DF Interview: Zack Kaplan launches a cosmic horror miniseries that amazes – and terrifies – in ‘Dark Empty Void’

By Byron Brewer

Scientists have created a stable, microscopic black hole in a secret underground compound, but when they lose control, the black hole spews out a cosmic maelstrom, strange dangerous creatures, and most surprisingly… a mysterious human teenage girl. Now, a depressed but brilliant psychologist must help her estranged husband and the other scientists solve the mystery and close the black hole before it consumes all of Earth.

From Mad Cave Studios comes Dark Empty Void by writer Zack Kaplan (Kill All Immortals, Beyond Real, Mindset) with art by Chris Shehan (The Autumnal, House of Slaughter). It’s hard to remember anytime I missed something to which my friend Zack was attached. Here’s what the scribe told me about this coming miniseries.

Byron Brewer: Zack, what has given flight to this latest of sci-fi sensations, Dark Empty Void? Bolt out of the blue, longtime back burner bubbler: what was your inspiration for this genesis?

Zack Kaplan: Dark Empty Void is my first journey into true horror and it’s a crazy jump in. Yes, it’s sci-fi and adventure and thriller, no doubt, but this is a chance to create monsters and to play with psychological horror. But absolutely, the inspiration comes from a fascination with black holes. And the more quantum physics grows and matures as a field, and the more scientists take that knowledge and turn it to astrophysics like black holes, the more we realize just how mysterious these things are. They suck up matter and nothing is left, it seems nothing comes out, but actually a great deal shoots out, and I can’t help but wonder what secrets they hold. So this new Mad Cave series definitely offers readers a chance to get their Alien style scares with some Annihilation or Arrival style sci-fi themes.

Byron: Introduce readers please to Joy Frank. Who was she, who is she when we encounter her in #1, and what challenge(s) await her?

Zack Kaplan: She’s a psychologist and a college professor. She’s estranged from her husband, facing the collapse of their relationship. And she’s being called to save the world from a microscopic black hole that’s exploded with a cosmic maelstrom. She’s incredibly smart, incredibly brave and incredibly cynical – and when you are facing unknown dangers from beyond, it’s very easy to want to give up or accept our planet’s end. So, it’s really a story of how cynicism can lead to our destruction, as the black hole itself becomes a metaphor for her own emotional journey. And her story is very complex, and she’s very provocative and so much fun to watch. She’s sarcastic, she is fearless, and I can’t wait for readers to meet her. She’s badass.

Byron: I love when the order of the real world drives plot, which I am assuming is the case with Joy’s involvement in the awry black hole debacle… that her estranged husband is among the scientists who created the abyss. Can you expound sans spoilers upon her entrance into this mystery?

Zack Kaplan: Yes, Joy’s estranged husband is one of the lead scientists on the project. The story opens when they completely lose control of this stable, microscopic black hole, and it takes over the compound, shooting out all sorts of strange things, but most strangely of all, a human stranger comes out. And the scientists don’t know what to make of this or her cryptic messages. They need someone they can trust, someone who can come quick and someone to solve this mystery. They call Joy. And ultimately, Joy must solve the mystery of this stranger and this black hole to save the world. The thing is, the clues to the mystery are not just with the human stranger. They are closer to the black hole, inside the cosmic maelstrom that is swirling around the black hole. The security teams sent in are not responding, the communications are not working, and the clock is ticking.

Byron: Oh, my!… I know if there was one thing the scientists did NOT expect when they began this project, it was that an unknown human teenage girl would at some point spew out of their stable microscopic black hole. What if anything can you tell us about the teen? Does she have any memories, etc.? (I have a feeling I will get a “read the book” response on this, but nothing ventured…)

Zack Kaplan: I can’t say much about “Art”, other than they nickname her Artemis after the Greek goddess, because they both fell from the sky. She’s very mysterious and very complex – and we don’t know if she’s here to help or here to destroy us. But a lot of the drama unfolds between Joy and Art as they battle for control, and as Joy tries to get answers to this cosmic disaster.

Byron: What other characters important to this miniseries can you spotlight here?

Zack Kaplan: Joy’s husband Colson is a very heroic and optimistic character, and very smart. But despite his intelligence as a scientist, he’s going to need some help to solve this mystery, given the focus on this human stranger, Art. And Colson and Joy haven’t talked in a while, they got some baggage, so it’s not exactly the best partnership to save the world. There are a few other characters that join our duo on this mission, but you’ll have to read the series to meet them!

Byron: Tell us about the “strange dangerous creatures” which exit the abyss! Since Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, I have had a fascination for lifeforms from within a black hole.

Zack Kaplan: They say in a black hole that space and time switch. That gravity reverses. That quantum entanglement throws all our predictors out of sorts. It’s a lot of fun to imagine what might be inside there, but it’s even more fun to think about what forms it might take as it emerges here. We were definitely inspired by deep sea concepts, and then had fun going as strange and alien as we could go – but you’ll have to wait a bit to see what we have in store. Hopefully, we will marvel you and scare the hell out of you!

Byron: Talk about the awesome art of Chris Shehan.

Zack Kaplan: I’ve been impressed with Chris Shehan’s work for a while, from Autumnal to House of Slaughter. They are a fantastic artist who has a knack for great character work, cinematic layouts and suspenseful horror. And when I first shared the idea with Chris, they mentioned that they’ve always wanted to do an Alien style horror story – claustrophobic, world-building and scary. So it really was a perfect collaboration! And we have Francesco Segala on colors, who’s just a rock star. Justin Birch of Andworld on letters, and a Christian Ward cover to boot – really a great creative team!

Byron: Zack, what other projects in which you are involved, inside or outside comics, can you tell readers about?

Zack Kaplan: You know all the Hollywood stuff is hush-hush, and I can’t talk about next year’s stuff until next year.

But I have Kill All Immortals selling out at Dark Horse, Image/Top Cow’s Deluxe Port of Earth HC out now, Vault Comics’ Beyond Real collecting into the trade paperback in September, Dark Horse Comics’ The Midnight Shadows graphic novel out in October, and now Dark Empty Void #1 from Mad Cave Studios on September 11. Are you not entertained?

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Zack Kaplan for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Dark Empty Void #1 from Mad Cave Studios is slated to be on sale September 11!

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