Dark Horse’s X-Files Replacement Series Launches This Summer (Exclusive)

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Boatrocker Studios and Don Cheadle’s Radicle Act are developing Mindset for television, and their new comic series, The Smart Division, is also attracting attention from studios. The Smart Division features a unique premise – an app powered by artificial intelligence that claims to help users evade law enforcement – and Dark Horse believes it would appeal to fans of shows like The X-Files, True Detective, and Minority Report.

What is the official solicitation for the new series?

Okay, so I just heard about this crazy new show! It’s about this super smart AI that seems to be helping someone commit the perfect murder. The FBI is totally thrown, so they team up this young, kind of messy tech genius with an old-school FBI agent to figure it all out. They’re starting a whole new division dedicated to AI crimes, which sounds incredibly cool and a little scary, honestly. I’m already hooked!

Pearson will create the primary cover art for this series. The first issue will also feature variant covers by artists Jesse Lonergan (known for Miss Truesdale, Man’s Best), Jacob Phillips (Kill All Immortals, The Walking Dead Deluxe), and Matt Taylor.

Joining the creative team are Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, an Eisner Award-winning letterer, and Tom Muller, who has been nominated for an Eisner Award for his design work.

What do Kaplan and Pearson have to say about the new project?

Dark Horse recently announced a new project from writer Paul Kaplan, a follow-up to his series Mindset. Kaplan says he and artist John Pearson have been developing this second series for years, waiting for the perfect story. Titled The Smart Division, the new series will build on the elements fans enjoyed in Mindset – innovative storytelling, insightful commentary on technology, and gripping character drama – but with higher stakes and increased suspense. While Artificial Intelligence is a popular topic today, The Smart Division offers a unique exploration of the subject: what if AI was used to commit flawless crimes?

Pearson explained that, similar to his previous collaborations with Zack, “The Smart Division” is designed to make viewers think about the relationship between technology and what it means to be human. The artwork explores what might happen if we keep pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence. A key element of the series is the contrast between the digital world and traditional methods – the characters are surrounded by technology, but the art itself is created using painted pages, highlighting this tension and examining the creative process.

The first issue of The Smart Division, a six-part comic book series, will be available on August 5, 2026.

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2026-04-22 18:45