Comics
[Comic Review] “Convergence: The Question” #1 Channels “Gotham Central”
Those of you familiar with Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka’s incredible series “Gotham Central” should know that Rucka has an affinity for Rene Montoya, so when “Convergence: The Question” was announced, there were murmurs that perhaps this “event” would be a good thing, and it’s true, this is a very very good thing.
WRITTEN BY: Greg Rucka
ART BY: Cully Hammer
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: 8 April 2015
So this whole Convergence thing, Brainiac has taken all the possible worlds of the DC Multiverse and contained them within certain domes. The entire world isn’t contained but rather just cities. Each week during the event different realties play out in battle against one another. The characters within the dome are very aware of the converging realties.
This setup allows Greg Rucka to channel many threads from “Gotham Central” to further complicate the relationship shared between Rene Montoya and Harvey Dent. He wastes no time jumping into the thick of the story. The result is a complicated interplay between one of Batman’s most complicated villains and tragic reality of being The Question.
Harvey being obsessed with duality is convinced that life has no meaning in the dome. He tries to kill himself every night, but thanks to chance he never succeeds. Now, with the revelation that there is another Dent somewhere inside the dome, he makes it his mission to track himself down for an assisted suicide.
The concept is fantastic and feels well motivated by the relationship between the two main characters. It’s also incredibly refreshing to see these characters acting in new ways, disillusioned with this new contained reality. It calls into question not just the motivations of the heroes, but the villains as well. What’s the purpose when life has no consequences.
Cully Hammer’s depiction of this new trapped reality is fantastic and well realized. Seeing his version of Two-Face with a beard was an awesome little treat I never knew I wanted. But his physical language in the characters is really the reason to pick this issue up. Everything has a beautifully fluid sense of motion that only lets up when the angles get tighter. His ability to create a somber expression on the disfigured face of Harvey Dent is something to be celebrated. His work brings more nuance to the character than previously thought possible.
Overall, you don’t need to be acquainted with Rucka’s past writing in the Dc universe to enjoy this story, but if you are you’ll be pleasantly rewarded. All the same this pocketed story in previous continuity is an incredibly enjoyable ride that might make you long for the days before the New 52.
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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