A seemingly perfect community begins to unravel in You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a new horror mystery series coming from IDW Dark this October.
The series is written by Eisner Award-nominated collaborators Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface) with art by Heather Vaughan (John Carpenter’s Tales for a Halloween Night). The first issue arrives on October 14, 2026.
The story follows Phoebe Joplin, a teenager who has spent her entire life in an isolated community created by her parents. Raised alongside four close friends, Phee has always believed she was part of something special. The residents are taught they are smarter, stronger, and better prepared for the future than the outside world.
That belief begins to crack on graduation night.
After one of the group’s friends dies under mysterious circumstances, Phee starts investigating the truth behind the community she calls home. What she discovers transforms her understanding of her family, her friends, and the world around her.
According to the official synopsis, the secluded settlement is hiding far darker secrets than anyone imagined, and those who uncover the truth rarely survive.
Kelly said the series explores generational conflict and the promises made to younger generations about the future.
“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,” Kelly said. “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.”
Senior Group Editor Heather Antos described the series as a horror story centered on family and control.
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” Antos said.
Lanzing noted that the book shares thematic DNA with previous collaborations while focusing on the relationships between its young cast and their parents.
The debut issue will feature covers by Heather Vaughan, Alex Eckman-Lawn, Morgan Beem, and Joshua Hixson.
You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive #1 goes on sale October 14, 2026, from IDW Dark.
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