PORTLAND, OR — The city is in lockdown. The streets are empty. And the underworld is up for grabs! Coming this spring from Image Comics’ imprint Syzygy Publishing is Dark Honor—a razor-sharp crime thriller set in New York City at the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, where the virus isn’t the only unseen threat.
Written by Ethan Sacks (Star Wars: Bounty Hunters, Old Man Hawkeye), K.S. Bruce, and Brian DeCubellis, this five-issue series marks Bruce and DeCubellis’ first foray into comics after a successful run in film—most notably their work on Trust (2021), a top-10 Netflix hit in 20 countries, and Manhattan Night (2016), starring two-time Academy Award winner Adrien Brody.
The series is brought to life by the “Ocean’s 11 of artists”, featuring interior art and covers from the powerhouse creators of Fico Ossio (Black Lightning, No One Left To Fight), David Messina (Ultimate Spiderman, 3 Keys), Gabriel Guzman (Lady Earth, Predator), Jamal Igle (Molly Danger, The Wrong Earth); featuring colors by colorist Raciel Avila, and letterer JAME.
Brian DeCubellis, co-creator and writer, spoke of the project’s origin: “Dark Honor was born in the earliest days of COVID-19 in New York. As we wrapped filming Trust in March of 2020, the city was shutting down, and we wanted to capture that surreal moment. Inspired by neo-noir crime films, we created Rain, a street-savvy hero, and the Hundred Warriors, with Grigor embodying COVID—a relentless, unexpected killer.”
K.S. Bruce added, “Dark Honor may be fiction, but its backdrop is real—the empty streets, released prisoners, and desperate scrambles for survival, as an unknown disaster hits New York. Initially written as a screenplay, it felt too raw for film. But with Ethan Sacks’ adaptation, Chris Ryall’s expertise, and an incredible creative team, we’re honored to bring this story to comics.”
“Once I heard K.S. and Brian’s incredible pitch, I knew I wanted to be a part of bringing Dark Honor to comics readers,” said co-writer Ethan Sacks. “They had me at ‘Hello’—or more accurately, at a modern crime story set in New York City during the earliest and deadliest weeks of the COVID-19 epidemic. Having covered the damage COVID-19 did to my city in 2020 as a journalist for NBC News, it’s been a creative boon to now tackle that place and time as a comic book writer. And with a murderers’ row of talented artists—Fico Ossio, Dave Messina, Jamal Igle, and Gabriel Guzman—it’s only fitting for a book about a row between murderers.”
The Hundred have protected New York’s crime families for a century—now the city belongs to a new killer. Dark Honor brings a gritty, neo-noir twist to New York’s criminal underworld, where the real plague isn’t the virus but the power struggle left in its wake.
Dark Honor #1 hits shelves on May 28, 2025 and is now available for pre-order.
Dark Honor #1 Preview
