Comics
[Comic Review] “Pisces” #2 is a Masterful Mental Horror
Reviewed By Taylor Hoffman.
In “Pisces” #2 Kurtis Wiebe and Johnny Christmas dig deeply into the mind of a haunted veteran whose ghosts of war follow him throughout the rest of his fractured life. After reading this issue, it seems clear that all the pain that Dillon Carpenter, our main character, harbors is as existential as directly related to his air-force experience. As we travel through his life in flashback and flash-forward, we’ve already seen how much he’s treated as a villain and a failure by his father, his country, and the mystery woman from the first issue. In this second issue, Wiebe and Christmas take the horrors inside of Dillon’s mind and spreads them onto the pages like the plague.
Story by: Kurtis Wiebe
Art by: Johnnie Christmas
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: 5/27/15
The majority of this issue focuses on trust issues: can others trust him, can he trust anyone else, and, most importantly, can he trust himself?
We are thrown into the darkest memories of Carpenter and our eyes can’t help but dwell on his misery in an attempt to understand it all. Christmas draws nightmare demons like thick, black tar with worlds inside each smooth bubble that pops into a puddle of ink. He isn’t alone in his plight and a fellow veteran reassures him that there’s some, albeit very little, help and hope left for them. Both confide their shame and nightmares at a late night diner stop which gives readers a new level of depth to our main character.
There’s a lot to unpack in this scene, but reading it might motivate readers to understand the harsh reality of those who can’t speak out in fear of being silenced completely. Dillon is a survivor of war with no idea how to cope with the guilt through life with more than the simple takes that keep him going day by day, which is a rough routine that sedates, but never satisfies him. In the most lucid moment of his panic attacks, he’s blinded by the sheer violence and extreme loss in his life. We’re seeing his stream of consciousness wildly malfunction and flood with fears.
Wiebe proves he did his research on PTSD and war veterans, which clearly shows in the dynamics of Dillon’s relationships in this issue. It’s a stunning piece to examine, and it’s an opportunity to delve into taboo topics in war without celebrating war itself. It’s hard to articulate the absolute beauty of this issue because reading it is an intensely emotional dive into a mind scared and interrupted by reality. Each reader will find something deeply personal while staring into the starry abyss of death’s secret devils screaming in unison to be freed. Will anyone listen to Dillon when he’s finally in space? Who or what will hear his screams?
Pisces is an unfolding masterpiece that’s pushing the boundaries of comics past a point of ignorance and into a mind of real horror. While it’s only on the second issue, there’s so much ground and space left to explore. Wiebe and Christmas are the perfect team to fill out this grotesque and truly upsetting horror story of silence and mental illness. Dillon’s nightmares are getting worse, but are they just in his head or is there something extraterrestrial in the same form lurking beneath?
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.