Out of Alcatraz #1

(W) Christopher Cantwell (A/CA) Tyler Crook
In Shops: Mar 19, 2025
SRP: $5.99

Born from one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the 20th century, this taut and breathtaking original limited series launches with a double-sized, 48-page debut from Eisner Award-nominated writer Christopher Cantwell (Plastic Man No More, Briar) and Eisner Award-nominated illustrator Tyler Crook (Harrow County, The Lonesome Hunters)!

Convicts Frank Morris and Clarence Anglin have washed ashore in San Francisco after surviving their infamous escape from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in June 1962. They soon meet their gruff and disappointed handler, a mysterious young woman who’s also running from something, and hope to quickly get their way north to the border-if they can even make it out of Modesto alive. As a dogged federal manhunt and chance encounters threaten the desperate convicts, everyone involved is about to discover the same bloodstained truth: life on the run is an even more hellish prison than Alcatraz could have ever been

On March 19th Oni Press – the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997 – will publish one of the most eagerly anticipated comics of the year with Out of Alcatraz #1 – the 48-page oversized debut issue from Eisner Award–nominated writer Christopher Cantwell (Iron Man, Briar) and Russ Manning Award–winning and Eisner Award–nominated illustrator Tyler Crook (Harrow County, The Lonesome Hunters). The early buzz will take your breath away.

Here’s what people are saying about Out of Alcatraz:

“Out Of Alcatraz Is a crime comic straight out of a Hitchcock film… The real fate of Frank Morris and Clarence Anglin may never be truly solved, but Out of Alcatraz is poised to offer a compelling answer.”—/FILM

“Out of Alcatraz has everything I love in a crime comic: brilliantly evocative art, a wild and unpredictable cast that can’t help but screw up a ‘fool-proof’ plan, and an ever-tightening circle of Feds and bad decisions. Tight, gripping, and constantly surprising.”—Cliff Chiang, Eisner Award-winning creator of Paper Girls and Catwoman: Lonely City

“Once in a while, a story comes along that hits all the right points, with creators that seem to have been born to tell a certain story a certain way. Out of Alcatraz is one of those stories. Crook and Cantwell have crafted a comic that is thrilling, compelling, and downright beautiful. The watercolor work by Crook is utterly breathtaking and takes Cantwell’s script of unfortunate, though seemingly fated, events and brings it to jaw-dropping life. They tell it with such urgency and intention that you’d think the book itself was a sort of prison break of the soul. If it’s not clear, let me state it here unequivocally: I love this book.”—Chris Condon (That Texas Blood)

“There’s a real cinematic quality to the entire production, not unlike a David Fincher film…..Out of Alcatraz is a thrilling debut that blends the grit of crime storytelling with the intrigue of historical fiction. Cantwell and Crook deliver a cinematic, high-stakes narrative that hooks readers with its intense action, rich character dynamics, and visually striking artistry. A must-read for fans of crime comics and historical thrillers.”—AIPT Comics

“Out of Alcatraz is hard-boiled heaven. Written with intensity and flair, painted with exquisite beauty, Christopher Cantwell and Tyler Crook have created a truly remarkable comic experience. Crime, grim humor, and a vivid sense of history all come together in one of the best comics I’ve read in a very long time.”—Victor LaValle (PEN/Open Book Award-winning author of The Changeling and The Devil in Silver)

“A pulse-pounding historical noir that plays to the strengths of two master storytellers in Cantwell and Crook. Rustic, tense, and loaded with complicated and often problematic heroes, Out of Alcatraz feels like the love child of In Cold Blood and Jim Thompson’s Pop. 1280. Bad people doing bad things is always entertaining—especially when crafted this way.”—Alex Segura, bestselling author of Secret Identity and Alter Ego

“Irresistible.”—COMIC BOOK COUPLES COUNSELING

“Now THIS is how you do California noir! A thrilling, layered, cinematic crime story that doesn’t let you take a breath!”—Spencer Ackerman, (Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, author of Reign of Terror: How The 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump, and writer of Iron Man)

“The Rock meets Conspiracy Theory in this new limited series. With his throwback style and mostly muted color palette, Crook is the perfect artist to handle this series.”—COMICON.COM

“Out of Alcatraz by Tyler Crook and Christopher Cantwell is a high-quality crime comic—the kind of story where the wide-open spaces of the Bay Area in the ’60s radiate menace as much as they do beauty, and the people speak plainly but with a vicious threat lurking just beneath their words. It’s a thrill seeing desperate people crash into one another while claiming to be walking in step, watching violence erupt in a flash and reverberate for ages, and watching with horror as desperation leads to death.”—David Brothers (Time Waits, Mangasplaining podcast)

