Deron Generally
Deron Generally
Masterminds #1
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Zack Kaplan
Art by Stephen Thompson
Colors by Thiago Rocha
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
The Rundown: A game developer attempts to join a secret society that could change his life forever.
Edward Hale is an award winning game designer who has been regulated to creating trees for a big game company. As the team prepares for a showcase at a gaming convention, Edward takes the opportunity to skip out and try to sell his game to his boss. After his boss passes, he finds himself at a party where he’s told about a group called Masterminds and when Edward solves a puzzle they left for everyone, he gets a text inviting him to meet.
After heading to another location, Edward finds himself on the roof of a building presented with another test. After solving the puzzle, he returns home and doesn’t hear anything until he wakes up and discovers not only that he lost his job, but also his entire team has been murdered. He is left with a panicked co-worker and a new set of puzzles for him to solve as part of his initiation.
The Story: Kaplan crafts a dark, thrilling and entertaining story in this first issue. I love the concept and how its secret society and puzzles reminded me of Now You See Me. I like the dark turn the story takes and I look forward to seeing how that turn affects Edward as well as what will happen to him next. Definitely a strong, compelling first issue.
The Art: Thompson delivers some beautifully detailed and visually engaging art throughout the issue.
Masterminds #1
