Comics
Review: “B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth” #121
There is a lot of plot to juggle in the latest issue of “B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth,” but as usual Mike Mignola and John Arcudi are up to the task. While victories are frequently pyrrhic for our heroes, fans of the series will continue to walk away happy and excited for more. 
WRITTEN BY: Mike Mignola & John Arcudi
ART BY: Laurence Campbell
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: July 16, 2014
Review By: Ooknabah
There is a toll to be paid warding humanity from the worst of the supernatural, and BRPD has always been about the broken people holding that line and the damage they sustain in the line of duty. In exploring the early flashback from last issue, the creative team manage to surprise with plot turns that take what could have merely been window dressing into a key moment in the life of the character Hellboy. While Hellboy is never far from the stories of the BRPD, being so closely tied to its origins, he has long been absent as a current player and the creative team’s ability to both weave in his story and have it resonate with the tale at large is a credit to them and a great boon to readers.
Like some of the best Grant Morrison stories, B.P.R.D. feels loaded with ideas that might take a lesser series a full year to play out: Instead, this issue manages to balance each story expertly while resolving them with ease. While some of the ideas might have benefited from longer examination – Kate’s possession for instance would have been interesting to see play out over a long period of time – there is little fat to be trimmed from this tale and no indication that the writers are running out of stories to tell any time soon.
Laurence Campbell’s art remains phenomenal, with great colors provided by Dave Stewart. The visuals inject additional energy and urgency to the long sections of dialog, while really coming to life in the moments of explosive (no pun intended) action that mark the climax of the story. The layouts are also worthy of note, particularly in their effectiveness in clearly letting the readers know what is going on and reminding them of the important plot elements in what might otherwise become a confusing mess.
With deft moves in plotting, B.P.R.D. #121 manages to neatly wrap up the multiple threads from the previous issue skillfully and satisfyingly. Moody, tense and a joy to read. Bring on the next issue.
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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