Welcome back to Rotten Ink. For this update I will be talking about the 2000 horror film Final Destination as well as the comic book series released about the series in 2006. This comic series was brought to the world by Zenescope, but it’s shocking that after all these years that DC Comics whose parent company also owns New Line Cinema has never did comics base on these films for their DC Horror series that sadly seems to have fizzled and has had a lack of horror comics based on films. And again, I have to say I truly think DC Comics has wasted so much opportunity on not doing comics based on many of their popular horror films. But with that, let’s get ready to be scared as we step into another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update this time all about Death and the film he is from, Final Destination.

Before we get too far into this update, let’s talk about Death, the main dealer of well…death in the Final Destination series who could be the most dangerous “killer” we have ever covered as he is the final call for all. Death has all manners of taking lives as he can make things happen as well as allow things to happen in order to get your soul. Death is something that almost everyone fears and some live their lives worried that his cold grip will one day call on them. Death can also take your life away when a person is shot, stabbed, burned, crushed, electrocuted, drowned, smashed, crushed and bashed as well of course of natural causes. Death has a master plan for prey and that is everyone as he has a design to take your life and doesn’t like to be cheated out of what he thinks is owed. And if you do escape his grip by luck and your time was supposed to be up, he will make sure that you die as he will create great scenarios with elaborate set ups to make sure your life comes to an end. Death has no weakness and there is no way to fully stop him, while you can sometimes dodge his icy grip, you can never fully beat him as Death truly comes for everyone.

As you can see, Death truly is the most deadly horror villain we have covered here at Rotten Ink as there is no escaping his grip! But now we should take a few moments to talk about the movie he is from, and that’s Final Destination! I will be taking the film’s plot from IMDB and then after that I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s listen to that little inner voice and see what Death had planned for the people on flight 180.

Final Destination (2000)

“Alex is boarding a plane to France on a school trip, when he suddenly gets a premonition that the plane will explode. Shortly after Alex, a group of students, and his teacher are thrown off the plane, to their horror, the plane does in fact explode. Alex must now work out Death’s plan, as each of the survivors falls victim. Whilst trying to prevent the next death, Alex must also dodge the FBI, who believe that he caused the explosion”

New Line Cinema use to be the biggest production company for horror films in the 80’s and 90’s as it was called The House That Freddy Built for a reason; A Nightmare On Elm Street was their biggest film series and helped pull them out of debt. And in the 2000’s they had another series that helped them stay as powerhouse of horror and that of course was the Final Destination franchise! And for those wondering New Line is still doing well in horror as they are behind The Conjuring universe films as well as just brought The Evil Dead back with sequels to the big screen. In 2025, they even did a new installment in the Final Destination series that was celebrated by horror fans. Final Destination was the brainchild of Jeffrey Reddick, who got the story from a story he read about a daughter calling her mom to not take a flight due to a bad feeling, and so the mom switched flights and the one she was supposed to have been on crashed! He at first wanted to write it as a X-Files episode, but instead decided to try and turn it into a feature film. New Line Cinema bought the script and then added James Wong and Glen Morgan to help freshen up and make the story tighter. The film was given a budget of $23 million, and James Wong was hired to also direct as he was not stranger to horror films as he had already directed an episode of The X-Files and had written many of them. When casting the film names like Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Seann William Scott, Kristen Cloke, Kerr Smith, Daniel Roebuck, Amanda Detmer and Tony Todd would make up some of the main leads. When filming the movie it went smoothly for the most part with the main issues being having to work around the younger cast who were filming other projects at the same time, and this caused some scheduling nightmares. Once done the film would be scored by Shirley Walker and it would be released in theaters on March 17, 2000 and would be a big hit for New Line Cinema at the box office bringing in over $112 million! The film was # 49 for the year and was able to beat out such other horror films as Pitch Black, Dracula 2000, Bless The Child, Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, Urban Legends: Final Cut, The Ninth Gate, Lost Souls, American Psycho, The Little Vampire, The Gift, Godzilla 2000 and Shadow Of The Vampire, but did lose out to What Lies Beneath, Scream 3, Hollow Man and The Cell. The film was meet with poor reviews from critics but viewers really enjoyed it and is why the film would end up being a big franchise for New Line spawning many sequels. Final Destination was joined in 2000 not only from all of the above mentioned horror films but also Mulva: Zombie Ass Kicker!, Ginger Snaps, Leprechaun In The Hood, Hellraiser: Inferno, Killjoy, Blood Murder, Witchcraft XI, Island Of The Dead and Toxic Avenger 4 to name a few.

