Comics
[Comic Review] “Plunder” #3 Defines The Terror
“Plunder” #3 builds off of the reveals from the last two issues to open with a load of exposition. Luckily this only lasts two pages and within it Swifty Lang treats readers to understanding more about the horror on the page. Sometimes added definition can hinder a horror story, but here it only serves to take the terror to new depths.
WRITTEN BY: Swifty Lang
ART BY: Skuds McKinley
PUBLISHER: BOOM!
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: April 29, 2015
The arrival of a new character privy to all sorts of information that the heroes seek can be a difficult storytelling device to tackle. Last issue “Plunder” introduced the mysterious girl survivor, and here she spouts all kinds of knowledge about the creature hunting our pirates. Bahdoon doesn’t waste much time in this knowledge since he knows the creature is dangerous and should be avoided. Although the other pirates don’t really seem to care.
It’s interesting to watch characters who are unconcerned with the origin of the evil grapple with the explanation. They don’t want to know, nor do they care. Instead, the impetus for the story is survival. Skuds Mckinley really hits his surreal stride in this issue. Thanks to some fantastic hallucination scenes that truly command the page in a unique way. He’s tremendous at bending reality around the panel. It creates an intimidating threat on the page that almost consumes the reader.
His backgrounds elsewhere leave a little to be desired. They are basic color swatches that do nothing to define the environment of the ship. They are often too tight and restrict the sense of scope for the story. There are also a couple messy panels when the action gets thick. The pacing on the page becomes a little bit of an issue towards the end. It’s nothing too distracting, but a real shame when compared against the more surreal set pieces in the narrative.
Bahdoon seems to grow into a leader here. His motivation grows from a time of innocence and a tone of inspiration. The real shame though is that there really isn’t enough time spent with him. He’s been the center of the book since the beginning but often the colorful supporting characters stand out in most scenes.
Despite these issues, “Plunder” #3 proves to be another excellent chapter in this unique horror series. The characters on the page are unlike anything you’ve seen in comics before, and the threat is incredibly realized and terrifying. For the most part you’ll find a lot to love with “Plunder.” Sadly the depth of storytelling doesn’t penetrate quite like the deep seas, but the horror is very very real.
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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