Comics
[TV] “The Walking Dead”: ‘Them’ Review
Hopelessness has never been something “The Walking Dead” has done with tact. Most episodes demonstrate the theme through startling imagery or some story dealing with the semblance of the truly unsettling nature of mankind, but “Them” may have been the grimmest, most blatant use of the theme yet.
I’m not big on the whole no hope idea. I understand it would be a predominate thought in a world gone to shit like this, but I think human nature finds levity in even the worst type of scenario. It seems the whole group goes into depression around the same time, and collectively recovers by the guiding hand of plot mechanics.
This week we were hit over the head with thematic baseball bat. Despite this, Carol seemed to keep a clear mind, and even pushed Daryl to get over his loss, but elsewhere we’re to believe Maggie is really struggling because the sister she already thought she lost is finally gone. I don’t buy it, but that’s just a minor gripe. In reality my problem lies with Sasha.
There is something about being surrounded by loss that makes any singular loss seem minute. So perhaps this is something of a viewer problem than a character problem, but Sasha represents this perpetual attempt to make some character the loose cannon or wild card. We’ve routinely seen characters crack and some have been more convincing than others. But, here Sasha just becomes reckless. She’s not only endangering her own life, but everyone around her. I just don’t buy it, and I don’t think this can go on long before Rick would knock some sense into her. In fact, I’d be surprised if this even gets addressed again given the end of the episode.
Weirdly enough, as I was making strikes against this week’s theme, and the stranglehold it puts around the viewers neck, I couldn’t help but feel a little reprieve after the storm. That combined with Rick’s delivery of “We are the Walking Dead” line, was a strangely resonate bookend to the loss of hope, and the birth of something new.
The sheer implausibility of the that storm missing the old wooden barn aside, I couldn’t help but feel oddly at ease when Sasha and Maggie walked out in awe of the wreckage. I felt their sense of relief and wonder, and by the end thought maybe that’s just what this episode needed – some relief.
The mysterious water on the street offered just that. But it came at a time where the tension was too high. I mentioned no one having a sense of levity, but I like to think that Abraham smashed the shit out of Eugene’s water just because he wanted to punish the mulleted idiot more than he didn’t trust the water.
Then comes the reveal of who placed the water there. Aaron! A character any of the comic readers should be very familiar with, and a character in which I won’t spoil his true motivations or purposes here. Still a very interesting time for this character to arrive, and proving that a very exciting back half of this season is to come.
With some real subtext, and some interesting developments “Them” was a solid episode of “The Walking Dead.” However some thematic elements and wasteful subplots keep it from being an otherwise excellent hour. It’s more of a bridge between two ideas that a full representation of either one, and while I welcome a brief reprieve from hopelessness I imagine better pacing and plotting could have made the transition a little more powerful.
What did you think of “Them?” Would anyone be interested in spoilerish discussion posts about the future of the TV series given what we know about the comic?
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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