Comics
[TV] The Flash: ‘The Nuclear Man’ Review
By Brady Steele / twitter: @mrbradysteele. ‘The Nuclear Man’ finally arrives in Central City. Not only that, Barry Allen’s love life and Flash duties almost exploded everywhere too. This is one episode that slid more into the mushy side of episode TV, with everyone who even remotely has potential for love had their moments. Not to fear, though: there was still a decent amount of action and energy to keep the action flowing.
I’m not sure if the creative team making shows like this purposely try to tie in their episodes into seasonal holidays or events but dang, they were NOT subtle about Valentine’s Day being around the corner. Barry (Grant Gustin) is going on his first date (Again? I thought he did that at the end of last week) with Linda Park (Malese Jow). I have to give a tip of my silver hat (Flash fans know who’s hat I’m using) to the writers of this character so far. She is exactly how I remember Linda being in the comics: strong, independent and smart. She is no cookie-cutter girlfriend and that’s pitch perfect.
Everyone seems to get their tender moments on screen this week too: Ronnie (Robbie Amell) and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) have a really bizarre reunion (it’s him but not ALL of him) and Professor Martin Stein (Victor Garber) and his wife Clarissa (Isabella Hofmann) somehow kind of reconnect. Even Detective Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) meets a cougar (Chase Masterson) while investigating Nora Allen’s cold case. Again, Iris (Candice Patton) is left floating around the background, unsure if she’s actually happy that Barry is no longer crushing on her. Needless to say, there’s plenty of mushy stuff this time out of the blocks.
Thankfully, there’s also a good amount of action. The Flash saves a jumper (“…on the corner of 52nd & Waid”, DC Comics wink) whilst on a date. Flash and Firestorm tussle and our Scarlett Speedster is taken off of his element (aka his feet) and for a fly-by. The visuals of Firestorm are improving and the addition of the gizmo to separate the two men was a nice nod to the character’s unique costume roots. The Ronnie-as-Stein moments are done quite nicely by Robbie Amell. He’s playing the two characters at the same time which cannot be easy but when Stein is talking, you can definitely tell it’s not Ronnie. There are some cool time travel CSI moments with Cisco (Carlos Valdes) too.
The hooks at the end of the episodes are really good at keeping my attention as to what’s coming next week. That plus the cliff hanger ending plus General Eiling (Clancy Brown) just barking “Get me Firestorm!” gives me an idea of what kind of episode the next one will be without explicitly telling viewers. While a little too sappy this week, I’m still eager to see what happens when I tune in next week.
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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