Dark Empty Void by Zack KaplanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
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
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