Tag Archives: zack kaplan

Preview: Masterminds #1

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Masterminds #1

Writer: Zack Kaplan
Artist: Stephen Thompson
Colorist: Thiago Rocha
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

When an ambitious and troubled video game programmer dares to audition for a secret society in the gaming/tech industry, composed of cutthroat, genius masterminds that promise to help their members achieve their wildest dreams, he and his rebellious co-worker find themselves in a gauntlet of real-life puzzles that quickly turn deadly. Are they truly smart enough to survive the mysterious game of the Masterminds?

Masterminds #1

Kill All Immortals is Back in Business this October

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One of the most exciting, bloody, action-packed Dark Horse Comics debuts of 2024, Kill All Immortals returns after a sell-out debut for more vicious combat and power struggles in Kill All Immortals II. Writer Zack Kaplan, artist Fico Ossio, colorist Thiago Rocha, and Eisner-winning letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou take the immortal violence to new heights in this five-issue continuation.

Fans of this hit series can secure issue #1 in October 2025, with main cover art by returning cover artist and Clio-Award winner Oliver Barrett, as well as variant covers from Matt Taylor, John Giang, and Tula Lotay. Issues #2-5 will each offer a single variant by Ivan Tao, Dan Quintana, Alan Quah, and Stefano Simeone, respectively.

The Asvalds were once a powerful billionaire Viking family with a source of secret immortality, until the family’s only daughter, Frey Asvald, led her brothers in a principled rebellion to overthrow their barbaric father and end their eternal powers. But when an ancient and supernatural adversary threatens to destroy their precarious empire and kill them one by one, they must band together as a family, survive another deadly war, all while testing their new mortality.

Gather your kin for more war in Kill All Immortals II #1 (of 5) when the visceral sequel arrives in comic shops on October 1, 2025, for $4.99.

Preview: Dark Empty Void #5

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Dark Empty Void #5

(W) Zack Kaplan (A) Chris Shehan (C) Francesco Segala (L) Justin Birch

The end is here. Now fully committed to helping Art at any costs, Joy charts a daring path through the deadly creature’s hive, past the point of no return, and into the black hole itself, where she will confront the final mysteries of this wonderous phenomenon and find out once and for all, why a human stranger came out of this black hole.

Dark Empty Void #5

Silicon Valley’s smartest secret society invites you to play their game in Masterminds

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Dark Horse Comics and creative team behind The Midnight: Shadows OGN is granting anyone who dares an opportunity of a lifetime—the chance to join the world’s smartest mastermind circle. And while for centuries, the world might have had many mastermind circles, real groups, secret, elite cohorts of influential individuals dedicated to the unbridled success of their members by any means necessary, none are so powerful as this one–Masterminds.

Are you smart enough to survive their deadly game of riddles, puzzles and tests? And if so, are you willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead and finally win? Writer Zack Kaplan, cover and series artist Stephen Thompson, colorist Thiago Rocha, and prolific Eisner-winning letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou invite you to a gauntlet of the mind in the new comic series, Masterminds. Variant covers are provided by Aaron Campbell and Bjorn Barends.

Masterminds is waiting for you to show if you are truly worthy, beginning in August 2025. Accept the invitation, prove your worth and pre-order Masterminds #1 (of 5) before it arrives in comic shops on August 27, 2025, for $4.99. 

Preview: Dark Empty Void #4

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Dark Empty Void #4

(W) Zack Kaplan (A) Chris Shehan (C) Francesco Segala (L) Justin Birch

All is lost. After a deadly attack by the black hole’s creatures, and in the face of defeat and tragedy, Mammoth’s remaining survivors launch a misguided plan to save the mission, and Joy must confront her deepest fears, accept the inevitable end of the world, and agree to help Art make it back to the black hole if they can survive in time.

Dark Empty Void #4

Preview: Dark Empty Void #3

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Dark Empty Void #3

(W) Zack Kaplan (A/CA) Chris Shehan (C) Francesco Segala (L) Justin Birch

Hope fades. Terrorized in the dark by deadly interstellar creatures, Joy and the team plot a wild dangerous plan to shut off the terminal’s electricity and try to starve the black hole of its energy source, but as new secrets surface behind the black hole’s origins, Joy comes to realize the horrifying truth about Art, the maelstrom’s beings and the perilous phenomenon.

Dark Empty Void #3

Preview: Dark Empty Void #2

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Dark Empty Void #2

(W) Zack Kaplan (A/CA) Chris Shehan (C) Francesco Segala (L) Justin Birch

Fear mounts. Psychologist Joy Frank, her estranged husband, and a team of soldiers and scientists set out on a mission to take the mysterious human girl to the center of the black hole, but as they cross into the cosmic maelstrom, and into a strange world that contains surreal alien life from the black hole itself, they will soon learn why the other teams never came out.

