Comics
Review: ‘Dredd: Underbelly’ One-Shot
For those craving some more from the cinematic world of 2012’s uber-underrated film Dredd, look no further than “Dredd: Underbelly” one-shot. This book feels like it is a perfect short film sequel to the original film starring Karl Urban. This week, 2000AD is reprinting this book to hopefully fan the flames of fandom so we can actually SEE a real sequel in cinemas soon.
WRITTEN BY: Arthur Wyatt
ART BY: Henry Flint
PUBLISHER: 2000AD Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: 9 April 2014
Light in this world seems like a luxury. Light in any form – sunlight, indoors, light of hope itself – is all but absent in the world of Judge Dredd. Only the law and judgment are allowed to move about freely, looking for perps, scum and pushers to bust. Writer Arthur Wyatt has kept the tone of the cinema world intact in this story. A new drug has hit the streets to replace Slo-Mo, the awesome visuals-inducing drug from the film. Dredd, as usual, works alone but begrudgingly takes help from wherever it springs up.
This book feels just as bleak and barren as the world presented on screen. Colorist Chris Blythe keeps in line with Henry Flint’s artwork. The muted colors help establish that this comic book isn’t showing us a bright and shiny future, but a more realistic possibility. The only lit scenes involve a lot of gun fire or the Cursed Earth barren lands outside Mega City One. Flint’s big spreads are a treat to look at in this book.
If you like Judge Dredd in all his incarnations, then I think you’ll enjoy this book. If you liked the 2012 film Dredd, you will really like this. It has all you need. Judge and move on, just like Judge Dredd always does.
Score: 4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by: Your Friendly Neighborhood Brady
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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