Comics
Review: ”The Twilight Zone’ #4
Recreating the magic of the past, “The Twilight Zone” #4 is a twisted mind-puzzler that steers towards a satisfying conclusion. Based on the classic TV series by Rod Serling, “The Twilight Zone” closes its first story arc with a bang. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a newbie, don’t miss the next stop to another dimension.
WRITTEN BY: J. Michael Straczynski
ART BY: Guiu Vilanova
PUBLISHER: Dynamite Entertainment
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: April 9, 2013
In order to avoid prison time, Trevor Richmond traded his old life and left everyone else to deal with his problems. With a different name and face, Trevor walks around unpunished from his heinous crimes. Trevor suddenly sees himself testifying in court, making things right in a way he never could. John is making a better man out of Trevor and becoming the husband that Trevor’s wife always wanted. On the verge of losing his mind, Trevor cannot bear seeing someone else having his name and face.
Writer J. Michael Straczynski delivers an intense psychological thriller about self-identity and second chances. Straczynski emphasizes the tragic back-story on Trevor’s doppelganger, John. Given a short time to live, John shakes the Devil’s hand and signs a Faustian deal. John chooses to make life worth living, finding real love that was missing in his previous life. We’re rooting for John even though he is a thief and manipulator. Trevor continues to squander his second chance and wants back what he selfishly gave away.
What’s really interesting about Straczynski’s narrative is how he plays around with the concept of the anthology. As a storyteller, Straczynski leaves loose threads to pick up on in further installments. The secondary characters are connected somehow, as if Straczynski has a bigger story for them in mind. Straczynski does something creative here that definitely works in the comic book medium, which the TV remakes lost a great opportunity on.
Artist Guiu Vilanova reinforces the themes of second chances during the doppelganger’s flashback. Vilanova portrays John as a such a bum loser with his messy hairstyle and sleeveless shirt. But when John is living Trevor’s life, you see a dramatic change in his posture and clothing. Though he is still dying, John has something to look forward to. You can tell John is still there as he wears Trevor’s face because of Vilanova’s close-up on the eyes.
Vilanova delivers a suspenseful confrontation between Trevor and John. Though the scene is dialogue heavy, Vilanova heightens the facial expressions between the two. Fueled by selfish desires, Trevor has accepted his bloodlust as he aims the gun at John’s head. Vilanova captures the climax through tight close-ups, focusing on the emotional intensity.
“The Twilight Zone” #4 closes its first chapter on a satisfying note. With the shocking cliff-hanger, I can’t wait to see what happens in the next story arc.
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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