LATEST SERIES FROM KAPLAN PREDICTS
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL HELP COMMIT
THE PERFECT CRIME IN “THE SMART DIVISION”
The second series in Zack Kaplan’s 2026 Dark Horse slate is a modern
sci-fi detective comic built on the dangers of our new A.I. generation!
Continuing the hit-filled 2026 lineup for Zack Kaplan and Dark Horse Comics, The Smart Division reunites Kaplan with Eisner-winning superstar artist John J. Pearson (In Bloom, Infernals, Department of Truth). This is their first series together since their fan favorite Vault Comics series Mindset, which was optioned by Boatrocker Studios and Don Cheadle’s Radicle Act for TV development.
Now, Pearson and Kaplan build a world straight out of a modern-day detective’s crime files, as an artificial intelligence app offers to serve our worst instincts and assist us in evading law enforcement. How will our criminal justice system possibly stand up to the power of A.I.? And can two disparate detectives with vastly different relationships with technology come together to track down this mysterious new threat? Eisner-winning letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Only the Savage are Left, Masterminds) and Eisner-nominated designer Tom Muller joins the duo for this story that’s perfect for fans of The X-Files, True Detective, and Minority Report!
Main cover art for this series by Pearson with variant covers for issue #1 from Jesse Lonergan (Miss Truesdale, Man’s Best), Jacob Phillips (Kill All Immortals, The Walking Dead Deluxe), and illustrator Matt Taylor.
“John Pearson and I have been planning our second series for years, looking for the right story and right time. The Smart Division takes everything you loved about our first series Mindset, the playing with form, the thoughtful commentary on technology, and the tense character drama, and raises the bar, with more danger and dread. Artificial Intelligence is the hot topic of our time, but we’re exploring it like you’ve never seen – what happens when it helps us commit the perfect crimes.”
THE SMART DIVISION #1
Written by Zack Kaplan
Art by John J. Pearson
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Design by Tom Muller
Covers & Cover Artists:
John J. Pearson (Cover A)
Matt Taylor (Cover B)
Jacob Phillips (Cover C)
Jesse Lonergan (Cover D)
Genres: Crime/Mystery · Science-Fiction
Format: FC 32 pages; 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″
Age range: 14+
Price: $4.99
Publication date: Aug. 5, 2026
A dark and modern sci-fi detective series set five minutes in the future.
When a mysterious new predictive artificial intelligence program appears responsible for assisting someone in the perfect murder, a pair of unlikely investigators, a chaotic Gen-Z savant and a veteran FBI agent, must hunt down the killer by starting the FBI’s first AI crimes division.
“Like the work myself and Zack have done before together, The Smart Division aims to raise a lot of questions about technology and humanity. If we continue to exploit increasingly advanced Artificial Intelligence, what are the consequences that we will have to face? The contrast of the digital and the traditional is a huge driving force for the artwork in the series, exploring the creative process through painted pages to contrast with the technological abundance the characters face.”
Get ready for the new age of crime comics when The Smart Division #1 (of 5) arrives in comic shops on August 5, 2026, for $4.99. Visit Find Your Comics Store (FYCS) for more details and stores near you.
Look out for Kaplan’s other Dark Horse titles, including Only The Savage Are Left, Masterminds and Kill All Immortals I & Kill All Immortals II in comic shops now.
About Dark Horse Comics:
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics is an excellent example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and transform a company with humble beginnings into an industry giant.
Over the years, Dark Horse has published the work of creative legends such as Yoshitaka Amano, Margaret Atwood, Paul Chadwick, Geof Darrow, Will Eisner, Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons, Faith Erin Hicks, Kazuo Koike, Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, Mike Mignola, Frank Miller, Kentaro Miura, Moebius, Chuck Palahniuk, Wendy Pini, Richard Pini, and Gerard Way. In addition, Dark Horse has a long tradition of establishing exciting new creative talent throughout all of its divisions.
The company has also set the industry standard for quality licensed comics, graphic novels, collectibles, and art books, including Stranger Things, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, Minecraft, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Dragon Age, James Cameron’s Avatar, Game of Thrones, Mass Effect, StarCraft, The Witcher, and Halo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.