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Artificial Intelligence will Help Commit the Perfect Crime in The Smart Division from Zack Kaplan, John Pearson, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and Tom Muller

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Continuing the hit-filled 2026 lineup for Zack Kaplan and Dark Horse Comics, The Smart Division reunites Kaplan with Eisner-winning superstar artist John Pearson. This is their first series together since their fan favorite Vault Comics series Mindset, which was optioned by Boatrocker Studios and Don Cheadle’s Radicle Act for TV development. Now, Pearson and Kaplan build a world straight out of a modern-day detective’s crime files, as an artificial intelligence app offers to serve our worst instincts and assist us in evading law enforcement. How will our criminal justice system possibly stand up to the power of A.I.? And can two disparate detectives with vastly different relationships with technology come together to track down this mysterious new threat? Eisner-winning letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and Eisner-nominated designer Tom Muller joins the duo for this story that’s perfect for fans of The X-Files, True Detective, and Minority Report!

Main cover art for this series by Pearson with variant covers for issue #1 from Jesse Lonergan, Jacob Phillips, and illustrator Matt Taylor.

When a mysterious new predictive artificial intelligence program appears responsible for assisting someone in the perfect murder, a pair of unlikely investigators, a chaotic Gen-Z savant and a veteran FBI agent, must hunt down the killer by starting the FBI’s first AI crimes division.

Get ready for the new age of crime comics when The Smart Division #1 (of 5) arrives in comic shops on August 5, 2026, for $4.99.

Zack Kaplan and Stefano Raffaele’s Only the Savage are Left Lets Loose our Monsters

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After announcing a blockbuster line-up of three action-packed series for 2026, in a multi-title deal, Dark Horse Comics and Zack Kaplan reveal the details of the next hit series; Only the Savage are Left. Partnering with artist Stefano Raffaele, with colors by Thiago Rocha and letters by Eisner-winning Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and book designer, Tom Muller, the series brings readers deep into a dangerous world of monsters and monster-killers. Only the Savage are Left #1 features covers by Raffaele, Marco Mastrazzo, Todd Beats, and David Mack. 

A strange virus has spread across the world, transforming its victims into monsters. The only cure is to kill another infected soul. When a non-violent young man sets out from the safety of his settlement to find his missing true love, he must face the corrupted world of monsters and monster-killers. A dramatic survival adventure that dares to ask what we should stand for in the monster apocalypse.

Zack Kaplan and Steffano Raffaele’s apocalypse of love and monsters Only the Savage are Left #1 arrives in comic shops on June 3, 2026, for $4.99.

Zack Kaplan and Dark Horse Reveal a Multi-Title Deal for 2026

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Following the success of Kill All Immortals, Masterminds, The Midnight Shadows, and Break Out, Zack Kaplan and Dark Horse Comics are continuing their partnership to offer a thrilling slate of new 2026 comic series throughout the Dark Horse 40th anniversary year. Starting with Only The Savage Are Left in June, Kaplan teams up with artist Stefano Raffaele, followed by The Smart Division with John J Pearson in late summer, before finishing out the year’s lineup with Marvel superstar artist Francesco Manna, for a finale to the story of Frey Asvald in Kill All Immortals III in the fall. The slate includes the work of Thiago Rocha, and Eisner-winning letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou alongside Eisner-winning designer Tom Muller.

Stefano Raffaele joins Kaplan, with colors by Rocha and letters by Otsmane-Elhaou, for Only The Savage Are Left, a powerful and dramatic action-adventure story where surviving the monster-apocalypse requires you to become a monster yourself.

Look for Only The Savage Are Left to arrive in comic shops on June 3, 2026.

Only The Savage Are Left

Kaplan and Pearson, with letterer Otsmane-Elhaou, follow up their series Mindset with The Smart Division. It’s a dark and modern sci-fi detective series about the first AI app that helps us commit the perfect crimes, and the two disparate FBI agents who must hunt it down and stop it.

Find The Smart Division at your favorite comic shop in late fall. More details to come.