“Reminiscent of the original, true crime Americana In Cold Blood, Cantwell and Crook create an after-the-fact ‘what if?’ of one of the nation’s most famous prison breaks. Filled with pulp colors and textures, visceral tension and its concomitant human desperation, Out of Alcatraz is a mesmerizing trip into the deep end…of the water, of the mind, and of the human experience.”—Craig Hurd-McKenney (Station Grand, Boris Karloff Gold Key Mysteries)

“Fantastic.”—LOTUSLAND

“I can’t remember the last time a debut issue got me so invested and excited to read more. Cantwell grounds his fugitives in a world of intrigue and consequence, and no one familiar with Crook’s body of work should be surprised that he here continues to be one of the best artists and storytellers our medium has to offer.”—Chris Schweizer (Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton, The Crogan Adventures)

Pairing co-creators Christopher Cantwell – creator of critically heralded TV milestone Halt and Catch Fire and co-showrunner of The Terror’s upcoming return on AMC – and Tyler Crook – the master illustrator behind series like Harrow County with Cullen Bunn, The Unbelievable Unteens with Jeff Lemire, and his own Lonesome Hunters – together for the first time, Out of Alcatraz #1 begins a harrowing epic of killers and convicts every bit as cold as Alcatraz Island itself, as told across five lavishly painted issues from two Eisner-nominated storytellers at the peak of their powers. The race to escape the shadow of the world’s most infamous prison begins this March in Out of Alcatraz #1 – the DOUBLE-SIZED, 48-PAGE FIRST ISSUE featuring covers by co-creator Tyler Crook, Oliver Dominguez (Electrical Wizard), Valeria Burzo (Castle Full of Blackbirds), Massimo Carnevale (Y: The Last Man), and Hayden Sherman (Absolute Wonder Woman).

Out of Alcatraz is part of Oni Press’ ambitious publishing slate that kicks off with Mine is a Long, Lonesome Grave by writer Justin Jordan and artist Chris Shehan this month, followed by Free For All #1 by Patrick Horvath (March), Plague House #1 by Michael W. Conrad & Dave Chisholm (April) and The Goddamn Tragedy #1 by Chris Condon & Shawn Kuruneru (April).

Escape was only the beginning – find your way to freedom when Out of Alcatraz #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere on March 19th!

THEIR COVER IS BLOWN!  Oni Press has unveiled a fleet of arresting covers for Out of Alcatraz #1, the must-read new series coming in March 2025! A relentlessly paced and visually breathtaking original limited series with a double-sized, 48-page debut from Eisner Award-nominated writer Christopher Cantwell and Russ Manning Award-winning and Eisner Award-nominated illustrator Tyler Crook, Out of Alcatraz #1 will see Crook joined by a selection of riveting covers from Valeria Burzo, Massimo Carnevale, Tyler Crook, Oliver Dominguez, and Hayden Sherman!

Convicts Frank Morris and Clarence Anglin have washed ashore in San Francisco after surviving their infamous escape from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in June 1962. They soon meet their gruff and disappointed handler, a mysterious young woman who’s also running from something, and hope to quickly get their way north to the border – if they can even make it out of Modesto alive. As a dogged federal manhunt and chance encounters threaten the desperate convicts, everyone involved is about to discover the same bloodstained truth: life on the run is an even more hellish prison than Alcatraz could have ever been. 

Pairing Christopher Cantwell – creator of critically heralded TV milestone Halt and Catch Fire and co-showrunner of The Terror’s upcoming return on AMC – and Tyler Crook – the master illustrator behind series like Harrow County with Cullen Bunn, The Unbelievable Unteens with Jeff Lemire, and his own series Lonesome Hunters – together for the first time, Out of Alcatraz #1 begins a harrowing epic of killers and convicts every bit as cold as Alcatraz Island itself, as told across five lavishly painted issues from two Eisner-nominated storytellers at the peak of their powers. 

Born from one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the 20th century, this taut, five-issue American odyssey follows history’s most notorious fugitives as they desperately race for freedom through the California countryside … leaving a trail of wreckage, bodies, and painful revelations in their wake. Their escape begins…only in Out of Alcatraz #1, coming in March 2025 from Oni Press!