Comics
Review: “Deadly Class” #5
The acid kicks in full stop and pushes “Deadly Class” into its best chapter yet. Remender’s stream of consciousness inner monologue beautifully captures the desperation and enlightenment of a drug trip that just won’t end.
WRITTEN BY: Rick Remender
ART BY: Wes Craig
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: May 28, 2014
Holy hell, I’m at a complete loss. Wes Craig and Rick Remender team this month to give the seamless expression of an acid trip gone haywire. There is enough here in the character drama to push the emotive chapter to one of the best yet, but the action relentless, too.
The acid has sunk into Marcus’ head and poisoned his brain in the worst way. He sits bathing in the blue light of the television baked into a state of subconscious thought that will soon propel him into a wild ride. Although this drug trips is like most, featuring crazy colors and warped visuals, it rises above any other depiction in any other medium because it captures the pacing of acid.
The intense moments happen in a flash, a blink and you’ll miss it feature from the script and a quick panel set up and payoff from Craig. Yet, the moments of sheer bliss, the tiny moments, like falling out a window are lingered on for far too long. Allowing the inner monologue to take over and smooth everything out. Nothing feels concrete, everything has a wavy quality that doesn’t exactly feel safe, but doesn’t threaten either.
The hectic nature of this issue is bound to get under people’s skin. Yet, it allows Wes Craig to ease into his most comfortable state. His work has always played with paneling and experimented with page layout and this month he goes wild. Whether it’s the flickering blue television panels, or the final showdown in the 7/11 something here will blow you away.
I actually have to be honest when I say “Deadly Class” has been a little hit or miss for me. It never feels like it completely embraces Remender’s wilder side and the overall story always felt left behind. Neither of those criticisms hold water here this month. The creative team has created a seamless expression of an acid trip gone horribly awry and never misses a beat.
The result is a frantically paced comic that never ceases to entertain or invoke awe. This is a master class in comic book storytelling told through the bent lens of heavy hallucination. Every single page is more fun than the last.
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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