When Final Destination was released, it was clearly the new horror film hit from New Line Cinema and the buzz around it was very big from not only the horror magazines like Fangoria but also among my friends. I sadly did not get to see the film in the theater and had to wait for it to be released on home media and was a fan of it as I enjoyed the spooky supernatural elements of Death being mad that someone escapes his plans of taking their lives, and I also liked that it also had a almost slasher element to it like Death was a killer stalking his prey. The film also had many creative ways for the characters to be killed off and this would continue throughout the film series as viewers all wondered just how Death was going to get what was owed to him. Plus for me it was great seeing Tony Todd as he was one of my favorite modern iconic horror actors and his role was the wise and creepy mortician who knows that Death will not be cheated. I am also shocked on how bloody and gruesome some of the deaths in the film were, and really I wish New Line Cinema would get back to making lots of horror films for all us viewers to enjoy. I also think that many of horror fans my age ended up getting a crush on Ali Larter because of this film as well as her roles in the remake of House On Haunted Hill, Final Destination 2 and many of the Resident Evil films. The film is one that I ended up buying on home media and is one I watch pretty often. If you have not seen Final Destination or any of its sequels, make sure to check them out as they are one hell of a great time.

So now that we have chatted about the film Final Destination and its killer the one and only Death, we should now take a look at the comic book mini series that was published by Zenescope in 2006 (these comics were released around the same time Final Destination 3 was hitting theaters). I would like to thank Bookery Fantasy and Lone Star Comics for having these comics in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and i’s art and story. So if you are ready, let’s go on Spring Break with Death and see what he is up too.

Final Destination # 1  ***
Released in 2006    Cover Price $3.99     Zenescope     # 1 of 5

Carly and her friends Bryan, Jake, Matt, Amanda, Kris and Katie are heading to Cancun for Spring Break, but during the flight their Carly feels very odd like something is wrong. As she checks into her room and even hangs with her friends at the hotels ball room she feels off and her friends are even noticing, and then a birthday cake is brought out and the candle fire acts with gas leaking out and a explosion of fire rips through the ballroom and killing Carly, her friends and everyone around. But then Carly wakes up and she is on the plane and none of the stuff has happened yet…and as it all plays out like her dream she is able to have everyone agree to her birthday wish and that is follow her outside right before the hotel explodes! As they stand in shock as the dead are being pulled out, the friends meet U.S. Embassy worker Sue Flanders and Detective Garcia-Garcia who listen to the story of Carly and detain them for s short while, and as time passes Carly’s friends all thank her for saving their lives, but she is still shaken like something is wrong.

The first issue in this series sets up the group of friends that have angered Death and have cheated him out of taking their lives and now he will find ways to get what is owed to him. We are following Carly and her friends who are on Spring Break and survive a massive explosion that destroys the hotel that they were staying in killing many people and leaving them grateful for life. Carly is a college woman who has good friends and is all set to go on Spring Break to relax, but finds herself stressed out and worried after having a bad nightmare that shows her the fate of her and her friends. And while she is a hero and saved the lives of her friends, she is surrounded by a dreadful feeling that she cannot shake. Her friends Jake, Bryan, Amanda, Kirs and Matt all seem like good people who were looking to have a good time together, and when saved are thankful to their friend. I am going to guess that both Sue Flanders and Detective Garcia-Garcia will be around in further issues and will question Carly on how she knew the hotel was going to explode. Death is lurking around and while he claimed many lives, seven have escaped him and you know he is working on ways to claim them back, as he is not to be robbed of what he is owed. The story is a little slow right now, but that is to be expected as they had to build our characters as well as set up the disaster that our group of friends will avoid that they were suppose to have died in. And while people do die, the comic is pretty bloodless and does not show any major gore, but I am sure this will change. The cover is ok and is eye catching, but I do not think it captures the mood of the Final Destination series. The interior artwork is done by Lan Medina and it’s good stuff and reminds me of classic DC Movie Adaptation Comics stuff. So let’s see what Death has in store for Carly and her friends in issue two and who will die first and how.

Final Destination # 2  ***
Released in 2006    Cover Price $3.99    Zenescope     # 2 of 5

Carly and her friends must stay in Mexico as the explosion is being investigated, and worse for Carly they find a drawing she did while in the trance nightmare she had about the explosion showing its path of destruction and making her kind of a suspect in a possible terrorism act. Later that day Carly and her friends take a boat out when once more she has a vision and tries to warn them, but they have a boat accident that leaves Kris dead when the boats motor chops him up like meat on a cheese steak. And like before, Carly finds that she has drawn the motors logo before the accident and this once more makes Garcia-Garcia and Sue a little puzzled as Carly is once more linked to a deadly accident, and now Carly herself is scared and is worried about what is wrong with her and why she is drawing things connected to these accidents and wonders if Death is after them. Carly then finds out that they might have to stay in Mexico longer as a hurricane is approaching and that three other Americans overheard her warnings and left the hotel and survived that blast and want to speak to her. While Katie is in the hospital for shock, she by accident swallows mercury from a broken thermometer and then trips over a skeleton and impales herself on its rib bones killing her instantly.

