Mad Cave Studios is skewing cosmic horror in its next sci-fi limited series, and today The Beat can exclusively announce the details of the new title on its roster. Written by Zack Kaplan, drawn by Chris Shehan, colored by Francesco Segala, and lettered by Justin Birch, Dark Empty Void is a five-issue series about what happens when scientists lose infinitesimal control over something that’s ultimately uncontrollable and how it impacts everyone on Earth.
In Dark Empty Void, a stable, microscopic black hole kept in a secret, underground compound abruptly takes back the reins from the scientists who created it. The black hole immediately begins to spew: terrifying and strange creatures, “a cosmic maelstrom,” and then, somehow, a human teenage girl. To solve the mystery, one of the scientists asks his estranged wife, a depressed but wildly intelligent psychologist, to help them close the black hole and save the planet.
“As our understanding of both quantum physics and astrophysics evolves, scientists are more intrigued than ever by black holes—I wonder how can something so indomitable and massively suck up stars, but leave nothing behind and simply disappear?” said Kaplan. “With Dark Empty Void, we’ve taken this idea and filled it with monsters and madness, then helmed it with a powerful and complex heroine to create a thrilling, non-stop sci-fi horror adventure.
“To bring it to Mad Cave, where I’ve been so impressed by their meteoric rise over the past decade, I’m very excited to join them on my first foray into horror to explore the beauty and dangers of the cosmos. I’ve been absolutely in love with Chris Shehan’s artwork for years, and I’m overjoyed to team up on this journey together,” Kaplan continued. “With Francesco on colors and Justin on letters, this is an impressively gorgeous book that will wow you with the big moments, tear you up with the character story, and scare the hell out of you with the rest. This series is going to be as big as they come, and I cannot wait for you all to witness it.”
Shehan said, “Black holes have terrified and fascinated me since I was a child. Being able to share a fun, intense, beautiful, and horrifying take on black holes is exciting! Zack Kaplan is just the right writer for a story like this and Francesco Segala is a dream colorist to work with and all of us are bringing our best for Dark Empty Void.”
In addition to main cover art by Shehan (above), Dark Empty Void #1 will also feature a variant cover by Christian Ward (below).
Dark Empty Void #1 will be available at your local comic book store and digitally on September 11.
