Comics
Review: “The Field” #3
If there is one thing you can say about “The Field,” it is that the series does not lack for ideas. Most of them are violent and pessimistic about the nature of man and his tendency to revert to base impulses when given the opportunity, yes, but there are a lot of them. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in delving into, this just may be the comic for you! If not, well… how do you feel about time travel?
WRITTEN BY: Ed Brisson ART BY: Simon Roy PUBLISHER: Image PRICE: $3.50 RELEASE: July 2, 2014 Review By: Ooknabah
The Field is a four part mini-series written by Ed Brisson. The central conceit of the story is that a scientist has somehow caused a time loop in which it seems everyone retains their memories of the previous iterations. However, instead of going the way of Edge of Tomorrow and following many iterations while seeing the steady development of the characters, we are rather thrown into the middle of a late iteration where the scientist’s mind has been addled by the ongoing time-wrangling: He doesn’t know what is happening, and neither do we. As such, the story presents itself as more of a mystery: The world has been turned upside-down by the time loop and its consequences and the overarching question of “why?” begs to be answered.
Nerds, Bikers, Psychotic Bible Salesmen, the assortment of characters is off the wall as the situation escalates quickly and frequently. To Brisson’s credit, much of what has happened to create the situation that we see is able to be gleaned from the background details and incidental details in dalior. On the other hand, actual answers are few and far between and with only one issue remaining, one cannot help but wonder how much will remain unanswered when the story is done.
Simon Roy’s art is an interesting choice for this story. He excels at rendering action and violence, which is in abundant supply, but quieter moments are less successful. There is a certain Frank Quitely quality to his art, although it lacks the polish and attention to detail that Quitely is known for. The roughness of his style adds to the feeling of the world, making it come across as dirty and soiled, worn down by the ordeals it has weathered. On the other hand, it also feels sloppy at times, although personal tastes will differ.
I recommend reading The Field, although with reservations: Read all the issues. Prepare for a short narrative. Adjust your expectations. It is absurdly violent, occasionally confusing and otherwise kind of a hot mess, but one with many redeeming qualities and even more than that, so much obvious potential. Like a hot drunk at a party, you know you might be getting set up for absolute disaster but the potential for unexpected fun draws you in regardless.
The ideas here could span multiple volumes and unpacking the characters would be a delight… but that’s not the story that is being told here. Can that potential be fully achieved in one final issue? I have no clue whatsoever. What I do know, is that I will be there to find out, and crossing my fingers.
Ooknabah AKA Brent Hirose is a writer, actor and gigantic nerd from Vancouver B.C. You can listen to his podcast about that at HugeNerds.Podomatic.Com or check out his many other projects at BrentHirose.com
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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