In the second issue the plot has Death come calling as Carly and her friends are stuck in Mexico and two of them have already lost their lives. Carly herself is starting to question her mental state as well as her own life. In this issue as the group of friends try and make the best of their time in Mexico and clear their minds off the accident and end up having to watch as one of their friends his chopped up by the blade of a motor and they are helpless to save him. Bbecause of this accident their other friend is ends up having an accident at the hospital and dies by the bones of a skeletons rib cage! So as you can see, Death is on his rampage and the group of seven has now dropped to five, but he might have three other lives to claim when they find out that other Americans left the hotel due to her warnings. Carly is losing her mind as she is filled with not only worry and dread but now fear and confusion as she don’t understand why she is having her visions that is overloading her with death. And her friends at this time are still grateful, but are also starting to get spooked by her when people start dying and she is unknowingly predicting them. Death is moving quick and both deaths are very brutal and that makes this issue have lots of blood and gory bits, so fans of horror comics that have the red stuff will be happy. The pacing is really good this far in the series as I feel the build was great, and this second issue picks up on the horror as well as deaths and delivered and enjoyable read thus far. The cover for this issue is really good, and I think does capture the feel of the movie series and like before the interior artwork by Lan Medina is solid stuff and I like the way he draws the bloody deaths. Over all another great issue, and I am really looking forward to reading the third issue and see who dies next!

Final Destination # 3  ***
Released in 2006     Cover Price $3.99     Zenescope      # 3 of 5

Carly and the rest are shaken about the deaths of their friends and are even getting snippy with each other over the stress and sadness, that is until they all calm down and stick together. They then meet Dreena, Gino and Jeremy, the three others who left the hotel because they overheard Carly and got scared enough not to stay. Now they along with Carly and their friends head towards an old Aztec Temple and meet a Shaman who follows Carly around speaking of Death and this causes them to leave the temple and head to the waters as Gino decides to deep dive only for a eel to destroy is oxygen tank and cause him to rush up for air and crash through the looking glass of the boat and a shard of glass enters his mouth and deals him death. And later that day Sue is able to pull some string to get Carly and the rest on a plane back home before the hurricane hits, but an accident at the airport when one of the workers on a forklift has a heart attack causes a string of deaths as Sue is impaled by the forklift, Dreena slips and falls and breaks her neck as Jeremy is crushed as the plan takes some damage! And after this carnage, all Carly and her friends can do is look at the death and destruction around them.

The third issue is a entertaining one even though it slightly slips in that department as has Carly and the rest waiting for that evening to get on a plane to head back home, and while they are scared they decide to site see and enter a temple only to be harassed by an old shaman as well as decide to go diving that leads to another death as does them trying to board the plane as three more are killed by Death. At this point it is clear that they are stuck in Mexico, and that Death is truly coming for each and every one of them. Carly is still very confused by her visions and all the signs around her that are warning of the next death to take place and her friends seem to be more accepting on the fact something weird is going on and she might be their only tool to survive. I also like that the threat of this major storm coming is looming around bringing more dread to the characters. Death is not messing around now as he has taken four lives in this issue with the best death being that of Gino, who takes the glass to the mouth when coming up for air. The issue this time around is not that bloody with two of the deaths being more gruesome than the other two. And while this issue was not as spooky nor drew me in like the first two, I still found it to be a solid issue as the frightful story of Carly and her friends unfold. The cover for this issue is pretty cool and shows an Aztec Temple with the interior art once more done by Lan Medina being really solid work. Yet another good issue in this Final Destination mini series and shows that horror movies make great comics! Let’s see what happens next shall we?

Final Destination # 4  ***
Released in 2007    Cover Price $3.99    Zenescope     # 4 of 5

After the accident at the airport that leaves three people dead, Carly and her friends return to the hotel shocked and scared as Detective Garcia-Garcia is visiting and understands now something very strange is happening and leaves with a promise that he will try and find a way home for them before the storm hits that is just hours away. After he leaves Carly and the group are very cautious of everything around that could lead to them dying and decide using the hotels pool and hot tub will be safe, but Death wants what is owed and makes the pools automatic covering turn on trapping Amanda under it and causing her to drown! The friends are helpless to save her and this causes Matt to snap as he says that Carly is cursed and Death is following her. He runs off only to be killed by getting hit by fireworks that are being set off before the storm so they are not wasted.

