Many
have tried to storm Blood Moon Tower. But thus far, no one has ever succeeded.
As a new band of adventurers gathers, Rhys vows that this time, they will breach
its defenses. Chris, a stout dwarf in their fellowship, wonders if it is
possible. But when Rhys raises his flaming sword, the band of heroes charges
toward the dark tower. Can these adventurers achieve the impossible? And how does
Braxir Hex, the lord of Blood Moon Tower, threaten their world?
Here's all the info from Comixology:
Zero Instance #1 Preview
Writers: Frank J Barbiere & Stephen Rhodes
Artist: Vic Malhotra
Colorist: Lauren Affe
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Publisher: Comixology Originals
Price: $2.99
Release Date: July 14, 2026
Video Game Writers Frank Barbiere and Stephen
Rhodes Level Up with
ZERO INSTANCE, a Video Game Thriller
Drawn by Vic Malhotra and Eoin Marron
Zero Instance Begins Summer 2026 Exclusively From Comixology
Originals
A routine raid in a popular MMO video game takes a
deadly turn in Zero Instance, an exciting new five-issue sci-fi
thriller comic book series from acclaimed storyteller and video game writer
Frank Barbiere (Astonishing Times) and award-winning game writer and
comics newcomer Stephen Rhodes, making his creator-owned debut with the series.
Featuring art by Vic Malhotra issues #1-2 and Eoin Marron issues #3-5, colors
by Lauren Affe, letters by Taylor Esposito and covers by Vic Malhotra, Zero
Instance begins July 14, 2026. The series will be available exclusively
from Amazon’s Comixology Originals digital content line.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of comics, but I only started
experimenting with it as a creative outlet in recent years. After working on
some tie-in comics for a video game project, I absolutely fell in love with the
format and how creatively liberating it is," said Stephen Rhodes.
"Getting to work with my long-time friend and collaborator, Frank
Barbiere, has been incredible. We have both spent many years working in video
game development, so it was fun to draw on that experience within the story.
Zero Instance emerged as a result of our love of video games as a medium
and explores where the future of interactivity could be heading in the not-too-distant
future."
Zero Instance starts with a bang as the final boss escapes the
screen and bleeds into the real world.
Rhys, a directionless college grad thought logging into his favorite
MMO was just another raid with his friends, but they are shocked to find their
boss fight glitching. When Chris—his best friend—doesn’t log out, Rhys is
forced to confront a terrifying truth: the lines between game and reality are
vanishing. As an experimental AI known as Braxir begins to manipulate smart
systems, twist human behavior, and build a base of operations in the real
world, Rhys must decide if he’s ready to lead when the game is over—and the
stakes are real.
“Zero Instance was born out of a shared love of tense thrillers,
MMOs, and game development, and I’m so excited to be telling this story with
fantastic collaborators," says Frank Barbiere. "I’m honored to be
co-writing with my friend Stephen Rhodes in his first creator-owned comic
series, and our art team of Vic Malhotra, Eoin Marron, and Lauren Affe have
given the series a defining look that comic fans from across genres will love.
The whole project is wrapped together with the fantastic lettering of Taylor
Esposito and design from Dylan Todd, and I can’t wait for readers to get their
hands on it!”
Rhodes continued, "I am incredibly grateful to our art team of Vic
Malhotra, Eoin Marron, and Lauren Affe who have truly brought the story to life
with vibrant and evocative art that I think people will really enjoy. The
fantastic lettering of Taylor Esposito and design from Dylan Todd, ties
everything together and makes the story engaging and clear. I cannot wait for
the release of Zero Instance and I hope people enjoy reading it as much
as I did writing it.”
Current Comixology Originals releases include The Adequates by
Eisner Award-winner Lee Loughridge and Marz Jr.; GhostBox: Black &
White by bestselling writer Mike Carey (The Girl With All the Gifts)
and artist Pablo Raimondi (Sacred Creatures); Parapsychologist,
the comedic paranormal, psychotherapy- themed graphic novel by HUGO
award-nominated cartoonist Taki Soma, co-writer Mark Schey and artist Cat
Farris (The Great Train Haunting); The Whisper War by Emmy
award winning writer/producer Marc Guggenheim and artist Sedat Oezgen; and Leviathan
Freedom, an epic sci-fi adventure inspired by the true story of American
icon Robert Smalls, co-written by Marc Guggenheim and rockstar Tom
Morello with art by Szymon Kudrański.
Now, let's take a look inside:
About the Team:
Frank Barbiere is a former English teacher with degrees from Rutgers
University and the Graduate School for Education. After breaking into the
comics industry with the creator-owned hit Five Ghosts (Image Comics), Frank
has since worked for every major publisher in the U.S., as well as having a
global presence in France (Glenat Comics), Italy (Cosmo Editoriale), and Spain
(Norma) with his creator-owned work. He
has written notable runs on Avengers World and Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D.
at Marvel Comics, as well as the creator-owned series Black Market and Broken
World (BOOM! Studios), The Revisionist (Aftershock Comics), Violent Love (Image
Comics), and The White Suits (Dark Horse Comics).
In 2017, Frank began working in the video games industry as a writer
and narrative designer. He has since contributed to the Destiny
franchise and served as lead writer on Darksiders Genesis, Ruined King: A
League of Legends Story, and Skydance’s Behemoth.
Stephen Rhodes is an
award-winning Scriptwriter and Narrative Designer with over fifteen years of
experience creating immersive, emotional, and character-driven stories for
video games. He has worked on numerous AAA titles for studios including
Electronic Arts (Iron Man), Sledgehammer Games (Call of Duty), Ubisoft
(Immortals Fenyx Rising; Assassin’s Creed Odyssey), DONTNOD (Vampyr), CD
Projekt RED (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt), and Deep Silver (various).
Stephen has previously worked on
the Call of Duty Vanguard comics, but he’s also published work in several
tabletop roleplaying game systems and supplements. Stephen is currently a
Senior Narrative Director at Electronic Arts working on the Iron Man project.
Vic Malhotra is a Canadian comic book artist. He has worked with publishers such as
Image Comics, Archie Comics, IDW Comics and others. Some notable works of his
are the comic book adaptations of Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me
and Joe Hill’s Thumbprint.
Eoin Marron is an analog comic artist, creator and illustrator, with a penchant
for crime and horror stories and credits at a plethora of publishers since
2016; inc. Image, Aftershock, IDW, Marvel, Dynamite Ent. and more. His second
love is for film, and prides himself on a physical library covering a wide
history of cinema. Originally from Ireland, he now resides in London with his
partner KT and their corgi Badger.
About Comixology Originals:
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Thanks to Comixology and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us.
