Comics
KILLER GRAPHICS #2: Interview With Zombie-Liquorice Mastermind Jason Bauman!
Earlier today we brought readers another fantastic contest in our ongoingDead By Summer Sweepstakes that features the biggest and best horror clothing companies around spreading the love for the hordes of Graphic Content readers. This week it was Zombie-Liquorice.com that is in the spotlight, and not only was site owner Jason Bauman gracious enough to give away some free swag, but he is also the next subject of our all new Killer-Graphics column! Inside you can read the full interview as Jason gives you a behind the scenes look at what goes into creating the gruesome pieces of art for his shirts and getting kicked out of school as a result. Read on for the skinny.
THEoDEAD:”For readers who aren’t t aware of Zombie Liquorice or yourself, why don t you give us some back-story on you and the clothing line?”
Jason Bauman”Basically the story is as follows… Myself and my brother Jeff started Zombie Liquorice in October 2008. We had both been following some horror artists as well as a lot of guys that did our favorite album artwork. After about a year of planning we decided to launch Zombie Liquorice and make it one of the most gory horrific clothing brands out there. Basically we make stuff you wouldn’t wear to go visit your grandma 😉 Our rather unique name is the direct result of a heavy metal band name generator (there really is such a thing, I swear!). The thing spat out “Zombie Liquorice” and that name just stuck with us, so we ran with it. The rest, as they say, is history.”
THEoDEAD:”What inspired you to start making horror themed clothing? Is horror something that you have been into for a long time? “
Jason Bauman”I have always enjoyed monsters and gross slimy graphics ever since I was a kid. Anything from skateboard graphics to horror movie covers in the local video store always caught my eye. That artwork has always just fascinated me more than anything else. Funny enough I seem to enjoy horror graphic novels a lot more than the movies. The intense illustrations are just amazing to look at.”
THEoDEAD:”You come up with a lot of the t-shirt designs yourself before they get put onto the clothes themselves. What goes into making these designs? How do you decide what kind of designs are going to be ones people want to wear?”
Jason Bauman”Usually myself and Jeff do a lot of brainstorming on themes or scenes that we would love to wear or see come to life. As both of us don’t have an artistic bone in our body we rely heavily on the artists we choose to bring our ideas to life. Recently we have been doing a lot of Nature vs Man themed shirts. Ever since we first started, that has been a strong underlying current in Zombie Liquorice. People really seem to identify with that juxtaposition were nature is the one killing off man. One of my all time favorites and actually our first design is that of a tree impaling a lumberjack…appropriately named “LumberJacked”.”
THEoDEAD:”Many of your designs are very graphic, and use gore in some very cool ways. Do you think you have gotten any kids sent home from school yet? ”
Jason Bauman”That is actually hilarious! I never even thought that someone could get sent home for wearing our stuff. It is totally possible, and I am sure it has happened. So far no such stories have made it back to me though! I have received a picture of one fan that got a design tattooed on their back, that has been the craziest email to date. All of our designs do generally feature some sort of gore element, we refuse to print anything else. Its what people have come to expect from Zombie Liquorice and keeps our fans coming back for more; the crazy gore hounds that they are!”
THEoDEAD:”How do you choose your artists? What goes into getting the design from your head and onto the page to get them ready to be printed? ”
Jason Bauman”There are a very select group of artists that we use. All of them really excel at horror illustration and really enjoy what they do. You will see in the picture below how the process progresses from initial sketch to final printed shirt. The whole process can take months depending on how much planning has gone into the design. Generally what happens is we pitch the artist the idea and let them run with it. When we get the first sketch back it is either approved or slight changes are made. Then it moves on to inking and coloring. Once final colors are decided we then send the design off to the printer where it is silk screened onto American Apparel blanks. ”
THEoDEAD:”Since you brought up horror graphic novels, and your interviewing with the Graphic Content section I have to ask the question: what books are you into? Any personal favorites? ”
Jason Bauman”Hopefully I don’t sound to out of date with this answer, but the Walking Dead series is by far one of the best series of graphics novels I have ever come across or had the pleasure of reading. Funny enough one of my all time favorite graphic novels is Hard Boiled. For those unfamiliar its by Frank Miller & Geof Darrow. It has some of the most intense and complex illustrations I have ever seen in my life. The book is like a work of art, so many crazy details in each picture; I swear every time I pick it up I notice something new in each illustration. ”
THEoDEAD:”Is there any other projects you d like to fill readers in on? This is your chance for a cheap plug as I say. Haha”
Jason Bauman”We are constantly trying to find new ways to blow peoples minds. I can promise you we have only just begun and things will get much much nastier in the future. If you like the sounds of that(cue evil laugh and chainsaw sounds)keep buying our stuff & sign up to the Zombie Liquorice mailing list. ”
THEoDEAD:”Last, but certainly not least, the million dollar question-Freddy VS Jason: who wins? ”
Jason Bauman”As the dude shares my name, I have to go with Jason. The guy is indestructible, let’s face it Freddy never stood a chance. ”
Everyone here at Bloody-Disgusting.com would like to thank Jason for doing this interview with us. If you haven’t done so already everyone should head over to Zombie-Liquorice.com and check out Jason’s entire clothing line, and don’t forget you can win one of 2 free shirts as part of our Dead By Summer Sweepstakes that will be going all Spring long! Also, to thank readers for their interest Jason is offering 10% off your total purchase with the promo code “BLOODY”! Be sure to get your swag now before it is gone, and keep it locked here as we bring you another one-on-one next Tuesday with Electric-Zombie founder and designer, Kyle Crawford as part of our Killer-Graphics series!
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.
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