The Smart Division

Rocha and Otsmane-Elhaou return for the violently fantastic conclusion of Kaplan’s immortal Viking trilogy alongside Manna’s high impact artwork. The series is heralded as Succession meets John Wick with the fever-pitch action of heroines like Erika Slaughter. The action-packed series finale will see Viking warrior Frey Asvald face a broken family, a modern world of immortal rivals, and the ultimate question – will she free herself from immortality or accept it? Ringo-Award winning, Clio-winning cover artist Oliver Barrett returns with Francesco Manna for some killer Issue #1 covers.

Kill All Immortals III is expected to hit your local comic shop in the fall.

Kill All Immortals III 

The excitement for Zack Kaplan stories from Dark Horse Comics in 2026 begins when Only The Savage Are Left #1 arrives in comic shops on June 3, 2026, for $4.99.

Bad people doing bad things in a tale of fire and murder in Southern California. Blacking Out gets a hardcover release in October

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Fire and murder blaze across the deserts of Southern California in Blacking Out, coming soon from Dark Horse Books. Originally funded on Kickstarter, this noir crime adventure will be published for the first time as a hardcover graphic novel. From the minds of comics industry veteran and writer Chip Mosher and legendary artist Peter Krause, with colors by Giulia Brusco, letters by Ed Dukeshire and logo by Tom Muller comes this new dark thriller.

Originally a Kickstarter, the graphic novel was released in 2021 and raised over $44,000 from 875 backers. In August 2023, Dark Horse announced it’d release the graphic novel originally solicited for April 2024. Now, the graphic novel will come to shelves in October.

A disgraced ex-cop, Conrad, seeks redemption by unraveling an unsolved murder during Southern California’s fire season. Conrad follows a lone clue—a discarded crucifix—to unravel the death of Karen Littleton, whose body was found amid a blaze that scorched 10,000 acres. The search leads him to clash with the victim’s father and prime suspect, Robert Littleton, as well as hostile former colleagues on the local police force. All the while, Conrad combats his consuming alcoholism and fading faculties.

Will his “questionable” methods net him a murderer, or will the grizzled detective be brought to his knees by heartbreak and addiction? Find out in this all-new edition of Blacking Out, a scorching crime noir comic set in a small town in the dry California desert.

The Blacking Out hardcover will be available in bookstores October 1, 2024 and in comic shops October 2, 2024. It is available for pre-order now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, TFAW, and at your local comic shop and bookstore and will retail for $19.99.

Wolverine #41, Bring On Sabertooth! 

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Wolverine #41

It’s one of the greatest hero and villain relationships in comics, Wolverine and Sabertooth. These characters have been at it longer than I’ve been alive. And here writers Victor LaValle and Benjamin Percy alongside pencilers Geoff Shaw and Cory Smith tell their own saga in this most epic of comic book rivalries. 

I’m a huge fan of Percy’s Wolverine, I think he has one of the best voices for the character ever and really understands Logan. LaValle has told two Sabertooth stories before, the eponymously named Sabertooth and Sabertooth And The Exiles. Both of which are steller comics that take the character of Sabertooth in unexpectedly narratively rich places and explore issues like the carceral system and institutional medical abuse of minority groups. In the first part of the Sabertooth War epic Percy and LaValle mix their peanut butter and chocolate into a oh so great flavor. 

Sabertooth And The Exiles left off with Sabertooth meeting up with a multiversal cohort of his variants, after raiding a collection of Orchis bases. Wolverine and X-Force left off with Wolverine meeting back up with X-Force, his biological, and found family in the arctic. Here they collide on Wolverine’s birthday just in time for Sabertooth to tear it all down. 

The cover of the title purports to be “The most violent Wolverine story ever told”, while that’s a high bar to match — and maybe not even a worthy challenge to even attempt — Sabertooth war takes a valiant swing at it with some truly brutal moments. Only time will tell if those moments eclipse pure shock value or not, at times they were pretty hard to read, but it’s a great way to show the brutality of Sabertooth.  

On the art front I was a little disappointed to hear that the artist on the past two Sabertooth series Leonard Kirk wouldn’t be returning. That being said pencilers Geoff Shaw and Cory Smith alongside colorist Alex Sinclair and inker Oren Junior do a fantastic job of telling this gorey tale. Shaw’s pencils and inks remind me much more of Kirk’s but Smith and Junior’s work is by no means a slouch either. 

The first chapter in Sabertooth War is a very promising start. It’s appropriately violent while also having some surprisingly tender moments before all hell breaks loose. The title is an easy recommendation. 

