Dark Horse Comics and Absurd Ventures today announced the release of American Caper, the widely anticipated new crime fiction comic series from Dan Houser, co-founder of Rockstar Games and the longtime creative force behind Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. Issue #1 arrives in comic shops today, November 12, 2025.
The first arc of American Caper, a 12-issue series, is set in Verona, Wyoming, and follows two neighboring families on the brink of collapse: a Mormon hitman and a gambling-addict lawyer ensnared in a real-estate deal gone wrong. Their chaos intertwines with a beauty queen on the run, two escaped convicts in love, a billionaire-turned-cowboy, and a revenge-driven maniac, all spinning through Houser’s sprawling take on the American Dream gone awry.
Speaking about American Caper at the main stage of this year’s Los Angeles Comic-Con, Dan Houser said, “I love doing crime comedy and having done lots of stories about carjackers or people who had to be tough, wanted to tell a story about some degenerate criminals from a completely different perspective and a completely different part of the world. American Caper is about small town, suburban, ‘successful’ people. One is a happily-married-ish lawyer, the other is happily married, in his mind, property developer. Both have made terrible mistakes and their lives go very awry…”
Absurd Ventures have released an official Series Launch Trailer today steeped in pulpy, neo-noir vibes introducing the various characters of American Caper:
Created and written by Dan Houser, the series boasts a murderer’s row of crime fiction and comics talent including Lazlow (longtime Rockstar collaborator), who is producing and contributing additional writing to the series, illustration by Eisner Award-winning artist David Lapham (Stray Bullets, EC Epitaphs from the Abyss) with finishes by Chris Anderson (Creepshow, Lost Angels), colors by Lee Loughridge (Nemesis: Rogue’s Gallery, G.I. Joe), and lettered by Nate Piekos (Minor Threats, The Umbrella Academy: Plan B). The series is edited by former Vertigo/DC Comics Executive Editor, Shelly Bond and Dark Horse Comics’ Executive Editor, Daniel Chabon.
“We wanted to make something that gazes into the cracked mirror of the American Dream. Working in comics lets us tell a crime drama that is a gritty, satirical dark comedy without restraint,” said Lazlow. “American Caper is a collision of bad choices, broken people, monetized misery, synthetic sugar, dogs fed donuts, maniacs, shady land developers and grown men aging badly by pretending to be cowboys.”
Issue #1 features main cover art by Tyler Boss, with variants by Simon Bisley (who also created original concept and character art for the series), Martin Simmonds, Joe Quinones, and Marguerite Sauvage. Issue #1 is sold out at the official Absurd Ventures online store, however copies are still available at comic book shops across North America and Europe. Absurd Ventures have published a directory of shops who have ordered copies of American Caper #1 on their website at www.absurdventures.com/feed. Issues of American Caper also available digitally via GlobalComix and Amazon Kindle.
The series has received early praise from a variety of notable authors and creators across the entertainment and comics industries, who have lauded its sharp writing, dark humor, and fearless social commentary:
“This thing is bonkers at a level of beautiful that will blast your brain into a billion broken blood vessels. You want chaos? Pull up a bucket.” – Patton Oswalt, co-creator of Minor Threats
“I love it… A wicked satire” -Wil Wheaton, New York Times Bestselling Author
“AMERICAN CAPER boasts an all-star cast of writers and artists pooling their amazing talents to create a down and dirty noir tale in the vein of the best rural crime novels. Twisted, menacing, but not lacking in laughs and character, AMERICAN CAPER is unlike anything else on the stands – and gets better with every issue. Part FARGO, part SCALPED, with a dash of STRAY BULLETS, this is one you don’t want to miss.” – Alex Segura, New York Times-bestselling author of Alter Ego, Secret Identity, and Daredevil: Enemy of My Enemy
“If Jim Thompson had survived into the 21st century, I think he might’ve come up with something as gleefully sinister as AMERICAN CAPER. It’s furious, brutal, and laced with humor so dark it must be infected.” – Chris Condon, Ultimate Wolverine, Green Arrow, That Texas Blood
“AMERICAN CAPER holds a mirror up to the American Dream and reflects a twisted and entertaining nightmare.” – Chuck Brown, co-creator/co-writer of Bitter Root, Flawed, and On the Stump “AMERICAN CAPER will get under your skin and redline your anxiety. The dream is now a nightmare. The subject feels uncomfortably close to reality. Good luck washing this one out of your brain.” – Jim Rugg, cartoonist of Kayfabe, Street Angel, The PLAIN Janes
To learn more about American Caper, visit the official website at https://www.absurdventures.com/americancaper.
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