Comics
[Comic Book Review] “Roche Limit” #1 Is Astounding
Space noir, noir in space. What more could you ever want?
WRITTEN BY: Michael Moreci
ART BY: Vic Malhotra
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: September 24, 2014
Reviewed By: Torin Chambers
Roche Limit is a crime noir set in, you guessed it, space. In space and in a manmade colony (The Roche Limit Colony) within the planet Dispater, on the edge of an energy anomaly in the Andromeda Galaxy. This anomaly was spotted from Earth and has some very strange properties. It operates like a black hole but with none of the immense gravitational effects of gravity. This has led humanity to set up the colony on Dispater because of its proximity. None of the wonders of this anomaly play into anything directly in this first issue, but I can see it gradually unfolding its secrets to us.
The Roche Limit Colony has an absolutely magnificent ‘Blade Runner’ feel about it. Even in this first issue the colony comes alive with numerous varied locals. It’s got cramped and noisy places, walls that are riddled with rivets from countless repairs and covered in a thick grime. It’s also got spacious apartments, ritzy high end clubs and notably seedy bars. The Roche Limit Colony is a character in and of itself, teeming with personality and interest.
Two paragraphs in and I suppose I should briefly touch on our protagonists. We’re first introduced to Sonya Torin (her last name is my first name, that’s super neat to me and no one else) a hard as nails woman looking for her sister Bekkah. Besides her justifiably anger over her sister and a past as a cop, we only get ever-so-tiny peaks at who Sonya really is. For now she comes off as pretty flat and uninteresting but with the promise of future development.
On the very next page we meet the unquestionably dubious but also infinitely cool Alex Ford. Alex Ford is a young Harrison Ford, there no other way about it. He’s a smart-assed, cocky son of a bitch who seems to be on everyone’s bad-side. Finding a sense of comradery or compassion or possibly an angle he could work in his favor, Alex steps in and helps Sonya out. He lost an older brother in the past and her plight has “triggered” something in him that make him want to help her.
“Roche Limit” is an astounding introduction to a rich and intricate world. It’s not perfect, but it’s got heart. The only real stumble is with the characterization of Sonya, who as of this first issue I couldn’t care less about. Especially when compared to Alex Ford she might as well have been a cardboard cutout. I can only hope she’s fleshed out in the coming issues. Roche Limit has got all of its building blocks spread out on the table now, I have nothing but the utmost confidence that Michael Moreci will build greatness.
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Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter @TorinsChambers
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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