Dan Houser and Lazlow (Red Dead Redemption) are pivotal writers in the world of Grand Theft Auto, with the former known as the cofounder of Rockstar Games and the latter appearing as a fictionalized version of himself, along with co-writing the radio stations. Both have left Rockstar Games in 2020 to start Absurd Ventures, with the aim of creating new intellectual properties that span movies, television, video games, comic books, and more.
One of the projects Lazlow and Houser are working on together is American Caper, an upcoming comic book series by Absurd Ventures and Dark Horse Comics. This marks the first appearance of a new crime-fiction drama by the duo.
“Making video games is really hard,” Lazlow tells Nerd Reactor. “Making comic books is really, really hard as well. It’s a completely different kind of storytelling. When Dan and I started Absurd Ventures, we wanted to work on some new open-world games and do adult comedy animation. Dan and I are both fans of comic books. So, he came up with this idea of this sprawling crime caper set in Wyoming. Which is a place that we’ve never set any of our stories in.”
They reached out to comic book editor Shelly Bond, who helped with bringing in artists like David Lapham (Cross, Stray Bullets), with Chris Anderson on finishes, and Lee Loughridge on colors.
“When Dan came up with these characters, he did the first pass on the script, and then I took it and edited it and get together with them,” Lazlow said. “I’m like, ‘I think we should add some scenes with this character and add this dialogue.’ And then we collaborate with the editor and the artists, and they throw in their ideas.
“I had this idea with comics that someone would just write a script and hand it to the artist, but it’s very much a back-and-forth collaborative effort. It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun. I grew up every Wednesday going to the comic book shop and blowing any money that I had from taking out the trash and mowing the lawn. And to actually be working on a comic with this gang, it’s amazing.”
Houser and Lazlow have been working together for decades, and their working relationship is still the same after all these years.
“It’s exactly the same,” the writer explained. “Dan comes up with the characters. He’s responsible for all those iconic characters that you remember from GTA 3, 4, San Andreas, Red Dead, Bully, and… So he comes up with the characters and the storyline and then we collaborate and we send the scripts back and forth to each other And I add stuff and send it to him and he adds stuff.
“But you know, a lot of our process is I’ll come up with an idea at 11 o’clock at night and text him. And he does the same thing. I have to cut and paste all the text threads and email them to myself and put them in the scripts because whenever an idea pops into his head, he’ll just shoot me a quick email or a text or give me a call. We’ve been creative partners now since 2001, and it was exciting to start Absurd Ventures with him and be making new stuff.”
Expect the same for American Caper with the comedic satire and violence that people know from the games.
About American Caper
Synopsis: Verona, Wyoming. A small town like any other. A land of hunter and hunted. Apex predators… and regulations just waiting to be broken. Culture has become a war, everyone has everything they need yet are miserable, and American life is still dominated by real estate, violence and snake oil. From the tax-avoiders in the manicured wilderness of Wyoming, to the thought police of Brooklyn, to the confused political battlegrounds of Florida, one thing is certain: This tragedy is someone else’s fault.
American Caper issue #1 debuts on November 12, 2025.