Story: Victor LaValle & Benjamin Percy Art: Geoff Shaw & Cory Smith
Color: Alex Sinclair Inker: Oren Junior Letterer: Cory Petit Design: Stacie Zucker with Tom Muller & Jay Bowen
Story: 9.5 Art: 9.0 Overall: 10.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Fall Of The House Of X #1 is a Disappointing Start 

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Fall of the House of X #1

Fall Of The House Of X has huge boots to fill, there is a certain boldness with naming a comic after one of the best X-Men stories ever told. Not only that but it sets out to be the cap end to the story that comic started, all of this leaves a lot of room for comparisons. Unfortunately Fall Of The House Of X #1 by Gerry Duggan and Lucas Werneck does not invite flattering comparisons between the two and overall disappoints. 

The Mutants lost at the Hellfire Gala, they lost bad. They were slaughtered and scattered to the winds. And now Cyclops stands on trial, in a way it isn’t just him standing on trial, it’s the entirety of Mutantdom. The architects of the brutal attack on the Hellfire Gala, Orchis, wants to use him to set a precedent, I think? The issue is a little vague on what the consequences of this trial actually are. It’s clear that Cyclops losing this sham trial is supposed to be the winning blow for Orchis but it’s never elaborated on as to why. This sets a precedent for this issue itself, things are a little unclear. For instance, Wolverine and Colossus along with a few other X-Men are on a mission to liberate Cyclops before the trial, but in X-Force they are on the complete opposite side of the planet, we aren’t told how they met up with the other X-Men, it’s just a gap that we are meant to fill in our heads, and there are quite a few gaps like it in this issue. This thing isn’t rare in comics but the Krakoan era has been such an interconnected one that it’s somewhat befuddling to have two books be asynchronous and at odds like that during the climax. Especially when the past five months of The Fall Of X could have been used to set up this very climax. 

If I had to use one word to describe this issue it would be abrupt, which is a shame since so much of the Fall Of X has been set up for this very issue, but even then it still feels like we are a couple months off before the books line up with the events we see in this comic. Hell there is even an editor’s box telling us to check out upcoming issues of Invincible Iron Man to be filled in on plot details that are supposed to be unfolding in the now of this book. 

It’s not all bad though, there is some pretty short but sweet stuff with Cyclops that lands well even in the midst of an overall confused trial that we barely get to see any of. Plus, there is a particular moment at the end of the issue that still blew my socks off and delivers on the type of bombast Duggan is known for. Duggan is a talented writer, he’s great at doing character driven stuff and big superheroic bombast, but frankly this is not him at his best.

On the art front Lucas Werneck is good but perhaps not the best fit for a big action event book like this. Werneck is still a developing artist but he is great at two things in particular, character interactions and amazing poses. While both of those are on offer here and are a feast for the eyes they don’t make up the eternity of this book. There are also some moments where the art looks rushed, which again is unfortunate for a big event book like this. The art is by no means bad but it’s an ill fit for what this book is going for. 

Overall Fall Of The House Of X #1 is a disappointing start made all the more unfortunate by the quality of what preceded it, not only its namesake but Duggan’s other work from the Fall Of X which has largely been stellar. Hopefully the following issues can pick up the momentum the first issue so desperately lacked. 

Story: Gerry Duggan Art: Lucas Werneck
Color: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Travis Lanham Design: Tom Muller & Jay Bowen
Story: 6.5 Art: 7.7 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

Fall of the House of X #1 kicks off the war against Orchis

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Fall of the House of X #1

Mutantkind has never had a greater fall. From the highs of Krakoa – their own glorious nation, a place where they were safe and happy – to the lowest of lows. Outlawed, hunted, killed, most of their kind missing or dead, and now, one their greatest leaders, Cyclops, is on trial facing a death penalty. Ready or not, the time has come for the X-Men to make their final stand against the forces that have struck them low. The day is now. The place is here. The tale of the house Xavier built will long be told…and few will forget this darkest chapter. Fall of the House of X #1 kicks off the the end of the Krakoan era for the X-Men leading into what comes next.

