On Wednesday, August 5th, Dark Horse Comics is releasing THE SMART DIVISION #1!
Creator Zack Kaplan (Kill All Immortals, Masterminds, Port of Earth) and Eisner-winning artist John J. Pearson (In Bloom, The Infernals, The Department of Truth) reunite for the first time since their fan-favorite sci-fi horror series, Mindset!
Here’s a look at the covers, storyline, and preview pages for this week’s
new release from Dark Horse Comics on New Comic Book Day…
THE SMART DIVISION #1 (of 5)
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)
Genre: Crime/Mystery · Science-Fiction
Format: FC, 32 pages; Miniseries
Age range: 14+
SRP: $4.99
Publication Date: August 5th, 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.
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.