"Dark Empty Void" is , sadly both the title of this new offering by Zack Kaplan and a pretty good description of the book itself. Combining above average and even memorable artwork with a lackluster and underdeveloped plot this book just never quite gets to where it wants to be. The plot itself essentially follows a "science gone wrong" theme . There's a little bit of sinister "X-Files" action, a relationship on the rocks sub plot and a mysterious stranger, whose identity is completely obvious, thrown in as well, but the story never takes off and in the end there is very little to hold the reader's attention.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Comics for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded to 3.

I’ll start this review by saying if Sci-Fi is your genre you are much better equipped for this graphic novel than I was; Sci-Fi isn’t usually I genre I pick, but this story peaked my interest, and honestly in terms of sci-fi it did have some interesting takes, however overall it didn’t sell me on Sci-Fi.

In this novel we follow a psychologist, a mysterious girl, and a scientist, all working on a solution to a problem they created ‘the dark void’, an interesting concept but the pacing in this novel wasn’t ideal, in many parts I felt the emotions were rushed and overlooked, you would have a sad emotional scene which was quickly interrupted by some high-intensity action, and honestly nothing particularly f exciting happened until halfway through this novel. However whilst plot twists were fairly predictable, I did like how real the main characters felt, whilst I didn’t feel for them a great lot, I did like how they were real people, with real problems, and real vices.

Whilst there were some parts of this novel that I didn’t care for, something I did care a great deal for was the attention to detail in the illustrations, the illustrators including a great deal of colour in muted tones that complimented the darkness of the overall story, I particularly enjoyed the numerous illustrations that spanned over two pages.

Overall the novel was a fairly easy read, with a decent plot, and enticing illustrations. And once again this may be more enjoyable if Sci-Fi is your thing

I liked this comic. It was a bit flashy at times, but at other times it felt like it made perfect sense, and the important thing is the feeling and emotions it conveys. Interesting, thoughtful, a bit violent at times (though nothing serious at all).

I think there are interesting things to explore in that universe.

Thank you so much, Mad Cave Studios, for the digital copy I read on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw that cover I was completely mesmerized. And not only does it have amazing art, an interesting concept, and is super engaging. But it also deals with the topic of depression in a good way.

Who is this strange girl? And how is she connected to the black hole?
The story starts off very strong even with little character introduction, which isn’t needed since you get to know them more as the story continues, and a dynamic that you wouldn’t expect.
Each page gets more captivating as it goes on and makes it hard to put down, making you root for a couple that you’ve only known for a short amount of time.

I’ll definitely keep an eye out on future releases because I can’t wait to see how it all continues.

In a hidden facility deep underground, a group of scientists have done the impossible. They've created a stable miniature black hole. But to their dismay, the black hole loses that stability and quickly grows into a cosmic maelstrom. But from out of the center of that storm appears...a teenage girl?! A renowned psychologist is called into the top secret project to help the team communicate with this mysterious teenage girl. Together, they set out to shut down the machines holding the black hole open. This was by and large a sci-fi story, but the plot itself also focuses hard on interpersonal relationships. It also focuses on how just because something is broken, it doesn't mean it can't be mended or turned into something new. I actually really liked the art style, it really helped to give a grand scale to what the story is dealing with.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a very strange book! It was a mix of sci-fi meets aliens meets space and i was a little confused almost all of the manga but it was a fun time and i liked the characters.

I really enjoyed this, I love cosmic horror and the way this portrayed not only deeply terrifying cosmical aspects, but also how it intertwines with the human psyche and how our seemly banal and minuscule fears can feel enormous. I think it's the comic format and the limited time you get in the story, but I felt like it had the potential for a fully fleshed-out character exploration. It was interesting, and the art was amazing. I gave it a 3,5 stars rounded down.

I really enjoyed this one - full of action-packed drama and great characters. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next! Highly recommend.

The premise has a lot of potential, but I think that there's too much going on in an attempt to establish nuance that not much ends up being created in the end. I love the idea of interweaving depression's all-consuming immobility with progressive scientific discovery, but the narrative itself is confusing and it doesn't quite come together. It's difficult to get invested in these characters right up until one moment at the very end. I am genuinely not sure where this is going to lead at all, which is surprising given that it's the introductory volume. The art style was nice with how detail oriented it could get and its use of color though. I would tune in for the next volume to see what direction the characters will be led in.