I’ll admit, I haven’t been a fan of the Krakoan age of the X-Men. While there’s many interesting aspects, the storyline got too far from their roots. They went from the underdogs, the oppressed, to nationalists. They stated they were “gods” to humankind. It also took away any sense of danger with their ability to create new bodies and download their minds into them, though it explained their lack of aging. Small details here and there worked but overall, it’s an experiment that I don’t think did what it intended to do.

With the “Mutant Massacre” and attack on Krakoa by Orchis, the era began to wrap up leading into Fall of X. Their numbers dwindled. The ability to be reborn was taken away. The comic felt closer to the X-Men of the past, an oppressed group looking to fight for their rights and equality.

Written by Gerry Duggan Fall of the House of X #1 begins the final chapter of that story, beginning to truly wrap up and transition to what’s next. Fall of X was the lead up to this, getting things in order. And the result is an ok beginning.

Duggan tightens the focus a bit, with Cyclops on trial for what feels like all of Mutantdom. But, there’s a mission to free him while taking the fight to Orchis. It’s all rather cinematic and in some ways predictable in that things don’t go as planned. But, where the comic fumbles is when things really get going. The battle goes from 0 to 60 in a blink. It feels rushed, which the attack by the X-Men against Orchis is, but that rushed feeling also makes it seem like something is missing in the storytelling.

The art by Lucas Werneck is solid. The characters look good and there’s a lot of dynamic moments that hit the right emotional queues. Werneck is joined by Bryan Valenza on color and Travis Lanham on lettering. Like the narrative, the art has a slight bump as well when things ramp up. It too feels like it goes into overdrive where visuals go from rather tight and focused moments to gigantic battles. It’s like a step has been missed.

Overall, the comic is ok. Fall of the House of X #1 shows off some potential as to where things go but it doesn’t quite excite and stand on its own. It feels like a slightly opening chapter before the credits of the action film roll. It does a good job of creating the situation and setting but as a comic, it has a sense of being rushed.

Story: Gerry Duggan Art: Lucas Werneck
Color: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Travis Lanham Design: Tom Muller, Jay Bowen
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

X-Men Blue: Origins #1 clears up that whole Nightcrawler/Mystique connection

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X-Men Blue: Origins #1

You think you know how the beloved blue devil came into this troubled world? You think you know the tale of his mendacious mamma Mystique? You don’t! Mother and son reunite in a mold-shattering tale that exposes secrets held for decades and redefines both characters forever. X-Men Blue: Origins #1 dives into the history of Nightcrawler and Mystique, delivering the definitive “origin” and connection between the two settling decades of speculation.

Written by Si Spurrier, X-Men Blue: Origins #1 is a fairly straightforward comic. Mystique seeks out Nightcrawler who is now dressed as Spider-Man doing the heroic thing in New York and the two lay it all out on the table. For years there’s been speculation, rumors, confusion as to the connection between Nightcrawler and Mystique and this issue clears tha tup with the definitive take and answer. And it’s… kind of not surprising?

While Spurrier clears things up, the story overall isn’t as shocking/weird/new as one might expect. There’s some small details regarding Mystique’s mutation which sets up the character to have an even more interesting future, but the connection between her and Nightcrawler overall feels rather… anticlimactic.

There’s some emotional moments and in the end you feel bad for Mystique and the trauma she’s enduring but the issue really feels like it highlights the fact it’s taken so long to get here. This all should have been resolved years before. It also continues to highlight the fact that Professor X is kind of a bad guy in the big picture of things, continuing his slide over the years from visionary to borderline villain.

X-Men Blue: Origins #1 has some interesting aspects regarding Destiny and “fate.” That aspect hopefully will be explored in further storylines down the road as the implication on Nightcrawler and his role in events is pretty significant. Overall, it comes off as a concept that’s thrown out there but the reaction isn’t quite what you’d really expect and feels a bit subdued.

The art by Wilton Santos and Marcus To is solid. They’re joined by Oren Junior on ink, Ceci De La Cruz on color and Joe Caramagna on lettering. The comic looks great with some small bumps visually. You get the feeling of the emotion and confusion coming from Mystique but the visuals never quite give that overly dramatic moment where you really connect with the character and what she’s going through. It lays out the emotion but I never really connected with the emotional moments.

X-Men Blue: Origins #1 really is for those that care about the small details and need to know definitive origins. So far, its impact feels like what’s teased about Mystique’s power will have greater ramifications than the connection between her and Nightcrawler. Not a bad issue and some interesting history of the characters but overall what comes out of it, if anyhting, feels like it’ll matter more.

