Tag Archives: matteo pizzolo

Rogue State #1 and Godkiller: For Those I Love I Will Sacrifice #1 go back to print

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After immediately selling out at both Diamond Comics Distribution and Lunar Distribution, Black Mask is rushing new editions of two of its titles: Rogue State #1 and Godkiller: For Those I Love I Will Sacrifice #1.

Rogue State #1 hit the ground running by selling out of its First Printing on release day last November when it debuted as Black Mask’s all-time top-ordered book, and now both Second Printing covers by Jasmin Darnell have also sold out within days of release. The new Third Printing set for release on February 8th will feature a new cover by series artist C. Granda.

Godkiller: For Those I Love I Will Sacrifice #1 exploded onto shelves last week, with this newest launch from the Godkiller universe selling out immediately on its day of release. Its Second Printing is also planned for a February 8th release, featuring two covers (a standard edition and a bagged-NSFW edition) by Jasmin Darnell.

Rogue State is illustrated by C. Granda, written by Matteo Pizzolo, colored by Brad Simpson, and lettered by Jim Campbell.

Godkiller: For Those I Love I Will Sacrifice is illustrated by Anna Muckcracker, written by Matteo Pizzolo, and lettered by Jim Campbell.

Rogue State #1 is Black Mask Studios’ Highest Selling Premier Issue

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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. Black Mask is rushing Rogue State to second printing with two covers by Jasmin Darnell that will arrive in both standard and ‘gallery’ (no-text) editions.

While Jasmin Darnell’s cover art presents a powerful image of post-apocalyptic street artist Dust Girl, Ramon Villalobos‘ Tour Cover pays homage to the history of socially-engaged public art in San Francisco’s Mission District, where Rogue State is set.

Rogue State #1 reunites C. Granda and Matteo Pizzolo, who first collaborated on the acclaimed CalExit: San Diego. 

Rogue State combines Granda’s experiences coming of age amid political violence in Medellín-Colombia with Pizzolo’s street-politics, crafting the story of a near-future America overrun by political violence set in the embattled blue-enclave of ‘Occupied San Francisco.’

Political violence plunges America into turmoil. Local police forces join with the National Guard, but even their combined strength is unable to quell the rage. Filling the vacuum, militia groups rise into roving gangs of vigilantes.

In a strict interpretation of the 2nd Amendment, an embattled Supreme Court overturns two centuries of settled law by recognizing militias as Constitutionally protected. In an instant, every paramilitary gang in America is suddenly deputized, transforming the entire country into a vigilante police-state. Lockdowns set in. Fear spreads… and whispers of revolution.

Review: Rogue State #1

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Rogue State #1

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? Rogue State #1 takes reality and moves it to the extreme so many of us are worried about.

Written by Matteo Pizzolo, Rogue State #1 is an interesting start but doesn’t quite have the hook that’s pitched. While I was provided the first three issues, I read what I believe is just the first (it’s one file, so wasn’t 100% sure) and there’s a lot of potential. The idea of a nation torn apart by an election is one that has so much potential for storytelling. Where this series is going is a mysterious figure eventually rising and whether that individual is a freedom fighter or a terrorist. Unfortunately, none of that is conveyed in the debut. Instead, we get an inept militia, corrupt cops, and a character who seems to be very acrobatic for unknown reasons. It all comes across as good ideas, but not meshed together well.

Where Rogue State #1 falls flat is that none of the crisis or danger feels felt. There’s little escalation from what we see every so often on television. BLM protests and Antifa/Proud Boy clashes have more danger, tension, and stakes felt around them. We get a main character who’s an unemployed architect that can scale buildings like Spider-Man and a clash between protestors and police. All of which feels a bit exaggerated or not exaggerated enough. There’s also something about drugs and bootlegging but none of that really feels relevant so far, it just fills space. In other words, the danger of the world is never really established. Pizzolo opens with an inept militia that can shoot something 20 feet away and come off more Barney Fife than Terminator.

Carlos Granda‘s art doesn’t help matters. Characters aren’t consistent in their look which at times distracts and moments that should have the feel of danger feel more like slapstick comedy. The art tone, and tone of situations as a whole, don’t match the pitch. Granda is joined by Brad Simpson on color and Jim Campbell on lettering. The color does stand out in its purples and pinks, a sky motif playing off the sunset and down of a new day. The lettering I noticed one issue where it looks like a word was cut off at the top of the word balloon, an odd mistake.

Rogue State has potential and maybe as it gets going things improve. But, as an opening issue, Rogue State #1 falls into the trap so many high concept comics have lately. The concept doesn’t match the execution and things fall short of what is promised. It feels a bit scattered in its focus overall. We’ll see if that continues to be true but for a first issue, this one stumbles.

