Comics
Review: “Baltimore – The Witch of Harju” #1
The latest in Mignola and Golden’s sporadic adventures of their World War 1 era hero, ‘The Witch of Harju’ is another fine tale for fans of period horror and serves as a worthy addition to the series.
WRITTEN BY: Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden
ART BY: Peter Bergting
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: July 30, 2014
Review By: Ooknabah
Set in Estonia in 1920, our story kicks off strong with Baltimore running across Sofia Valk, a woman pursued by her undead husband. This meeting kicks off an investigation which will delve deeper into the events surrounding both her husband’s rising as well as the plentiful occult happenings in the area at large. And so our hero moves deeper into the territory of the weird, as dangers mount and doom lurks ever closer.
Baltimore manages to make good use of its time period, drawing on the most unsettling parts of the turn of the century, all while maintaining a hero who is at once prepared and game for a fight while also being clearly outmatched on many occasions. His men are brave and do not balk at the undead, but that does not prevent them from meeting grisly ends and from suffering all to human faults of poor judgement and foolhardy courage. This has you rooting for the heros, while at the same time knowing that they may not be long for the world, and this excitement helps propel the story forward even at these early stages.
Peter Bergting’s art works well, bringing to mind the work of Jeff Smith, with bold lines and expressive faces, while the action has suitable heft and weight grounding each movement and making them feel tangible and real. Dave Stewart’s colours present a muted look that evokes the sepia tones of old photographs, helping reinforce the period, although they make the horror elements feel rather pedestrian and mundane.
If you’re looking for another Mignola book, this one will fit the bill, rising to the usual high standard of quality. If you’re intrigued about horror in the early 20th century, this issue promises to deliver on that premise. That said, there is something lacking from this book to make it an absolute must read, which may be resolved as the story continues on to the next issue and the stakes are increased. Still, there is plenty here worth reading and the tight plotting should mean many more twists and turns to come.
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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