Comics
Review: “Abe Sapien” #14
“Abe Sapien” does not take place in a post-apocalyptic scenario per-say, after the various events from the BRPD and Hellboy series that have led to this point, it’s easy enough to round up. Readers unfamiliar with those events will not have to be familiar to pick up on the general tone of the world: Awful things have happened to throw the world out of array and now Abe makes his way through the broken world, protecting his mysterious companion Grace and seeking the truths about his recent transformation which has turned him into a more-monstrous form.
WRITTEN BY: Mike Mignola and Scott Allie
ART BY: Max Fiumara
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
RELEASE DATE: July 9, 2014
PRICE: $3.50
Review By: Ooknabah
There is a quality of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road to this series, with mystic and hellish horrors lurking in the background for increased tension. These elements are contrasted against Abe’s earnestness and good intentions, as he attempts to comfort Grace and learn more about her, with very limited success. But his trying is the most important part, as Abe anchors this issue and the series with his likeability and honest conflict with the questions he has about himself and his connection to the state of the world. As the people they meet reveal their darker impulses and other secrets, Abe remains the most human character, despite his physical appearance.
Compared to some of the other issues of this series, #14 does not particularly distinguish itself, but it does continue a run of great stories which make up the large part of the whole. As such, I wouldn’t recommend it as a jumping in point, particularly when last month’s issue was intended for exactly such a purpose. Those who do jump in here however will find plenty of intrigue along with top notch art from Max Fiumara, and that might be enough to encourage further reading. I hope it does: This is a great book.
If you enjoy a bleak journey through the blasted wasteland, I can’t think of a better book to frequent your pull-list. And even if you can, you’d be a fool to miss out on Abe Sapian: Fine comics indeed.
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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