Dark Horse Comics and creative team behind The Midnight: Shadows OGN is granting anyone who dares an opportunity of a lifetime—the chance to join the world’s smartest mastermind circle. And while for centuries, the world might have had many mastermind circles, real groups, secret, elite cohorts of influential individuals dedicated to the unbridled success of their members by any means necessary, none are so powerful as this one–Masterminds. Masterminds is waiting for you to show if you are truly worthy, beginning in August 2025.
Are you smart enough to survive their deadly game of riddles, puzzles and tests? And if so, are you willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead and finally win? Writer Zack Kaplan (Kill All Immortals, Dark Empty Void, Mindset), cover and series artist Stephen Thompson (Aliens: Defiance, Satellite Falling, Star Trek: Year One), colorist Thiago Rocha (Sister Imperator, Kill All Immortals), and prolific Eisner-winning letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (The Witcher: The Bear and the Butterfly) invite you to a gauntlet of the mind in the new comic series, Masterminds. Variant covers are provided by Aaron Campbell (John Constantine: Hellblazer: Dead in America) and Bjorn Barends (The Witcher: The Bear and the Butterfly).
“We live in a fast-moving, cut-throat world where the rules have changed,” states Kaplan. “You can’t just work 9 to 5, pay your dues, be a good person and expect to get ahead. We all know it, after years of watching one another work so hard for so little. Nobody respects work ethic and quality. The deck is stacked against you, against us all. To win the game of business, the game of life, you have to get on the inside. That’s when doors just open for you. But to get on the inside, you have to join. And to join, you have to play the game. Prove your intelligence and your character. Stephen, Thiago, Hassan and I had the chance to join Masterminds, and it’s changed our lives. But I can’t really say any more. Except, I hope you have what it takes. And I hope you’re ready.”
“As an artist, I’m all too aware that Big tech is poised to eat the world and automate away our creativity,” says Thompson. “So, the last truly inventive people are turning to the all-to-human arts of conspiracy, collusion and cunning to get ahead. The smart ones are, anyway. If you want to join us, the first step is admitting you’ve been played. But the Masterminds are here to offer you a second roll of the dice, and a chance to risk it all for the life of your dreams.”
When an ambitious and troubled video game programmer dares to audition for a secret society in the gaming/tech industry, composed of cutthroat, genius masterminds that promise to help their members achieve their wildest dreams, he and his rebellious co-worker find themselves in a gauntlet of real-life puzzles that quickly turn deadly. Are they truly smart enough to survive the mysterious game of the Masterminds?
Accept the invitation, prove your worth and pre-order Masterminds #1 (of 5)before it arrives in comic shops on August 27, 2025, for $4.99. Pre-order now and visit Comic Shop Locator for more details and stores near you.
