrations are grand, cinematic, and have an overwhelming “picture book” quality to them. Everything from illustrations to discourse are so perfectly executed that it borders on uninteresting. There is a sense of “safety” in the finished product. Which just doesn’t feel natural for a dystopian comic book.
As I mentioned above, the plot has been done before. Like, a lot. In regards to storyline, I could just say: “See also: The Giver, Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale, etc.” While it has all the ingredients for a great dystopian of this type, it lacks the salt of the genre, thus making it fall flat on delivery. There is nothing too profound or genre bending which tends to be the saving grace for reused plots.
What could be a winning move for this comic would be to market it to a younger audience. The “Disney” like illustrations combined with the safe dialogue and recycled plot would do well with fresh eyes. The story is not UNenjoyable. It simply lacks the edgy depth of a groundbreaking dystopian/steampunk concept.
3/5 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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