So beautiful, SO CINEMATIC! I felt like I was watching a movie wow wow wow the storytelling and PARALLELS were so touching. An absolute masterpiece. It felt like it was completed in a way that didn't warrant a sequel, so I'm a little confused, but so far. as a standalone, it stands beautifully.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

This was an interesting story. It kind of reminded me of the movie Arrival with the mind bending aspect of it and Joy seeing the future and all. It's also a bit like the movie Alien as well though if only in the fact that not many people survived the event. The black hole was an interesting concept overall but I wish they expanded more on Art and why she in particular was taken out of the void and how she was linked to it in the first place. That part was a little unclear honestly.

What happens when humanity tries to control the cosmos—and the cosmos fights back?

In this chilling, mind-bending sci-fi horror series, a team of scientists unlocks the unthinkable: a stable microscopic black hole. But instead of answers, they unleash terror—a chaotic storm of alien life, cosmic threats, and, most mysteriously, a human teenage girl who shouldn't exist.

With Earth’s survival hanging in the balance, a grieving, genius psychologist is forced to reunite with her estranged husband to face the impossible. As reality unravels and danger grows, this series pulls you into a terrifying, high-stakes mystery that blends hard science, cosmic horror, and deep human emotion.

Zack Kaplan delivers another gripping, cerebral story full of sharp twists and big questions. Chris Shehan’s moody, kinetic art and Francesco Segala’s eerie palette create an atmosphere that’s both beautiful and unsettling. Fans of Annihilation, The Thing, or Interstellar will find plenty to love—and fear.

This is cosmic horror done right: smart, stylish, and truly unsettling.

This one really didn't work for me. The concept was a little too reminiscent of Arrival (an academic gets recruited to deal with a science fiction-y anomaly by her soon-to-be ex partner and learns that space and time is more than it seems), and the main character, Joy, leaps to conclusions based on very little information to move the plot forward. The tension wasn't effective- Joy and her ex Coulson are having long yet sort of vague emotional conversations while floating toward a back hole, often with no sense of urgency or danger. The art has some cool elements, especially the depiction of the glowing creatures and the black hole itself, but having all of the characters in full suits and helmets the majority of the time really limits expressiveness and movement.

A very fast, although confusing (for me personally) read.
The story was...ok. Like I said, confusing.
But the art style was top notch.

The blurb uses the words cosmic horror, but overall, this was much more of a thoughtful sci-fi story about how fear can shackle and hold you back. This would be right at home as a Black Mirror episode. The art and character design are great, but the story was easy to predict and overfamiliar at times.

A cosmic horror that my breath away. The artwork here was amazing. The story was extremely intriguing. Reminded me of Antihalation.

Was an okay read, but seemed to not really do anything. Illustrations were pretty. Overall just wished it had more substance.

More like a 4.5 star read. What an exciting and also poignant story. Would make a fantastic film. Loved the illustrations throughout and it made me cry when the ending came about and the future was there IYKYK gave me all the feels. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0 ⭐

This is exactly the kind of graphic novel I love. Gorgeous art, complex characters, a plot that kept me guessing until the end, and just enough science to make me worry what humanity is going to do next.

The rougher sketchy art might put off some readers who are used to the more polished look of capes and supers, but the use of colour and tones were masterful and told just as much of the story as the dialogue.

There is some minor gore elements but there are other strong emotional triggers and I would encourage others to double check them before reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the Arc copy of this title.

Thank you NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The art style of this graphic novel was beautiful and the concept was there. However, I felt like this wasn’t the first volume of a series, as I was reading it I felt very confused as to what was happening and had to double check that I wasn’t reading a second or third volume in a series. I felt the characters lacked development and I had no reason to root for them. Overall, the story has potential, but I wish there was a tad more explanation about the black hole research they were conducting, and more information about the characters because I really had a hard time caring about what happened to them near the end.

#IndigoEmployee