Comics
[Comic Book Review] “Copperhead” #2 Still Has Some Growing Pains
“Copperhead” #2 is a strong second outing, but not without a few hiccups. With all the characters and the setting fleshed out in issue 1, issue 2 sees the overarching plot begin to take shape. Some of the plot threads are quite compelling while others just spin their tires in the mud, barely gaining any traction.
WRITTEN BY: Jay Faerber
ART BY: Scott Godlewski & Ron Riley
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: October 8, 2014
Reviewed By: Torin Chambers
We open on the significantly stronger plot of this months issue, Zeke nighttime adventure. Last month Zeke and his new friend Annie went out to find Annie’s dog but night quickly descended upon them. The wilderness surrounding Copperhead is a very, very bad place after dark. Lucky for Zeke and Annie they’ve got Ishmael, a strange and mysterious individual who’s shifty for sure but also the only protection these kids have got against the monsters encroaching upon them.
Elsewhere the Sheriff and Boo are investigating the horrific murder scene we saw last month. The investigations is entertaining, if a bit hallow. By the end of the issue hardly any progress has been accomplished on the case. A couple of things are raised but they don’t go anywhere this issue. I don’t expect the mystery to be solved already, but a little more forward progression would be nice.
This issue does introduce a new player, Doc Mosley, who’s a total drunk and the only doctor in town. He’s a treat to read once he’s in the medical office but his introduction at the bar feels superfluous. He comes off very clearly as a drunk in the infirmary, the bar introduction could have been scrapped and would change nothing. That being said I am more than excited to see him again, I’m especially thrilled for him and Boo to interact.
Godlewski continues to deliver alluring and fascinating visuals. Excellently capturing many small details such as Doc Mosley’s mole and Missus Sewell’s face flagellum. Many pints of blood are spilled this issue and they look amazing. Insectoid monsters are blown open, gushing with blood that you can almost hear squishing and squashing.
While not as exciting as its debut Copperhead is still well worth checking out. Although I had a few issues they don’t feel like problems with the actual creative team more like a sophomore slump. All the same ingredients where there they just didn’t come together in as appealing a package as issue 1. I believe Copperhead is going places I’d just like to get there faster.
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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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