Black Mask Studios is a new creator owned and operated publishing company that can be described as being influenced just as much from the punk rock scene as it is the comic market.
Publishers Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), Brett Gurewitz (from punk band Bad Religion) and Matt Pizzolo (Occupy Comics, Godzilla) are ready to represent the punks, vegans, animal liberators, the 99% and hip hop heads with a variety of intelligent, funny and sometimes bizarre catalog of comics featuring artists and writers from the underground and also celebrity writers and artists the likes of Alan Moore, Ghostface Killah, Darick Robertson and Ben Templesmith.
After the jump we take a look at their first wave of titles.
BALLISTIC
Writer/Co-Creator: Adam Egypt Mortimer
Illustrator/Co-Creator: Darick Robertson
Colorist: Diego Rodriguez
Letterer: Crank!
Producer: Pizzolo
Issue #2 out on September 11, 2013
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Not since Transmetropolitan (Warren Ellis, Darick Robertson) has a future world looked so disgustingly bleak and surreally awesome. One could also draw comparisons to the cybernetic hyper pop culture world of Hard Boiled (Frank Miller, Geof Darrow) or elements of Miller’s Ronin for this tale of ex-con Butch with his talking, fleshy best friend of a gun.
The walls, the cars, the drugs, the cloned human meat and even gigantic buildings with human heads seem to be living and breathing.
Everyone’s on drugs, especially the gun and bong hits from organic brain stems seem to keep everyone on the same level.
The psychedelia is merely a backdrop for a bad-boy heist story except that this time, the guns is too hungover to participate or function properly.
What we have here is a cyber-psychedelic-anti-hero action comic for the ages. No wonder this is Grant Morrison’s favorite comic of 2013. Writer Adam Egypt Mortimer is working with Morrison on a movie project that will mess with your head no doubt!
Darick Robertson is a master of the page, with incredible detail and really excellent work here. Fans of The Boys and Transmetropolitan need this book!
12 REASONS TO DIE
Cover price: $3.50
Creator: Ghostface Killah, Adrian Younge
Art: Various
Producer: The RZA
Issue #3 out September 4, 2013
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If you ever wondered what the Ghostface Killah’s fictional origin was, hinted at in nearly 20 years of Wu-Tang lyrics, Tony Starks worked with producer Adrian Younge to create a concept album with limited six-issue series comic book.
The first three issues are as you would expect, a bloody gangster movie with some har hitting dudes doing bad stuff.
The Twelve Delucas are and old school crime family, and Anthony is their bag man back in the ‘60s.
There is an anthology feel to the book as someone is collecting some powerful vinyl in the present, infused with the soul of the Ghostface Killah, seeking justice for the Deluca Family wrongdoings.
…And there is a critically acclaimed new Ghostface record for you to check out under the same name, 12 Reasons To Die with hot shot producer Adrian Younge.
Wu-Tang clans are welcome to the comic shop on the way to the record shop this Wednesday as issue #3 comes out.
LIBERATOR
Writer/Creator: Matt Miner
Artist: Joel Gomez
32 pages
Issue #3 is out September 11, 2013
BUY DIRECT
Real life dog rescuer Matt Miner pens this four-issue series about compassion for animals and liberating them from trouble! The aforementioned punk aesthetic and ethos is strong in this book. A very realistic point of view, whereby a barista who hates his job has some subversive nocturnal activities rescuing animals and spying on furriers.
The dialogue and action seems very realistic, as are the settings. Matt’s experiences shine through on his creative work! Kudos for making an action packed book that’s not men in tights or just full of bloody violence. This book is for the liberation of animals, and 30% of the profits go to animal liberation services.
Even if you aren’t feeling so subversive yourself but wish to live through Damon and Jeanette’s adventures in this four issue series. You’ll be helping the critters and have a heart racing full of adrenaline about not getting caught!
OCCUPY COMICS
Anthology
Issue #3 published August 28
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The Occupy movement set to get the wheels in motion for change. Black Mask Studios was set up to support and publish the product of Matt Pizzolo’s Occupy Comics Kickstarter as he partnered with Niles and Gurewitz. In many ways, this is the flagship non-brand of Black Mask Studios.
Subverting the established comic book companies writ large, Occupy Comics #1 was published to showcase new talent as well as legends in an important issue dealing with artists’ reactions to and direct relationship to the Occupy movement.
While not partisan (by nature, there are many different views in the book), the first issue features the first two parts of an essay by Alan Moore about comics as counter-culture, a New Yorker style pinup by Art Speigelman and one to two page stories from too many creators to mention.
This is important work, that continues the notion of embracing community in times of trouble, enacting change through like-minded action and at a basic level caring for one another.
There are history lessons, current events coverage, fantastical sea beasts of oppression and a stand-out story about greed and addiction from writer Patrick Meaney and artist Eric Zawadzki in the latest issue, Occupy Comics #3.
If you ever felt like one vote doesn’t matter or if buying (or stealing) one comic won’t matter, these comics might change your mind.
Or they won’t, but that’s OK, because punk rock wasn’t built on people agreeing.
It was based on feelings.
It was based on feeling something just wasn’t right.
