The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery Paperback by Chris Condon

Product Details

• Publisher: DC Vertigo (2026-10-27)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 176 pages
• ISBN-13: 9781799515197
• Item Weight: 300.51 grams
• Dimensions: 25.81 x 16.71 x 0.71 cm

Writer Chris Condon and artist Jacob Phillips, creators of the hit series That Texas Blood and The Enfield Gang Massacre, introduce us to a private eye whose business is exposing our deepest secrets...but on this job, he’ll learn that some mysteries are better off buried!

New York City, 1941. Ezra Cain is a private investigator with a reputation for taking it on the chin if it means solving a case. He's certainly tough enough--he served as a WWI flying ace, and as a member of the NYPD. But it’s his former life as an archeology student that makes him the only man to track down an artifact that’s gone missing from the Museum of Natural History…an ancient anvil said to hold the power of the Greek god Hephaestus. If someone could harness that power, they could bend nations to their will.

Cain’s not one for magic or myth, but science fiction quickly becomes his reality when a shadowy sect calling themselves the Brutal Dark appear in the city wielding resources that defy human logic. Now Ezra is the only thing that stands between them and their plot to overthrow America! 

Collects The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #1-6, one of the launch titles of DC's revival of its famed Vertigo imprint.

About the Author

Chris Condon is the writer and co-creator of the Eisner-nominated That Texas Blood and The Enfield Gang Massacre, known for his atmospheric, character-driven blend of neo-noir, Western grit, and slow-burn psychological tension. His work is praised for its sharp dialogue, immersive worldbuilding, and ability to fuse pulp tradition with modern emotional depth, establishing him as one of comics’ most exciting rising voices.

Jacob Phillips is the award-winning artist and colorist best known for That Texas Blood, Newburn, and his acclaimed work on Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Reckless and Criminal projects. Celebrated for his textured linework, cinematic staging, and evocative, dust-soaked color palettes, Phillips brings a distinctive visual language to crime and character-driven storytelling. His art marries mood, emotion, and grit with a clarity that has made him one of the most sought-after modern illustrators.