ROGUE STATE is scheduled to be released on November 9, with a special image drawn by Public Enemy co-founder Chuck D, woven directly into the storyline.
The press release follows:
Media Release -- What if a contested Presidential election plunged America into turmoil? What if political violence consumed the streets? And what if a raging Supreme Court, in a strict interpretation of the Second Amendment, legitimized and deputized all militias—transforming the entire country into a paramilitary police state? What if a freedom fighter emerged from the chaos, raised a civilian army, and carved out a territory across the United States–pushing out police, militias, and National Guard… enforcing its own laws… sovereign. What if Americans refused to be governed?
This is the world of ROGUE STATE, the new ongoing graphic novel series that marks writer Matteo Pizzolo's return to comics for his first new series since 2017's acclaimed CALEXIT, reuniting with artist C. Granda (who illustrated 2018's CALEXIT: SAN DIEGO comic book that raised funds for families separated at the US-Mexico border) and CALEXIT cover artists Soo Lee and Ashley A Woods. ROGUE STATE will launch with a special variant cover drawn by hip hop legend and higher thought leader Chuck D of PUBLIC ENEMY next month from Black Mask Studios, the Los Angeles based indie publisher of beloved titles including BLACK, 4 KIDS WALK INTO A BANK, SPACE RIDERS, KIM & KIM, ALICE IN LEATHERLAND, and GODKILLER. Together, Pizzolo and Granda have created a timely title about rebelling against tyranny, reconquering stolen land, punching fascists in the face, and building a better nation.
"The concepts Matt is presenting here are so familiar they should be terrifying," says Chuck D. "I thought the concept that there are good people out there but are surrounded by adversaries, even though they might look normal, was radical. Plus, it had a throwback to the last century kind of vibe mixed in."
"Chuck's illustration so perfectly captures the book's vibe of feeling trapped in a cauldron of turmoil but not giving in to the chaos, still rising against it," says Pizzolo. "Chuck is the preeminent incendiary storyteller, for decades through music and visual art as well, so to see the world of ROGUE STATE through his eyes is mind-bending. Of course it's powerful and booming and bold and fearless, it's Chuck D."
In addition to appearing as a cover, Chuck D's illustration will also be inside the book itself as a street-art mural, in an homage to the Mission District's history of socially-engaged public art.
"We set out to make ROGUE STATE a comic that's politically charged but is optimistic and celebrates the history of radical art and street art. At first, Chuck was going to do one cover, but he went far beyond with this panorama of our modern hellscape, and as soon as I saw it I realized that it needed to be part of the story world itself," says Pizzolo. "It's like the most raging street art, and it conveys the inferno of horrors we all have burning away in our minds. The story is about staying hopeful enough to keep fighting, and Chuck captures that too. His work is never about wallowing in the turmoil, it's a call to arms."
In ROGUE STATE, a crew of young vigilantes will rise against a paramilitary police state robbing Americans of their rights. The ongoing series tells the story of Vya of Brightstars, a mysterious figure rising from the unrest, and Clara Cruz (aka Dust Girl), who becomes activated in Vya's movement when her fiancée Taylor Sanchez is disappeared as militias take over their Mission District neighborhood. But are Vya and Dust Girl freedom fighters or terrorists? Either way, their rogue state will not just blaze a path across America, it will also inspire others to raise their own armies... some in solidarity, others in opposition.
The first issue of ROGUE STATE will be available from Black Mask Studios on November 9, with a special variant pulled directly out of the pages of the comic and drawn by Chuck D himself exclusively from your favorite comic book shop in extremely limited quantities. Retailers, consult your Diamond rep to find out how to order ahead of the book's Final Order Cutoff on October 17.
ABOUT THE ARTIST: C. Granda is a freelance comic book creator and teacher with more than 20 years of self-study and more than 16 years dedicated to the creation and promotion of comics in his homeland of Medellín-Colombia, where he founded and was the associate director of the National Comic And Manga Hall cultural corporation, and one of the leaders of FICCO (Independent Colombian Comics fair) and the creator of COMICFAN a small press publisher specialized in creating comics for the Colombian market and creating content aimed at the teaching of comic book creation in Latin America including a Youtube channel with more than 250 videos about the making and analysis of comics for and in the Latin Market. He is also an experienced comic book artist with more than 10 years of experience in professional work with several US and UK publishers such as Heavy Metal, Black Mask, Zenescope, Markosia and others, with titles including CALEXIT: SAN DIEGO, PIROUETTE, GRIMM FAIRY TALES, ESCAPE FROM MONSTER ISLAND, THE JUNGLE BOOK, HEROES OF HOME ROOM C, and ARACHNA, as well as handling his own self published titles. Currently Granda lives in Medellín with his wife Cindy and their four cats; Shazam, Mister Darcy, Totoro and Achu.
ABOUT THE WRITER: An Amazon #1 bestselling author, Matteo Pizzolo was named Wired Magazine's "World's Most Wired Comics Creator," one of Bleeding Cool's Top 100 Most Influential People In Comics, and has appeared on CNN, NPR, and FOX News. While living out of a backpack as a teenager in NYC's Lower East Side, Pizzolo got his start as a playwright in Hell's Kitchen's Ensemble Studio Theatre's Youngblood program. At 19 he wrote and directed THREAT, an independent feature financed with credit cards and set in NYC's hardcore punk & underground hip hop scenes, which premiered at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, won a Best First Time Filmmaker award at the Rome Independent Film Festival, and was distributed by Sony He then wrote the comic book GODKILLER (selected as one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books Of The Year and currently in production as a videogame starring Aya Cash of The Boys and Laura Bailey of Critical Role) and directed its animated film adaptation, distributed by Warner Brothers. He wrote the comic books YOUNG TERRORISTS (second only to Lumberjanesas the highest selling indie graphic novel of the year) and CALEXIT (recipient of international acclaim, including a Publishers Weekly starred review), and co-founded Black Mask where he's championed "subversive, provocative, and just plain awesome comics and creators." Utilizing his background in political organizing, Pizzolo created the Occupy Comics project and devotes himself to supporting and creating some of the bravest comics on shelves.
ABOUT BLACK MASK STUDIOS: Bringing the punk rock ethic to comics c/o co-founders Brett Gurewitz, Steve Niles, and Matteo Pizzolo, Black Mask supports creators telling awesome and important stories.
ABOUT CHUCK D: Chuck D has spent his career helping to pave the way for political, social and culturally conscious hip-hop. His group, Public Enemy, is one of the most influential and critically acclaimed hip hop acts of all time, have been awarded a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. He has also recorded and performed as a solo artist and was as a member of hip hop supergroup Prophets of Rage. In recent years, Chuck's visual artwork has been shown in galleries throughout the world and is featured in the permanent collection at The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Chuck is a graduate of New York's Adelphi University with a B.F.A. in Graphic Design.
