Comics
[Comic Review] “Suiciders” #1 – Brings Pathos To Televised Death
I knew from the moment I caught of glimpse of Lee Bermejo’s “Suiciders” #1 cover that I was in for something special. And as The Running Man is easily one of my favorite movies, I couldn’t help but love the idea of a dystopia Los Angeles who celebrates death in the media, but what I found on these pages was so much more. This book is a dissection of consumer culture articulated beautifully by the incomparable art of Bermejo.
WRITTEN BY: Lee Bremejo
ART BY: Lee Bremejo
PUBLISHER: Vertigo Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: February 25, 2015
The general conceit of “Suiciders” isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, but thanks to Bremejo’s smart storytelling, the first issue isn’t really wrapped around the televised death of gladiators, but one warrior in particular The Saint. As a hero, we hardly get to see his face, and he’s often quite coy about revealing too much of his character. But, he’s an incredible fighter and speaks with a distinct charm that is difficult to resist. The Saint keeps the main narrative moving and as the most prized fighter in New Angeles, one wonders how he’ll come to change his mind about being the people’s champ.
Elsewhere we’re treated to the core defining characteristics of this new world. Bremejo keeps things vague, only speaking about “The big one” in passing, but its clear it was a devastating earthquake. It seems most of Los Angeles was ceded to capitalistic pursuits shortly thereafter with plastic surgery defining the people and the business of the new ruling class. Outside of the metropolis of New Angeles we have the devastated Lost Angeles. This is a graveyard of our society with imperfect people lurking in the devastation and dreaming of a ticket to utopia.
It was this divide that I never quite expected of “Suiciders.” This title could have easily devolved into a gladiatorial combat showcase that would have been digestible and palatable for those still loving superhero comics. But Bremejo gives the comic some real weight by adding in a social conscious, and a huge divide between the have and the have nots. The debut is heavy on exposition, but thanks to serving as both the artist and the writer on the book the exposition flows with a natural perfection. The script and the art compliment each other in a way that allows both to breath.
There is a beautiful example of this late in the issue with how Bremejo tackles the idea of physical perfection in New Angeles. It’s a visual subtlety that builds into a near perfection explanation with each never overshadowing the other. The social issues within these pages are something any self aware consumer should be concerned with, and are ripe for discourse. They do feel a little imbued in the culture of the 80’s, but that’s to the book’s credit.
I can’t tell where this book is headed and I love that. I don’t really know where The Saint will fit into all of this class distinction or if he will simply remain the saint of excess. Part of me wants to see him as the catalyst for change but by the end of this first issue I’m not sure if the character’s capable of it, which is why I can’t wait for #2.
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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