Comics
Review: “The Last Fall” # 1
Kevin Eastman’s variant cover for “The Last Fall” #1 promises a gritty, action-packed story in a sci fi setting, steeped in the horrors of war. That was probably the intent. Sadly, it is not the execution.
WRITTEN BY: Tom Waltz
ART BY: Casey Maloney
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: July 16, 2014
Review By: Ooknabah
“The Last Fall” is a five issue mini series that details a war between two planets, Krovin and Merkonia. Urged on by their needing the precious fuel resources of the planet and spurred on by religious justifications, the Krovinites have commenced a war of conquest against the more primitive Merkonians, which has now stretched out years with no seeming end in sight. Sergeant Marcus Fall is our protagonist, a man fighting for revenge after experiencing personal losses yet to be fully explained. And so, we follow Fall as he pushes forward in his quest for vengeance.
The allusions here are not difficult to see, and come across rather heavy handed. (While it is only implied in the issue for instance, solicitations openly state that Fall’s family were murdered in a retaliatory suicide bombing) This sets up a rather humorless and dark tone, with a flat protagonist to boot. Other than his tragedy and rage, over the course of the issue there is little learned about Fall, and less still that isn’t rote cliche. Obviously the intent is to set up the changing of circumstances to come, but there is little to entice readers to continue onwards.
Casey Maloney’s art is unhelpful to that end. His round, cartoonish characters make the battles and wars at large feel like a child’s pantomime with action figures, rather than a life-or-death struggle, let alone a deadly blood feud. While Fell is supposed to be a battle-hardened veteran, he often looks as if he is a fresh-faced teenager. This may be commentary, but seems at odds with the story that is trying to be told. The bright, primary colours by Dusty Yee don’t help either,making the designs look as if they are from a rejected version of the Power Rangers.
Maybe future issues will add additional appear to this title: There are successful moments, like the beautiful skyscapes or the varied and highly cinematic layouts. But on the whole, The Last Fall is boring, cliche and and otherwise a disappointment.
Recommended to avoid.
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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