When most people think of comics, they think of superheroes. Over the years, superheroes and comics have become inextricably linked in the minds of Western audiences, but this is an extremely reductive view of the medium. In fact, an argument can be made that horror and comics go just as well together as superheroes and comics. Horror comics have been some of the most important in the industry, to the extent that the other publishers once teamed up to censor comics in order to end the bestselling horror publisher. It feels like every comic creator out there has at least one original horror comic in them, with IDW Publishing, Dark Horse, Image, and BOOM! putting out numerous horror comics every month.
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Colin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing are the writing duo known as Hivemind, having worked at DC and Marvel on a variety of characters – the Flash, Aquaman, Batwoman, Captain America, the Guardians of the Galaxy – able to combine expert character work with compelling plots. The two have teamed up with artist Heather Vaughan for You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, another entry in the genre of horror comics with entirely too long titles. However, while it can be easy to make fun of the title, this isn’t a book that deserves to be made light of. This is a tremendous first issue, a textbook example of everything you could want from a horror comic.
| Pros | Cons |
| Lanzing and Kelly construct a horror narrative that gets more and more unnerving as it goes on | You can guess where the story is going right from the start; it’s not predictable in a bad way, but it is predictable |
| Vaughan’s art gives the book a unique vibe that really makes the story hit harder | |
| Builds a cool mystery over the course of the issue |
Hivemind Constructs a Predictable Yet Highly Entertaining Panopticon of Tension From the Beginning
Horror comics are an integral part of the comic ecosystem. Horror comics have always pushed the envelope; we wouldn’t have the modern comic industry without them. Horror comics don’t use the same tropes as superhero books, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have any of their own. All of that is a long way to say that the only real problem with You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive #1 is that it is very much a trope-y horror comic. You’ve experienced a story like this before – a mysterious community where the children are tightly controlled by the adults leading to some kind of hidden “ascension” ceremony. This is basically the horror comic equivalent of “superhero patrolling the city and comes across a bank robbery that turns into something else”. At that point, it all comes down to technique and luckily, Hivemind have that in spades.
The two of them are able to create an unnerving tone right from the beginning, partly because we know that stories like this never end with the kids getting ice cream with their loving parents. An argument can be made that this issue’s story could have worked better if it slowed down the narrative a bit, so we can get to know the characters better, but Hivemind do more with less, building up the tension beautifully. The fast pace of the story makes the whole thing all the more shocking. They keep things extremely opaque throughout the issue, which helps build anticipation and keeps you on the hook longer. The answers you do get lead you to even more questions in the best possible way. It’s predictable – down to the parent who doesn’t seem as bad as the others being as the others – but it’s done in such an entertaining fashion that it’s okay.
Vaughan’s Art Is Able to Sell the Story Flawlessly
One of the things that I was struck with right away with this book’s art is the way Vaughan is able to switch the tone of her artwork on a dime. The middle of the issue is taken up with a sequence of the kids together after Phee plays the “road game”. Basically, she goes out to the road, convinces a car to stop, get the person to run off to “get help”, and then robs the car, bringing back gifts. The scene flashes between the kids having this very normal time together and the game itself. The road game scene has a tension to it, because you’re constantly expecting things to go bad at some point because of the way Vaughan drew and colored the scene. Meanwhile, there’s a wholesomeness to the sequences that focus on these 18-year olds, just sheltered kids having fun, that comes through as well.
Vaughan does this throughout the issue. There are scenes that feel normal and wholesome and then you get to the next panel and you’re completely unnerved. The character acting and emotional storytelling are fantastic, which really helps the story along. The hallucination sequence towards the end is awesome, a visual turning point for the story. From there, the book gets frantic, with the art capturing the fear and hopelessness of the situation. Vaughan’s art style works perfectly for this story; there are times when you feel like you’re getting stereotypical “indie comic”-style art, but then you turn the page and just have your mind blow by the emotional storytelling and strength of the imagery.
Indie comics go in every direction you can imagine, but there are times when you see a book that is just stereotypically indie. You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive #1 is basically everything you could expect from an indie comic; it’s a horror comic with a name that feels a little too long from some mid-level mainstream creators with art that looks like it could be from any other indie comic. It ticks all the boxes, down to being somewhat predictable. However, this is a fantastic comic. It’s all so well-done; Hivemind create a tense, interesting story and Vaughan is able to bring it to life perfectly. This comic is definitely greater than the sum of its parts, a pleasant surprise from creators who always seem to pleasantly surprise me.
You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive #1 is on sale now.
Where you think You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive #1 fits on the scale of too-long horror comics? Do you agree with my assessment? Sound off in the comment section below.
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