Comics
5 Skull Review: ‘Saga’ #21
For several issues now Marko and Alana have been safe from the many different factions that have been hunting them. As things quiet down the couple is faced with the challenges that naturally arise in relationships. Meanwhile Price Robot IV receives some terrible news satiates some of that famous “Saga” bloodlust. This issue is one of the most down to earth, melancholy books in the series, and as good as its ever been.
WRITTEN BY: Brian K. Vaughan
ART BY: Fiona Staples
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: July 23, 2014
Reviewed by Epic Switzer
Now that the dust has settled and our heroes have found a place to lay low, Vaughan is really getting into the nitty gritty of relationships. Invocative of the last seen in “The Graduate”, Marko and Alana fell in love amongst bursting bombshells and the constant threat of discovery. They’re relationship was always dangerous, forbidden, and a metaphor for the excitement of our own youthful affairs. Now that they have escaped certain death, there isn’t a simple happily-ever-after to tack on. The honeymoon phase is over and Marko and Alana are now coping with the banality of normal life. It is a pretty bold direction for this sci/fi adventure book to take but I’m finding it to be both socially relevant and rewarding.
The central conflict for both Marko and Alana has been building over several issue and in this issue they are both just slightly south of crossing that line. Alana is coping with her unfulfilling job by using, which as you might expect is a big part of the entertainment industry culture. Marko, who rarely sees his wife, is facing the temptation of another woman who is actively filling his needs. If you didn’t know I was describing Saga right now you might assume this is any of a variety of true to life dramas, and that cultural commonality is something I think Vaughan is purposely emphasizing in this arc. As always, he gets the point across quite poignantly in the only scene where Marco and Alana are together.
Across the galaxy, Prince Robot IV is having a pity party fuck-a-thon on planet Sextillion after being cracked in the head and failing to apprehend his targets while simultaneously missing the birth of his son and the death of his wife. He’s pissed, and yet another character exhibiting self destructive behavior as a coping mechanism. There’s always a lot to dig into in this book. I can’t wait until everything comes to a head on Gardenia. It will be interesting to see how Marko and Alana handle things together on their next adventure.
Fiona Staples is absolutely incredible, but you already knew that.
Epic Switzer AKA Eric is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles. His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality. He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.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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