Poor Carly ;more and more of her friends are being killed by Death who seems to truly be picking up the pace of collecting what he is owed. With only Carly, Jake and Bryan left and not clear way to escape Mexico, it seems that their fate is creeping up on them. Carly is slowly starting to truly understand that what she is seeing in weird signs from ink blots to logos are hints to the tragic events that are about to happen, and while her friends are sticking beside her, they are also starting to fear being around her. It will be very interesting to see if Detective Garcia-Garcia who clearly now understands that something supernatural is happening will be able to get them out of Mexico…but we all know that will not stop Death. And with the storm coming, this just adds to the stress of what is on the horizon for our survivors as you know that this storm will have to be the undoing of one or all of them. This issue has two deaths with one being drowning and the other being hit by a massive firework, but shockingly the issue is lacking in blood. The cover for this issue is really cool and has a woman in the water with the top part above the water looking normal and in the water being skeleton. The interior art this time was done by Rodel Noora and is really good stuff and has that style of the 2000’s that was being used in indie horror comics. Another good issue in this series, and I am very much looking forward to seeing how this tale comes to an end, so with that let’s see what issue five has in store for us.

Final Destination # 5  ***
Released in 2007     Cover Price $3.99     Zenescope     # 5 of 5

The hurricane has hit and Carly gets a phone call that Detective Garcia-Garcia has arranged for them to escape and tells them to be on the roof of the hotel in fifteen minutes and once up there they see a helicopter coming for them, but the high winds cause it to lose control, and the blades slice up Jake and the helicopter catches fire and explodes as Carly and Bryan have to retreat back into the hotel that is now on fire and the two barely escape and have to rush out into the storm dodging many natural threats that are trying to kill them and they find shelter in a funeral home, with each hiding inside a coffin to ride out the storm. But once its all over, Carly gets out of her coffin to find that Bryan got trapped in his when boards fell on it closing it fully and cutting off his air supply and making him die a very slow and painful death. Carly is heart broken as the Aztec Shaman appears in a broken mirror and says Death is satisfied and that the design is done…for now.

In the final issue of Final Destination the story of Carly and her friends comes to an end as Death goes into overdrive in order to finish his design and take the lives of those he is owed. In this issue the hurricane has hit and the area is being battered by the storm as Death helps uses the elements in order to take out both Jake and Bryan as well as many other lives that are just in the wrong place at the wrong time and who are near Carly and what was left of her friends. Carly ends up being spared by Death in the end as he is satisfied with the lives he has taken and it looks as if the old Aztec Shaman might have been the one that helped spare her. It’s great that Death finds a way to use the storm in order to take out her two remaining friends with Jake getting the more gruesome death and Bryan getting the more slow and painful one. I also like that Carly has to seek shelter from the storm at a funeral home very fitting for the Final Destination series. Over all I like the theme of this mini series taking place during Spring Break in Mexico as there are lots of creative ways to kill off the cast of characters, plus it sets the characters far from home which adds to the stress and despair of the characters as they cannot leave the country due to investigations of the deaths and a coming massive storm. In other words, they are cut off from their comfort zone and the safety of their own homes. Death in the series truly does not care who else has to die in order for him to get those who escape his grasp, and when he kills in these issues, he goes for keeps as there is no coming back or being saved. The issue has blood, gore and deaths that should please fans of the film series as well as those horror comic readers who like their pages blood soaked. The cover for this issue is pretty cool as it has Carly looking into a mirror only to see an undead shaman looking back! This issue’s interior art is again done by Rodel Noora and is good stuff. Over all this is a pretty solid read that does justice to the film series it’s based on, and if you are a fan of Final Destination, make sure to check it out. Check out the artwork below to see the style used by Lan Medina for the first three issues of the series.

Final Destination is a truly fun film series that was a great way to introduce Death as an almost slasher villain who would come up with over the top and interesting ways to kill his victims, and I truly think that it would also make for a good comic series like this one where each mini series follows a new batch of people that escaped Death only for him to come calling to collect what he is owed. And really I think that DC Comic as part of their DC Horror line should be making mini series based on Final Destination, and I feel that they are missing the boat big time with that. With this update coming to an end, I think that its time that I tell you that the next update will take us to Midian, the place that the monsters go and of course I am talking about the film Nightbreed that was directed by Clive Barker. So until next time, read a horror comic of three, watch a horror film or two and as always support your local horror host! See you next time for a creepy good time with the Nightbreed.