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The Killing Machine: Book One of The Hand of God
Not yet published
Expected 22 Sep 26A thrilling fusion of classic sci-fi storytelling and modern graphic novel artistry, The Killing Machine delivers a gripping tale of war, identity, and first contact. As scientists unravel a mystery that defies the known laws of physics, humanity finds itself lured into a deadly encounter with an alien race—one, igniting a crisis of ethics, identity, and survival among Earth’s leaders. Blending philosophical depth with explosive military space battles and richly imagined alien contact, The Killing Machine will appeal to fans of Star Trek, The Expanse, and classic sci-fi literature. Featuring vivid, cinematic artwork and a tightly woven narrative, this is a must-read for readers who crave substance with their spectacle.
- GenresScience Fiction
166 pages, Paperback
Expected publication September 22, 2026
About the author
Darin S. Cape
10 books14 followersShawn Hainsworth, AKA Darin S. Cape, is the founder of SHP Comics. He writes and publishes comic books, novellas & shortstories and screenplays, and is a documentary filmmaker. The Disciple is the first volume of The Hand of God. This story is an expansion of the comic book series, The Killing Machine: Book One of The Hand of God.
Other comic book series include Woodstake and EroTech.
Woodstake: Three Days of Peace, Music and Blood
When a vampire descends on the Woodstock Festival in 1969, hippies, anti-war protesters and music lovers try to survive three days of peace, music and blood in this comedy of horrors. The first novella in this story will be released in January, 2024
EroTech: Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers, and Sex Robots. What could go wrong?
Join Samantha Jenkins as she rallies her team of misfit engineers and out of touch managers to release a new sex robot on time. The only problem is that the robot doesn't know when to quit.
Darin is also the author of a number of award-winning screenplays, including an adaptation of EroTech as the short film, Technical Support starring Courtney Pauroso, Davey Johnson and Aparna Nancherla.
Other comic book series include Woodstake and EroTech.
Woodstake: Three Days of Peace, Music and Blood
When a vampire descends on the Woodstock Festival in 1969, hippies, anti-war protesters and music lovers try to survive three days of peace, music and blood in this comedy of horrors. The first novella in this story will be released in January, 2024
EroTech: Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers, and Sex Robots. What could go wrong?
Join Samantha Jenkins as she rallies her team of misfit engineers and out of touch managers to release a new sex robot on time. The only problem is that the robot doesn't know when to quit.
Darin is also the author of a number of award-winning screenplays, including an adaptation of EroTech as the short film, Technical Support starring Courtney Pauroso, Davey Johnson and Aparna Nancherla.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received an advance reader copy of The Killing Machine through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this comic. The illustrations are excellent, with vivid colours that suit the story’s sci-fi setting beautifully. The artwork gives the space-based scenes a cinematic feel and was one of my favourite parts of the book.
The beginning was a little choppy for me, as there are several time and location jumps in quick succession. It took around the first 20–30 pages for me to settle into the story and understand how everything connected.
Once the narrative moved further into the outer-space elements, though, I was completely drawn in. By the halfway point, the threads began to come together and the story became especially engaging.
The ending also tugged at my heartstrings. It was not what I expected, and it left a real
impression on me. As a Star Trek fan, I can absolutely see why this comic has been
recommended to readers who enjoy that kind of science fiction. The Killing Machine offers space adventure, alien contact, strong visuals and an emotional conclusion. I think it will especially appeal to Star Trek lovers and readers looking for an absorbing sci-fi comic.
I really enjoyed this comic. The illustrations are excellent, with vivid colours that suit the story’s sci-fi setting beautifully. The artwork gives the space-based scenes a cinematic feel and was one of my favourite parts of the book.
The beginning was a little choppy for me, as there are several time and location jumps in quick succession. It took around the first 20–30 pages for me to settle into the story and understand how everything connected.
Once the narrative moved further into the outer-space elements, though, I was completely drawn in. By the halfway point, the threads began to come together and the story became especially engaging.
The ending also tugged at my heartstrings. It was not what I expected, and it left a real
impression on me. As a Star Trek fan, I can absolutely see why this comic has been
recommended to readers who enjoy that kind of science fiction. The Killing Machine offers space adventure, alien contact, strong visuals and an emotional conclusion. I think it will especially appeal to Star Trek lovers and readers looking for an absorbing sci-fi comic.
August 30, 2026
When I saw the book being described as perfect for fans of Star Trek and The Expanse, I jumped to read this. I love sci-fi, I love space opera, and the description "a tightly woven narrative, for readers who crave substance with their spectacle" had me excited. Unfortunately, this graphic novel was a big flop for me. The overall story is NOT tightly woven, it is pretty confusing with all of the time skips. A lot of the story elements I've seen a million times before, and added nothing new. Most of the characters feel more like puppets talking then people whenever they talk. I don't care about any of the characters, because the story never attempts to make you care.. It was a struggle to finish this novel, because I actually find myself getting disinterested over and over. The pages and pages of just bland dialogue and nothing happening didn't help. Also, really didn't like the art style. There is no flow to the pages, it feels like a bunch of random single shot images mushed together onto a page. I also really dislike the "3D model with drawn on details" art style.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
LOVED THIS! For fans of more mature science fiction that isn’t obsessed with non-stop explosions, The Killing Machine will not disappoint.
