Comics
#NYCC14 “Birdman” Will Blow Your Mind
By now I’m sure you’ve seen some press for 20th Century FOX’s Birdman but I assure you, the less you know the better. I was on-hand at NYCC to catch the first ten minutes of the film, along with an assortment of scenes, and the panel with Edward Norton and Michael Keaton. This is is seriously, going to be the best, and trippiest movie of the year. It’s a personal descent into madness or enlightenment, depending on how you look at it, but it’s going to one hell of a horrific ride. This is Keaton going full Beetleguese, and perhaps the performance of his career.
Chris Hardwick started off the panel by talking about how amazing the movie is. He showed us the first ten minutes of the film. It’s an incredibly surreal ten minute shot that showcases Michael Keaton’s character and his disillusionment. It’s a powerful visual feast.
Keaton read the script and discovered really quickly that he wanted to be in the film. Norton was determined to get into the film at any cost.
Hardwick revealed that the entire movie looks like one continuous shot. It’s something they want to keep a little close to their chests, but Norton said they had unbelievable determination to create a visual masterpiece. He says film schools will deconstruct it for a long time to come. We shouldn’t be too quick to unpack it, but the entire crew was heavily involved in every moment of the filming process.
Keaton pitched the film as unlike anything you’ve seen before, literally. That’s no glib expression. He doesn’t often watch his films anymore, but he’s seen this film 2 and a half times, he’s blown away by the intricacies of the film. It’s about an actor who goes to New York and has a breakdown about the play being made from a short story. That’s all they’d say, they want to stay secretive on the film.
Norton says you have to see it to believe it. He hadn’t done a movie with FOX since Fight Club. And it was the second time in his career that he left the first screening not even knowing what he watched. It bends your mind with the technical quality and meta humor. Just go experience it.
Keaton has never backed off his love for Batman. Birdman is a different type of movie, it’s not a superhero movie. But, he approached it like any other role. They left the superhero baggage at the door. He called the film “uncompromisingly bold” and you can smell it in the trailer.
Norton said everyone in the film is the director Alejandro González Iñárritu. It’s a twisted reflection of himself. It has a lot of fun sending up everyone. Norton and Keaton need each other in the film, a hate/love/hate relationship.
Hardwick and the guys talked about the cinematography at length, and they described the entire movie as that shot from Goodfellas but for the entire thing. It’s not a superhero film, but its about the superhero genre, and Birdman takes the hero’s journey. The film hits October 17th, and while it may not be traditional horror, I sincerely recommend you go see it.
Birdman is Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Written by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr and Armando Bo. It stars Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts. With
music by Antonio Sanchez and cinematography Emmanuel Lubezki.
Released on October 17, 2014
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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