Dark Empty Void looks great, but the story doesn’t live up to the art. The idea sounds cool - I picked it up expecting a thrilling sci-fi horror story about scientists creating a black hole that spits out monsters. That, and the cover was stunning. But the plot is thin and easy to predict. Characters feel flat, and it’s hard to care about what happens to them. The comic often tells you how characters feel instead of showing it, which takes away from the emotional impact. Some scenes feel rushed or confusing, like parts are missing. Others over-explain. In the end, it’s just okay.

This was such a captivating read! I really felt for the couple and felt that they were really well rounded despite how short the book is. I actually think the shortness of the book emphasises the gravity of the situation and kept me tense as I read (this is a good thing!) I can't wait to go and read more from this author!

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

The first thing that caught my attention about this comic was the cover, is a true work of art. Absolutely stunning.

That said, I was expecting more from this comic. While it was a decent read and kept me engaged until the end, it left me with a feeling of dissapoinment. I don't think I fully grasped everything I read—it felt like just a glimpse of something that could have been great.

I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. There were parts of the plot I enjoyed, but I think the characters needed more development. I get that there’s limited space to do that in this format, but still, i reached the end not really caring what happened to them.

The artwork is very good. Honestly, in my opinion the visual aspect of the comic stood out a little more than the storytelling.
It had a lot of potential, but I feel like it got lost trying to be too deep.

3/5 stars.

Dark Empty Void is a sci-fi, psychological thriller, and mystery comic book that explores themes of fear, love, depression, and humanity.

The story follows Dr. Joy, a psychiatrist, and her estranged husband, Dr. Colson, who works for a company called Mammoth. This company has managed to create and stabilize a miniature black hole in a secret lab in Alaska. When the black hole unexpectedly ejects a living, breathing girl named Artemis, the scientists realize that it is slowly beginning to expand and that they can no longer shut it down. Dr. Colson calls in Joy in an attempt to understand and communicate with Artemis to find a solution before the black hole destroys the world.

The plot is immediately captivating and highly creative, instantly grabbing your attention. It is a well-written book with excellent pacing; I read the entire story in one sitting. However, it is quite short and could have benefited from being more fleshed out. We see the world through Joy's eyes, and unfortunately, she is the only character who feels fully developed. Everyone else, including Dr. Colson, comes off as secondary. Nonetheless, the writing is so engaging that I couldn’t stop reading.

The art complements the setting of the book quite nicely, with realistic and expressive character designs, beautifully punch and contrasty colors, and extremely detailed cover art. The design of the black hole and the environment within it were splendid, making excellent use of color to amplify its otherworldly/celestial feel. I also love the design of the Sci-Fi containment suits they wore when entering the black hole. The illustration of the monsters within the black hole felt a bit lazy though, and could have benefited from a lot more detail, besides this, the artist and especially the colorist did a very good job bringing this world to life.

If you’re craving your next unique and captivating Sci-Fi read, then this is it, and it’s a very easy read. Strongly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for providing me with a Free ARC. I’m voluntarily leaving this review, and all opinions are my own

An estranged couple work together to close a black hole manufactured on Earth by a group of scientists. Despite having dual timelines, the story flows seamlessly allowing the reader to understand that reality and the environment which creates it are far greater than humans usually perceive them to be.

This graphic novel tackles diversity and disability issues without becoming preachy, thus allowing high school-aged and older readers to focus on the hopeful lessons to be gleaned from the narrative. And although the story evokes a sometimes dark philosophical mood, the art counterbalances this melancholia with the bright shine of the storm and the glowing objects seen throughout the book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-graphic novel arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read and had a good lesson on depression and being afraid to take steps in your life to bring yourself out of it and to start a new path in life. The illustrations were excellent. The plot, though I wish it developed a little more, was quite engaging. I believe this may end up being a series of graphic novels that I would be interested in picking up to see how the plot further develops.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the advanced copy.

This wasn't what I expected. I thought this was horror but it was more of a thoughtful sci-fi story about fear and how it holds you back.

The book does feel jumpy, like there are scenes or dialogue missing at points, which left me a bit confused. The story felt stuttery as a result.

Then there's a whole commentary on women and motherhood that left me with some ick feelings and questioning what I read now, and whether the messaging was really meant to be what I think it was... I'm going to chalk this up to men writing women and give them the benefit of the doubt, however, that they're just a little tone deaf to the whole "a woman's role is motherhood" alt-right trad-wife conversations being had out there. I think this could have been mitigated if the book spent a bit more time in Joy's head and made her doubts on motherhood more tangible then it wouldn't feel like men telling women they just need to have that baby and THEN they'll want to be a mother rather than accepting that some women just don't want to be moms.

The story is reminiscent of some other sci-fi and isn't super original but was still a good read with some pretty art. This would make for a decent episode of Black Mirror or Love, Death + Robots, which I'm a huge fan of, so I didn't hate this. It just annoyed me a bit lol

⋆˚࿔ 4.25 stars⋆˚࿔

Wow, just wow. This is the first sci-fi book I’ve picked up by choice. If you see any others I’ve read, they were probably for school. The art style was amazing. The attention to detail and the way colors were used was just beautiful. I wish I had even a quarter of those skills. The art at the start of each chapter was even more captivating and completely pulled me in. I was hooked.

The plot was incredible. Even though it was short, it didn’t feel rushed at all. Everything made sense to me. I’d say this is a great graphic novel to start with if you’re not really into sci-fi. It was easy to follow, but it still had depth and meaning.

The subplot of romance really hit, and the way the story explored our female main character’s personal worries was done so well. I would definitely recommend this!

⋆˚࿔ Thank you to NetGalley, Mad Cave Studios, and Zack Kaplan for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. ⋆˚࿔

Such a cool sci-fi graphic novel about a black hole that released some weird creatures and a human girl. Even though it was a quick read, it really packed in background information about the main female character. I enjoyed the art work and found that it intensified the story. It’s a great sci-fi love story!

Black holes are a mystery to humanity. What would happen if we tried to capture one? And what would happen if someone came through it?

That is exactly the situation that psychologist Dr. Joy Frank has found herself in. To make matters worse, it is her soon-to-be ex-husband that has asked for her assistance. She must psychoanalyze this strange woman that fell naked through the sky into their world. “Artemis” begs to be taken home or this world she has fallen through, will completely collapse. Dr. Joy races to save humanity from the unknown.

What a wild ride of emotions and events! Loved it from start to finish! It is worth the read!

#ThxNetGalley #ZackKaplan #DarkEmptyVoid

An interesting comic book series with developed characters, the art is incredible and eye catching. Character design gets a huge upvote from me too. However, in some places of the comic the context/what was happening wasn’t really clear? And not in a “this will be revealed later on way” but in a the author thinks this is common sense and opts to not explain it. In contrast, at times there was too much explaining going on, not enough showing. The thing with graphic novels is that you want to look at pretty drawings that show the body language, emotions and the universe that the series is set in and at times it felt like these things were said, not shown.