HAUNTING & EMOTIONAL HORROR MYSTERY ‘YOU’LL NEVER LEAVE THIS PLACE ALIVE’ CREEPS INTO COMIC SHOPS THIS OCTOBER ⋆ First Comics News

A GRIPPING IDW DARK ORIGINAL TALE FROM EISNER-NOMINATED CO-WRITERS COLLIN KELLY & JACKSON LANZING AND ASTONISHING ARTIST HEATHER VAUGHAN

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 24, 2026) – Five friends. Four houses. One seemingly perfect life… But no one who discovers the truth will leave it alive.

IDW Publishing’s hit horror imprint IDW DARK is proud to present readers with an all-new nightmare on October 14: YOU’LL NEVER LEAVE THIS PLACE ALIVE, wickedly crafted by the Eisner-nominated co-writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface) and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan (John Carpenter’s Tales for a Halloween Night).

Cover A by Heather Vaughan

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 finds something far more terrifying than she ever imagined. Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who finds out survives.

Cover B Cover Set by Alex Eckman-Lawn

The paranoia-laced, socially conscious horror mystery will leave readers questioning reality… and reveal this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream its residents were expecting.

“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,” stated Kelly. “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.”

Cover C IDW GOES DARK Variant by Morgan Beem

“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” said 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.”

Variant RI 1:10 by Joshua Hixson (Full Art available as the RI 1:25)

“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,” commented Lanzing. “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.”

IDW DARK continues to slither into the minds of more readers and comic shops as the horror imprint reaches new horrifying heights. New titles inspired by the worlds of Smile and A Quiet Place are on the way as THE TWILLIGHT ZONE extends its run and more original horror is lurking right around the corner with must-read original terrors like OPERATION: IRON COFFIN, BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES: HALLOWEEN SPECIAL, and FATAL FEST.

Contact a comic shop near you to pre-order YOU’LL NEVER LEAVE THIS PLACE ALIVE #1 to guarantee your copies ahead of the September 7 deadline.

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