They say if you die reading a comic you die in real life. But what about when you’re playing a deadly MMO video game? That’s what Zero Instance, a new book from Comixology will explore.
Written by Frank Barbiere and Stephen Rhodes, with art by Vic Malhotra for issues #1-2 and Eoin Marron for issues #3-5, alongside colors by Lauren Affe, letters by Taylor Esposito, and covers by Vic Malhotra, Zero Instance mixes the real world and the gaming world in wild ways.
“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 Rhodes via press release. “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.”
Added Barbiere, “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. 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!”
Zero Instance hits Comixology on July 14, 2026. Check out preview pages and the cover below, as well as synopsis.
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.
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