Comics
Review: “Clive Barker’s Nightbreed” #2
An exciting follow-up, “Clive Barker’s Nightbreed” #2 continues to expose readers to a vivid nightmare filled with exotic creatures and terrifying monsters. Based on Clive Barker’s “Cabal” novella, this spinoff comic explores the inhabitants that live in the subterranean city of Midian. Just like with the “Hellraiser” series, there is so much potential here to tell original stories that could make “Nightbreed” a real winner to horror fans.
WRITTEN BY: Clive Barker and Marc Andreyko
ART BY: Piotr Kowalski
PUBLISHER: Boom! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: June 25, 2014
Reviewed by: Jorge Solis
Down in the bayou swamps of Louisiana, Lizzy was paddling through the murky waters, hoping to find salvation from the racist murderers. Her rescuer is the disfigured and violent stranger, known as Peloquin. After being turned, Lizzy wants sweet revenge against those hurt her. Elsewhere, a politician steps into a secret brothel, meeting a mysterious girl who will fulfill his every sexual desire. Temptation has led him to Shuna and lust won’t let him leave from her private quarters.
Importantly, Barker keeps the essential themes from the novella, such as monsters seen as outcasts and the never-ending horrors of humanity, in the comic book series. Co-writer Marc Andreyko gives larger roles to minor characters and develops their back-story. Peloquin is really a reluctant anti-hero but because of his hideous skin, others see him as the villain. Andreyko has a lot to say about racism through Peloquin’s tragic misunderstanding.
Andreyko splits the plot between Peloquin’s revenge story and Senator Emery’s descent into madness. The pacing is much different this time around because both subplots seem to gain momentum right from the start. Shuna represents the intrigue of unbridled sexuality and the brutal force of male domination. Interestingly, Senator Emery’s thirst for power means treating Shuna any way he wants.
Artist Piotr Kowalski doesn’t shy away from the graphic violence in his gritty illustrations. In just one panel, Kowalski captures the unforgiving brutality of slavery. The whipping is shown from the point-of-view of Peloquin’s frightened perspective. It’s almost like he has seen this before, from a different time period. Peloquin’s rugged wardrobe suggests he might have been a chained-up prisoner and managed to escape.
Kowalski is able to portray Shuna as a seductress and a naive little girl. In close-ups, Shuna is more teasing and in control of the senator. But when Kowalski cuts to a wide shot, Shuna’s nudity isn’t meant to be alluring. Everything that was exotic about her will be tainted by the near-rape scene. There is a lot of symbolism and interpretation in Kowalski’s artwork that readers will instantly pick up on.
Horror fans are definitely going to get a kick out of the last page of “Clive Barker’s Nightbreed” #2. Just reading the “Nightbreed” comic makes me want to reread Clive Barker’s novella and check up on “The Cabal Cut.”
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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