You’re not going to believe this based on the title of the new IDW Dark series You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, but things don’t go great for the kids that are central to this series. And while I won’t spoil the major plot beats and twists that lead us there, just know that this new horror comic from Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Heather Vaughan may be your next great obsession.
Part of the joy of the first issue is the discovery of what’s happening, and how, through the lens of these kid characters (as narrated by the adults), but to lay out the gist… A group of kids have been living almost completely isolated lives, knowing that when they turn 18 they’ll “Ascend.” They don’t know what that means, and their loving parents have never given any clues, but they have their suspicions.
You’ll also have your suspicions as you read through the book, which evokes shades of Midsommar, The Village and more. But as usual Lanzing and Kelly know how to craft instantly recognizable characters, all with their own motivations, wants and needs. The first issue is hooked on Phoebe Joplin, one of the kids in question, though there’s indications we may switch focus as the series continues.
And while you’ll be intrigued by the folk horror meets The Prisoner premise of the series, the real draw is Vaughan’s art. The closest comps are Matt Kindt or Jeff Lemire, the same sort of sketched out characters that feel like they’re one step removed from the wood etchings of a folk tale. It also channels (both in story and art) a lot of the books James Tynion IV has worked on… Vaughan’s art isn’t as cartoony, but I did keep thinking of Michael Dialynas’s work on Wynd while reading this premiere issue — or more to the point, The Woods.
Look, I’ve been obviously very cagey about details here because the series doesn’t kick off for a month and a half (as of this writing, though FOC is September 7). Suffice to say that while some parts of this book definitely go the way you think, a lot of them decidedly do not. There are some nasty surprises awaiting you in these pages that promise a twisty, strange tale to come, one that hits the notes of what it’s like to be young in the world in 2026 through a very specific horror metaphor, while still being weirder and wilder than you might imagine.
Like I said up top, the title is tipping the hand to the premise a bit. But though the kids may never leave this place alive, you’ll leave the first issue of this new title wanting to live in your comic book store so you can snag the second issue as soon as possible.
You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive #1 hits stores on October 7, 2026.
You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive #1 Rating:
You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive #1 Official Synopsis:
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life.
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.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, this paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.
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