Comics
[Comic Review] “Oh, Killstrike” #1 Channels 90’s Nostalgia
“Oh, Killstrike” #1 has an interesting premise, a 90’s superhero somehow enters our world with only vengeance on his agenda. The greatest obstacle standing before this comic is whether or not it’ll grow beyond 90’s superhero nostalgia. So far in the first issue it hasn’t overstayed its welcome but hopefully it can grow into something more in the coming issues.
WRITTEN BY: Max Bemis
ART BY: Logan Faerber
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: 20 May 2015
Our protagonist, Jared, was a hardcore superhero fan in the 90’s. Happily gobbling it all up in its time but now he’s all about D.I.Y. indie comics and more importantly he’s a new father. So when his old #1 issue of the fictional 90’s comic gem Killstrike finally sells for $100,000 online he’s ecstatic. His wife doesn’t full understand at first, which acts as a great exposition device as he swiftly brings her and the reader up to date on superhero comics during the 90’s. Then the only step left is to go back to his mother’s house and collect his old issue.
This is where the fun beings and the issue really kicks off. As soon as Jared finds the issue Killstrike himself leaps out from the page screaming “VENGEANCE!” He looks wickedly 90’s, sporting grotesquely bulging muscles, teenie tiny feet, tribal tattoos and pouches for every season. While his look is spot on his dialogue and actions feel a bit at odds with the meathead they’re trying to sell him as. He comes off more like a lost puppy at times than the relentless killing machine we’re told he is.
Even though it comes off a little strange in its own way it makes him endearing. He’s in a world that’s totally foreign to him, one that requires a bit less vengeance in day-to-day life than he’s accustomed to. The promise of Killstrike in Manhattan for the next issue definitely has my hopes up as this issues he only really interacts with Jared. Seeing the world at large react to him will be quite the treat I’m sure.
Oh, Killstrike is a solid first outing for a book that’s true potential will take a few more issues to fully evaluate. I can see it becoming a rad late life coming of age story but it could also flounder under too much 90’s nostalgia.
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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