Story: Si Spurrier Art: Wilton Santos, Marcus To
Ink: Oren Junior Color: Ceci De La Cruz Letterer: Joe Caramagna Design Tom Muller, Jay Bowen
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

“Succession” meets “John Wick” with immortal Vikings in Kill All Immortals

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Get ready for a bloodthirsty, immortal fight like no other, with comic creator Zack Kaplan, artist Fico Ossio, multi-Eisner Award-winning colorist Jordie Bellaire, Eisner-nominated designer Tom Muller, and Eisner-nominated letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Dark Horse Comics presents Kill All Immortals, with the 26-page issue #1 arriving in comic shops on February 21, 2024. 

The main cover art for the series is by Clio Award-winning artist Oliver Barrett featuring his action-focused, sculpted style, giving the series cinematic intensity. The variant cover for issue #1 features the extremely detailed art of Vincenzo Riccardi, and a 1:10 variant is provided by terrifyingly talented artist Rafael Albuquerque. 

A thousand years ago, Viking explorer Erik the Red and his four adult children discovered a mysterious source of immortality. In our modern world, they are an enigmatic billionaire family with a powerful banking empire. But when Erik’s only daughter, Frey Asvald, seeks freedom 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. 

Featuring fantastic fight sequences and breathtaking, immersive artwork, the violent story of Vikings, family, and the choices we make to break the bonds that hold us back culminates in a visceral battle when Kill All Immortals #1 arrives in comic shops on February 21, 2024. Pre-order the deadly first issue from your local comic shop today for $3.99.

Uncanny Spider-Man #1 sends Kurt on a story of redemption

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Uncanny Spider-Man #1

On the darkest of days, he is the spark in the shadows! After the devastating events of the Hellfire Gala, Kurt Wagner is on the run – and having the time of his life?! Swashbuckling about NYC in disguise, the Uncanny Wallcrawler sets aside his mutant angst and dedicates himself to the hero’s life: saving civilians, hanging with fellow wallcrawlers, battling baddies, and hunting down the best pizza on the planet. But he can’t ignore the mutant plight forever… Uncanny Spider-Man #1 kicks off the next journey for Kurt as he attempts to find redemption and heal from his past.

Written by Si Spurrier, Uncanny Spider-Man #1 is an interesting comic. It’s entertaining and fun overall really emphasizing the playful nature of Nightcrawler. But, it also feels a bit odd in its focus on things that shouldn’t be all that new and surprising for Kurt.

The comic takes us through some adventures of Kurt as he stops bad guys and has run in with Sentinels. It’s all fun action but overall it’s the other moments that really stand out. We get a hurt and still healing Kurt talking to Spider-Man about his current status. The conversation is interesting with real heart and plays off the personalities of the two quite well. But, the negative, is Spurrier’s focus on Kurt the outsider. There’s a focus on his attempt at banter with villains and pizza. The idea of Kurt not knowing pizza all that well feels a bit odd like he’s treated as brand new to New York City and the US as a whole. It just doesn’t feel like something he’d be so surprised about, enjoy like TMNT sure, but there’s a weird focus on it in the comic. But, Spurrier really nail’s Kurt’s playfulness and juxtaposes it with Peter Parker Spider-Man to show that when it comes to other characters donning Spider-Man’s costume, he’s not that odd of a choice.

Lee Garbett‘s art is entertaining. With color by Matt Milla and lettering by Joe Caramagna, the comic has a swashbuckling nature about it, a modern day Three Muskateers vibe as Kurt bamfs in to save the day. Like the story itself, the visuals play off what makes him an interesting character. There’s the exaggerated poses, the bamf, and the tail that make him stand out. There’s also a slight darkness about the comic too which reflects the sad nature of it all as Kurt must clear his name and find direction.

Uncanny Spider-Man #1 is a fun read but there’s moments the characterization of Nightcrawler seems a bit odd and outdated. Still, it’s an interesting new take for the character and with what’s teased, a hell of a big deal for what’s to come for the entire X-Men line.

Story: Si Spurrier Art: Lee Garbett
Color: Matt Milla Letterer: Joe Caramagna Design: Tom Muller, Jay Bowen
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

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