Comics
Review: “Wayward” #1
An enjoyable coming-of-age tale, “Wayward” #1 delivers an enchanting adventure about two plucky teenage girls whose idea of fun is killing all kinds of monsters. This debut issue has a wicked sense of humor and holds a lot of promise for the ongoing series.
WRITTEN BY: Jim Zub
ART BY: Steve Cummings
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: August 27, 2014
Reviewed by Jorge Solis
At the end of the world, Rori Lan has traveled across from the states to Japan to discover a brand new life for herself. After stepping foot in her new home, Rori’s mother wants her to learn the new language and make new friends. The adorable immigrant realizes there is something wrong with her eyes. She starts to see things that are not even there. There are dark and evil monsters, hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike at her.
Writer Jim Zub dives into Rori’s perspective, presenting the awe and wonder of Japan. This isn’t about a foreigner who steps into a strange land. The narrative focuses on how Rori wants to learn her new settings and adapt to the culture. She earnestly wants to fit into her new home, even though there is a dark side to it.
What makes Rori different is how her eyes can foreshadow certain events. Because the story is told through our female protagonist, we see how her eyes can focus like a radar, streamlining one absolute route for her. Our secondary character, Ayane, is still a mystery as the issue leaves certain clues about her.
Artist Steve Cummings has done a great job bringing the world of Japan alive. There is so much detail added to the interiors, such as the furniture and clock in Rori’s bedroom. When Rori walks the streets, notice the graffiti on the walls and the tall buildings in the background. The illustrations do a great job making you feel like you’re there in Japan. You can tell a lot of references and research was done in this aspect.
The color scheme by Zub and John Rauch well definitely hook your eyes to the page. Rori’s poppy red hair stands out in the crowded airport. Even her purple and green outfit later on is vibrantly loud as the world around her is in silhouette.
“Wayward” #1 delivers a fun premise with a quirky protagonist. The first issue delivers a lot of promise, let’s hope the creators continue with that in the second installment.
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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