Comics
Comic Book Review: “Burning Fields” #1 Humanizes The Horror Of War In Gruesome Ways
In “Burning Fields” #1 former Marine, Dana Atkinson is tasked with returning to Kirkuk, Iraq to investigate a string of seemingly unrelated yet equally brutal murders. At the proposition she accurately jabs that it sounds like “Se7en” in the desert. If that premise alone doesn’t hook you, the jaw-droppingly gruesome final page certainly will.
WRITTEN BY: Michael Moreci & Tim Daniel
ART BY: Colin Lorimer
PUBLISHER: BOOM!
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: January 21, 2015
Reviewed By Eric Switzer
Admittedly, this first issue isn’t exactly a breeze to get through. There are a significant number of unknowns in the setup of this series, question marks that are crucial to our understanding of the characters and their motivations, and while leaving things about the characters to be discovered is a perfectly valid narrative choice, the number of conversations that hinted at backstory and relationships was almost enough to warrant a flow chart.
It certainly lent itself to more natural dialogue that didn’t come across as stilted exposition, but the trade off of that is making the reader feel like they are walking into the middle of a story and causes confusion. What has Dana gotten into that has her pitted against the Chicago P.D. and the Russian Mob? What is Verge and what is there intentions? How was Decker ruining Dana’s life? What happened during Dana’s time of service that almost led to “them” almost killing her? How did Dana “cross the line” and who are the men in her house? I can only assume these question will be answered throughout the course of the book, but the sheer number of holes in my understanding caused some pretty serious bumps during my first pass on this issue.
I’m really interested in seeing the extent to which Middle Eastern cultures and American cultures will blend as U.S. involvement continues. Setting a thriller/murder mystery in Iraq is suggestion of that, and I think this kind of media helps to humanize Middle Eastern people to us (while blockbuster films like American Sniper continue to undue that progress, but that is separate issue). Rarely is any kind of narrative other than War Dramas taking place in Iraq, and I really like to see other genres utilizing the conflict as a basis and setting for good storytelling.
“Burning Fields” strikes me as an intriguing thriller, with strong elements of body horror, that will not be playing into the myth of the “American Hero in a Savage Land”. I wish that there weren’t as many loose ends throughout the first issue, the number of missing pieces makes me feel somewhat overwhelmed up until that reveal on the last page. I’m not putting a ton of social responsibility on “Burning Fields”, I’ve gotten burned* with those expectations in the past, but I am very much looking forward to the mystery, drama, and horror that will ensue.
*I’m so sorry for that.
Editors Note: Burning Fields was a comic we got to announce right here at Bloody-Disgusting. To learn more about the series and where it’s headed make sure to read that interview. Because, this is going to be one hell of a ride.
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Eric Switzer 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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