Dark Empty Void #2

Dark Empty Void #1 kicks off a fantastic sci-fi mystery

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Dark Empty Void #1

Scientists have created a stable, microscopic black hole in a secret underground compound, but when they lose control, the black hole spews out a cosmic maelstrom, strange dangerous creatures, and most surprisingly…a mysterious human teenage girl. Now, a depressed but brilliant psychologist must help her estranged husband and the other scientists solve the mystery and close the black hole before it consumes all of Earth. Dark Empty Void #1 is a hell of a start that has us clamoring for more.

Written by Zack Kaplan, Dark Empty Void #1 is a great start to the series building a mystery that has us sucked in to see what happens next. Thompsons not only brings the mystery but he brings human conflict with characters that are flawed and bring their shortcomings to the situation. It sets up a story that feels like it’s all about the journey in multiple ways.

At the heart of the story are two individuals. Colson, the scientist working on the mysterious black hole project and Joy, his estranged wife who wants a divorce and a psychologist. Joy, whose name feels purposely chosen due to her current personal situation, needs to help Colson figure out what’s going on with the mysterious being who has come through the black hole. The result is a debut that feels like Stargate in some ways with an infinite amount of wonders and horrors awaiting.

Chris Shehan‘s art is fantastic delivering both wonder and dread as we discover more and more about what’s going on. Shehan is helped by Francesco Segala whose colors add to the rather dour vibe for some of the comic and Justin Birch‘s lettering adds to the emotional aspects. The comic’s visuals are interesting keeping things focused on the moment with just enough to set the mood and tell us a lot about what’s going on through body language, settings, and more. The visuals hold the key balancing both excitement and fear.

Dark Empty Void #1 is a hell of a start that has us excited to see what’s coming next. It can go so many different ways and teases a mysterious ride that’ll bring an emotional punch. It’s a can’t miss for those that love science fiction.

Story: Zack Kaplan Art: Chris Shehan
Color: Francesco Segala Letterer: Justin Birch
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Mad Cave Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Preview: Dark Empty Void #1

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Dark Empty Void #1

(W) Zack Kaplan (A/CA) Chris Shehan (C) Francesco Segala (L) Justin Birch (CB) Christian Ward

Scientists have created a stable, microscopic black hole in a secret underground compound, but when they lose control, the black hole spews out a cosmic maelstrom, strange dangerous creatures, and most surprisingly…a mysterious human teenage girl. Now, a depressed but brilliant psychologist must help her estranged husband and the other scientists solve the mystery and close the black hole before it consumes all of Earth.

Dare to witness a cosmic horror series that will amaze and terrify you, with hit comic creator Zack Kaplan (Kill All Immortals, Beyond Real, Mindset), fan-favorite artist Chris Shehan (The Autumnal, House of Slaughter), rising star colorist Francesco Segala (Nights, House of Slaughter) and Ringo-nominated letterer Justin Birch (Road of Bones, House of Slaughter).

Dark Empty Void #1

Kill All Immortals #1 Has Us Hooked

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Kill All Immortals #1

A thousand years ago, Viking explorer Erik the Red and his four adult children discovered a mysterious source of immortality. Now, in our modern world, they are an enigmatic billionaire family with a powerful banking empire. But when Erik’s only daughter, Frey Asvald, seeks to finally be free from her family’s influence, she must be prepared to reveal their supernatural secrets and confront her well-trained siblings in a deadly and epic struggle for power. Kill All Immortals #1 kicks off an intriguing series that feels like a bloody version of Succession.

Written by Zack Kaplan, Kill All Immortals #1 is a solid start to the series. It teases its concept throughout the issue, instead focusing on its main characters who we’re quickly taught to fear. They’re businessmen who bring a brutal and bloody aspect to how they go about theirs. It’s an interesting start that sets up a myth and then quickly shows readers that myth is reality.

Kaplan makes sure to deliver twists and turns and what seems like a story of corporate battles, is in fact a much deeper family struggle with an ending that feels more like The Menu than anything else.

The larger than life characters are brought to life through the art of Fico Ossio whose art emphasizes their cold strength. With color by Thiago Rocha and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, the visuals are perfect for the comic. From glitzy and glam to bloody and brutal, the art captures each moment and gives us a perfect understanding of the characters that will make up our power struggle.

Kill All Immortals #1 is an interesting debut that has us wanting to read the second issue immediately. Yes, there’s a dash of Succession but it feels more like the horror of The Menu and its cat and mouse game by the end. Where this series goes will be interesting and we can’t wait to find out.

Story: Zack Kaplan Art: Fico Ossio
Color: Thiago Rocha Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 9.0 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

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