Although most comic book political thrillers are fiction, Rogue State paints an uncomfortably all too possible future in debut issue at Black Mask Studios.
From writer Matteo Pizzolo (Calexit, Godkiller) and artist Carlos Granda (Pirouette, Calexit: San Diego), comes this tale of rebelling against tyranny, reconquering stolen land, punching fascists in the face, and building a better nation.
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 2nd 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?
In this speculative fiction comic book series ripped from tomorrow’s headlines, a mysterious figure named Vya Of Brightstars will rise from the crisis, but is she a freedom fighter or a terrorist? Either way, her 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 printings of Rogue State #1 sold out at both distributors Diamond and Lunar on its first day of release, breaking Black Mask’s all-time record for bestselling comic.
When hype surrounds a comic such as Rogue State, sometimes that can leave the reader putting the comic on a pedestal and holding it to higher standards than you might if you just grabbed if by chance on a new comic day. We did hype up this comic, but in our opinions it lived up to said hype.
Although the story is slower moving and consists of more dialogue between two characters than progressing the story, the book has some serious potential.
Colors from Brad Simpson gave us the feel of a post-apocalyptic failing United States and sunk us further into the developing story. Again, more dialogue than story progression, but there is hope with the ground set in this first issue. While this comic is going to end up being on our pull list each month, it won’t likely end up on the level of Jonathan Hedrick‘s The Recount for elite political thriller comics.
Rogue State #1 is Larger Than Life
The magazine-sized comic was originally a turnoff to comic book collectors, such as TMNT: The Last Ronin originally was, the larger format allowed for a bigger stage to set the groundwork and will lend itself well for future issues. At least this Black Mask Studios comic fits in a magazine bag and board without modifications.
Rogue State #1 dropped on November 16, 2022 with a follow-up issue coming December 14.
