Dark Empty Void

by Zack Kaplan, Chris Shehan (illustrator)

Deep in a subterranean complex, scientists have created a stable microscopic black hole to discover the truth - is it just a matter-sucking monster or a possibly gateway across the galaxy? 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).

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics

128 pages, Paperback

Expected publication September 23, 2025

Reviews

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[colie · Rating 4 out of 5]

⋆˚࿔ 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. ⋆˚࿔

[Audet Maxime · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[viltė · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

Thank you NetGaley and Mad Cave Studios for providing me with the ARC of this graphic novel.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 and Mad Cave Studios for providing me with an ARC.

[MrGlassWontBreak · Rating 4 out of 5]

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’s scientists—including Dr. Colson, have managed to create and stabilize a miniature black hole in a secret underground lab in Alaska. When the black hole unexpectedly ejects a living, breathing human girl named Artemis, the scientists realize that the black hole had been slowly expanding 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 quite creative, instantly grabbing your attention. It is a well-written book with excellent pacing; I read the entire story thing in about 3 hours. However, it is quite short and could have benefited from a bit more in-story detail, and in-depth characters. 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 was so engaging that I didn’t care, I couldn’t stop reading.

The art complements the setting of the book quite nicely, with realistic and expressive character designs, beautifully punchy and contrasty colors, and very 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 and design of the monsters within the black hole felt a bit lazy though. Besides this, the artist and especially the colorist excellently brought the world of this book 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 digital ARC.

[Harrison loves books · Rating 1 out of 5]

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

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 3 out of 5]

"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.

[Lukasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

ARC through NetGalley

[Kaitlyn (ktxx22) Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Skye · Rating 3 out of 5]

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!

Thank you, NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios, for the ARC.