Dark Horse Comics And Absurd Ventures Present American Caper A New Crime Fiction Comic Series From The Mind Of Dan Houser

A Modern Kind Of Pulp Fiction

Dark Horse Comics and Absurd Ventures present American Caper, a new crime fiction comic series created and written by Dan Houser, who was co-founder of Rockstar Games and longtime head writer and creative director of the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series. American Caper boasts a murderer’s row of crime fiction and comics talent including fellow Grand Theft Auto veteran Lazlow, who is producing and contributing additional writing to the series. Illustrated by Eisner Award-winning artist David Lapham (Stray Bullets, EC Epitaphs from the Abyss) with finishes by Chris Anderson (Creepshow, Lost Angels), coloured by Lee Loughridge (Nemesis: Rogue’s Gallery, G.I. Joe), and lettered by Nate Piekos (Minor Threats, The Umbrella Academy: Plan B), the American Caper saga is a brutal crime fiction satire set against the backdrop of our current, hopelessly fractured, preposterous political nightmare…

The first arc of American Caper is a 12-issue series set in Verona, Wyoming edited by former Vertigo/DC Comics Executive Editor, Shelly Bond and Dark Horse Comics’ Executive Editor, Daniel Chabon. Each issue of American Caper will feature main cover art by Tyler Boss and various variant cover artists. Issue #1 arrives in comic shops on November 12, 2025 and is now available to preorder for $4.99. Issue #1 will feature variants by Simon Bisley (who also created the original concept and character art for the series), Martin Simmonds, Joe Quinones and Marguerite Sauvage.

Here’s the series trailer

American Caper is a tale of two totally normal, completely damaged families in a world of corrupt business, inept politics, bungling crime, self-righteous justice, and problematic leisure wear. We follow the fortunes of two neighbours who are on the point of collapse: a Mormon hitman and a gambling addict lawyer, both intertwined in a real estate deal gone wrong. Added to the mix are a Mexican beauty queen on the run from her past, two escaped convicts in love, a Wall Street billionaire who has become a cowboy, and a maniac hell-bent on revenge.

From the tax avoiders in the manicured wilderness of Wyoming, to the thought police of Brooklyn, to the confused political battlegrounds of Florida, one thing is certain: this tragedy is someone else’s fault.

The Official Reveal Trailer is now available to view on Dark Horse Comics and Absurd Ventures channels.

“American Caper is based on my lifelong fascination with hypocrites, sociopaths, political idiots, dysfunctional families, and violence. Dark, morally ambiguous, very vulgar and, we hope, funny, American Caper is a comic for the confusing world in which we live right now.”—Dan Houser, Creator-Writer

“If I told that kid growing up in Oklahoma who headed to New World Comics every Wednesday that one day he’d be working with legendary editor Shelly Bond and visual storytelling genius David Lapham making a comic, he would have said, ‘who is this weird middle aged guy hanging outside a comic book store rambling about the future?’”—Lazlow, Producer

“I’ve been aware of Grand Theft Auto from its earliest release. Dan Houser and Lazlow Jones’ creative contributions to that legendary property and the video game industry in general have been monumental. I’m extremely excited to watch while they transition their storytelling talents from games to comics with their new series, American Caper. I’m certain their collaboration will result in something very special.”—Mike Richardson, Dark Horse CEO

“Getting to work with legends like Dan Houser, Lazlow, and David Lapham on a project this sharp, fearless, and darkly hilarious is a dream. Editing American Caper has been a total thrill—this book pulls no punches, and I can’t wait for readers to dive in.”—Daniel Chabon, Executive Editor

“Dan and Lazlow have two of the wildest imaginations of our time, and it’s incredible that we get to bring their twisted take on the classic American crime story to an entirely new medium. Comics are the perfect format to showcase every hilariously dark detail they’ve packed into this series, and I can’t wait until I can finally talk about what I’ve read!”—Tim Wiesch, Dark Horse Comics Vice President of Business Development

Dark Horse Comics and Absurd Ventures will unveil further details about American Caper at San Diego Comic Con later this week, with a Sunday panel and scheduled weekend signings featuring Lazlow, David Lapham, Shelly Bond and more. The Dark Horse booth (#2615) will also be offering giveaways of American Caper ashcans, t-shirts and other limited-edition items in honour of the series announcement.

To learn more about American Caper, visit the official website at www.absurdventures.com/americancaper.

About Dark Horse Comics 

Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson with the goal of creating a welcoming environment for comics professionals. The company strives to be an example of how integrity and innovation can broaden a unique storytelling medium and transform a company with humble beginnings into an industry giant. Dark Horse has published modern masters such as Yoshitaka Amano, Margaret Atwood, Brian Michael Bendis, Paul Chadwick, Geof Darrow, Colleen Doran, Janet Evanovich, Dave Gibbons, Faith Erin Hicks, Kazuo Koike, Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, Kentaro Miura, Moebius, Chuck Palahniuk, Eric Powell, Stan Sakai, and Gerard Way, as well as Hall of Fame legends Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Richard Corben. The company also set the industry standard for quality licensed comics, graphic novels, collectibles, and art books, based on properties such as Star Wars, Stranger Things, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Minecraft, The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Age, James Cameron’s Avatar, Game of Thrones, Mass Effect, The Witcher, and Halo. Dark Horse established an entertainment division in 1989, finding success with company-owned projects The Mask and TimeCop. Current hits from Dark Horse Entertainment include The Umbrella Academy on Netflix and Resident Alien on SyFy. Additionally, Dark Horse has a long tradition of establishing new creative talent throughout all of its divisions.

In 2022, Dark Horse Media, LLC was established as the parent company of all three divisions, and became part of Embracer Group AB, strengthening the company’s transmedia capabilities.