Right off the bat, the concept of translating an ancient underwater alien technology that puts humanity into a difficult first contact situation grabbed my attention. It’s a heavy mix of the likes of Arthur C. Clarke and The Expanse in graphic novel form. Richter, the AI protagonist, ended up being the highlight of the book, providing depth to his AI character both philosophically and tactically. And the artwork by Michel Fortin is simply great, especially the shots in outer space.
The only thing keeping it from a 5 is how much information in terms of lore, technical knowledge, and politics the first chapters bombard you with, making it take some time to get into the rhythm.
A good debut indie comic book series. Curious to see how the rest plays out.
Thank you to SHP Comics and NetGalley for the advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Right off the bat, the concept of translating an ancient underwater alien technology that puts humanity into a difficult first contact situation grabbed my attention. It’s a heavy mix of the likes of Arthur C. Clarke and The Expanse in graphic novel form. Richter, the AI protagonist, ended up being the highlight of the book, providing depth to his AI character both philosophically and tactically. And the artwork by Michel Fortin is simply great, especially the shots in outer space.
The only thing keeping it from a 5 is how much information in terms of lore, technical knowledge, and politics the first chapters bombard you with, making it take some time to get into the rhythm.
A good debut indie comic book series. Curious to see how the rest plays out.
Thank you to SHP Comics and NetGalley for the advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
Arc Alert: I recieved this ARC from NetGalley! ✨
I have absolutely no interest in science or math, so the beginning of the comic was a bit of a struggle for me. But the art, especially the background, was so wonderfully drawn and that kept my attention enough to get through the first few pages. It was the introduction of later characters though that made this such an interesting read. I was so invested and curious about where the story was going that I'll admit to being so confused when I got to the end - like where's the rest of it!? My favorite books are the ones that focus on the characters, and I was very glad that the story became a good mix of science stuff I didn't understand but grew curious about and characters I really wanted to see more of!
Arc Alert: I recieved this ARC from NetGalley! ✨
I have absolutely no interest in science or math, so the beginning of the comic was a bit of a struggle for me. But the art, especially the background, was so wonderfully drawn and that kept my attention enough to get through the first few pages. It was the introduction of later characters though that made this such an interesting read. I was so invested and curious about where the story was going that I'll admit to being so confused when I got to the end - like where's the rest of it!? My favorite books are the ones that focus on the characters, and I was very glad that the story became a good mix of science stuff I didn't understand but grew curious about and characters I really wanted to see more of!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is a very confusing graphic novel. We don't even meet the killing machine until much later in the story. We do, however, meet the hand of god right away. The only problem with that is that the characters don't know what it means, or what it is, and they spend endless time discussing it.
As for the killing machine, who is an android, who is schooled in philosophy and poetry, we don't know what they are until much later. In fact, they appear to be a totally random bit of the story.
A very talkative story. Sometimes you just want the action to start.
Other than that, an interesting beginning to a series of stories.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. this book is coming out the 22nd of September 2026.
As for the killing machine, who is an android, who is schooled in philosophy and poetry, we don't know what they are until much later. In fact, they appear to be a totally random bit of the story.
A very talkative story. Sometimes you just want the action to start.
Other than that, an interesting beginning to a series of stories.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. this book is coming out the 22nd of September 2026.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The beginning was a bit of a struggle for me because of all the scientific explanations, and it took me a while to get used to the art style of the characters. But once the story moved into space it became a fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable read.
The design of characters that were introduced later in the story is perfect.
The philosophical dilemma connected with new life forms and the general approach of human race to this topic is intriguing and thought provoking.
I'm looking forward to next book in this series and can't wait to see where the story takes us.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
The design of characters that were introduced later in the story is perfect.
The philosophical dilemma connected with new life forms and the general approach of human race to this topic is intriguing and thought provoking.
I'm looking forward to next book in this series and can't wait to see where the story takes us.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
If you judge this graphic novel from the first 15 pages, you will be lost. I was picturing writing a review that was one or two stars. It feels chaotic and directionless. But then it hits its stride, and man, I was glued to every page.
Great storyline. And the artwork? Absolutely gorgeous. The only problem I had then was I wanted more! So, check this out, but stick with it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an ARC for an unbiased review.
Great storyline. And the artwork? Absolutely gorgeous. The only problem I had then was I wanted more! So, check this out, but stick with it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an ARC for an unbiased review.
August 3, 2026
Something to look forward to for fans of first contact stories.
It’s a good set up for a series to come, though it doesn’t necessarily stand on it’s own. While all introduced bits of the story seem important background for what is to come, I felt like quantity of subplots won over quality. The author is trying to paint a complex picture of what is happening everywhere at once, which makes me feel I missed out on details and depth of the individual beats of the story.
It’s a good set up for a series to come, though it doesn’t necessarily stand on it’s own. While all introduced bits of the story seem important background for what is to come, I felt like quantity of subplots won over quality. The author is trying to paint a complex picture of what is happening everywhere at once, which makes me feel I missed out on details and depth of the individual beats of the story.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Some pretty interesting sci-fi about first contact 50 years in the future. Mankind has advanced a lot though as it's capable of travelling throughout the solar system on missions. The religious zealot angle felt prescient at this time.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews