Comics
[Comic Review] “Hellbreak” #1 Is A Helluva Lot For $1
Reviewed By Eric Switzer. Someone realized that “hellbreak” sounds like “Jailbreak” and developed the concept for this series from there. “Hellbreak” #1 is about Project Kerberos, a team of scientists and mercenaries that have developed the means to break into hell and rescue the souls that are trapped there. Its one of those perfect ideas that I can’t believe isn’t already a series. If you’ve ever wanted to take a rocket propelled grenade up against the horrors that lurk in your nightmares, “Hellbreak” will be a cathartic experience for you.
WRITTEN BY: Cullen Bunn
ART BY: Brian Churilla
PUBLISHER: Oni
PRICE: $1
RELEASE: March 11, 2015
I would describe “Hellbreak” as an experience more on the side of the visceral and carnal rather than theoretical or metaphysical. I make the distinction to let you know that what you are about to get into doesn’t ask a lot of hard questions or present anything especially high concept, but this isn’t my way of saying “Hellbreak” is low brow either. This is a shoot first ask question later kind of book, and its really engaging and fast paced from beginning to end. There aren’t a lot of big ideas here to sink your teeth into, but in the end, thats just fine with me. “Hellbreak” is near the top of my “enjoy it for what it is” pile.
“Hellbreak” has the structure to be an incredibly imaginative and constantly changing book. There are thousands of different hells, and Project Kerberos will have to explore tons of different scenes from demon dinner parties to post-apocalyptic wastelands to “Predator 2” style Los Angeles; you name it and its a potential battleground in this book. The members of the special forces team that infiltrates these hells is introduced “Ocean’s 11” style with a close up, a quip, and their role listed under their name. None of them are particularly memorable or unique in the first issue, but they’re all pretty good at shooting demons in the face and I can get on board with that.
“Hellbreak” #1 is definitely more action than horror, and it will be interesting to see how dark and disturbing they decide to take things as the series progresses. At this point even if its just a hell-of-the-month exploration I’m way into that. You need a balance of light and heavy in your reading stacks, but that doesn’t need you have to sacrifice quality to get your action adventure fix. In that regard, “Hellbreak” delivers
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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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