MASTERMINDS #1 / Script by ZACK KAPLAN / Art by STEPHEN THOMPSON / Colors by THAIGO ROCHA / Letters by HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU / Published by DARK HORSE COMICS

Games are Edward Hale’s life. Playing them was all he was good at as a kid. Designing them is all he is good at as an adult. He’s won more than a few awards for his independent games, but his job as a programmer with a big name producer has left him overworked, underpaid and desperate for a way out.

Edward finds his exit after he calls in sick to crash a VIP games convention. It is there he learns about Masterminds – a secret society of gamers who control the industry. To get in, you have to solve an impossible puzzle hidden in plain sight. It’s a task Edward manages with relative ease. Unfortunately, that first step takes him into a world where fun and games are deadly serious…

Zack Kaplan has a gift for mashing up other ideas to make something special. In this case, Masterminds combines the techno-thriller and conspiracy fiction. That may not sound all that unique on paper, but the execution is top-notch.

The same holds true of the artwork. Stephen Thompson’s style is detail-driven, yet seems somewhat mundane as we are introduced to Edward’s life. However, that realism sells the danger in the issue’s final pages, as our hero finds himself in over his head. The colors of Thiago Rocha aid in selling that shift.

Like a good video game, Masterminds hooks you immediately and keeps you on the edge of your seat. My only concern is the slow pace may translate better to a single volume than a monthly comic. Even so, I fully expect to enjoy watching this story play out.

Masterminds #1 releases on August 27, 2025.