Story: Matteo Pizzolo Art: Carlos Granda
Color: Brad Simpson Letterer: Jim Campbell
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Black Mask Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics

Matthew Rosenberg and Matteo Pizzolo announce an East Coast Signing Tour

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Tomorrow, in conjunction with what is perhaps one of the most important midterm elections in recent history, Black Mask publisher Matteo Pizzolo will appear alongside hip hop legend Chuck D of Public Enemy at Manhattan’s largest comic book retailer, Midtown Comics rewarding voters with an exclusive opportunity to have Chuck D’s cover for Pizzolo’s new creator-owned series Rogue State signed by the two in a one-time appearance for the launch of the series a full week before it hits stores around the country. This appearance will kick off nearly two weeks of appearances by Pizzolo and Matthew Rosenberg, who will be signing copies of his landmark relaunch of Jim Lee and Brandon Choi’s beloved WildCATS, 30 years after its initial introduction.

Full itinerary and details of the pair’s appearances can be found below:

Matthew Rosenberg and Matteo Pizzolo tour

Black Mask Studios’ Rogue State gets a variant cover by Chuck D of Public Enemy

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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 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. 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.

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.

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.

Rogue State Chuck D

Critical Role’s Laura Baily joins the Godkiller videogame adaptation

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Laura Bailey with art by Nen Chang & Liz Tecca
Laura Bailey with art by Nen Chang & Liz Tecca

Laura Bailey (Critical Role, Legend of Vox Machina, The Last of Us Part II) will take on the voice role of the massively popular, fan-favorite character Halfpipe in the narrative-videogame adaptation of beloved, bestselling comic series Godkiller by writer Matteo Pizzolo and artist Anna Muckcracker Wieszczyk.

Bailey joins previously announced castmember Aya Cash (The Boys, You’re The Worst) in the dark-fantasy videogame about a team of anti-heroes who’ve survived their world’s descent into dystopia and undertake a vendetta against the cruel men and strange deities responsible for the end of the world.

Bailey will be taking on the iconic role of Halfpipe, introduced in 2008’s self-distributed ‘Godkiller #1’ as a street kid buying herself out of slavery through organ stealing before joining a campaign through the savage land of Outer City to find a new heart for a dying girl. In the nearly fifteen years since her debut, Halfpipe has developed into a time-traveling sorceress appearing in crossover comics with other universes, adorning numerous tattoos and even vinyl record picture discs, and has been illustrated by guest artists including Ben Templesmith, Maria Llovet, Leila del Duca, Tim Seeley, The Wolf Maria, Natasha Alterici, Riley Rossmo, Alexis Ziritt, Jasmin Darnell, Amancay Nahuelpan, and more, most recently in a stunning set of paintings by Nen Chang and Liz Tecca.

Produced by Emmy-winner Brian Giberson (Power On: The Story Of Xbox), the project leads a new gaming initiative at Black Mask Entertainment, the busy production arm with more than two dozen features and series in development at studios and networks.

Matteo Pizzolo and Anna Wieszczyk’s Godkiller is being developed as a video game

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Aya Cash will take on the voice role of a god-hunting dark witch in the narrative-videogame adaptation of beloved, bestselling comic series Godkiller by writer Matteo Pizzolo and artist Anna Wieszczyk. Pizzolo, who penned the screenplay adaptation of his Calexit comic that sold in a 5-studio bidding war and is currently producing the feature adaptation of Black at Warner Bros., will write the adaptation.

Following her role as the villain Stormfront on The Boys, Cash will perform the Godkiller role of Bones, an anti-hero sorcerer who survives her world’s descent into dystopia and leads a vendetta against the cruel men and strange deities responsible for the end of the world.

Produced by Emmy-winner Brian Giberson, the project leads a new gaming initiative at Black Mask Entertainment, the busy production arm with more than two dozen features and series in development at studios and networks.

Pizzolo and Wieszczyk self-distributed the Godkiller’ comic at comic cons starting in 2008, where it grew in notoriety leading to a Warner Bros.-distributed animated feature written and directed by Pizzolo in 2011. The comic book returned through publisher Black Mask Studios with 2021’s ‘Godkiller: Tomorrow’s Ashes’ to overwhelming success, selling out of a 40,000 book print run on the day of its release and going on to sell through numerous additional printings. It quickly became one of the top-selling indie comic books of the year, and Black Mask’s all-time bestselling series.

Godkiller will next return to comic shops in September with the brand new series Godkiller: For Those I Love I Will Sacrifice.

Godkiller

SDCC 2022: Matteo Pizzolo launches Rogue State

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Rogue State #1

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 this October from Black Mask Studios. 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.

In Rogue State, a crew of young vigilantes will rise against an authoritarian state robbing Americans of their rights. The ongoing series tells the story of Vya Of Brightstars, a mysterious freedom fighter rising from the unrest, and Clara Cruz (she/her), a young professional who becomes activated in Vya’s movement when her fiancée Taylor Sanchez (they/them) is disappeared as militias take over their Mission District neighborhood. As a nationwide police state takes shape following a contested Presidential election and The Supreme Court’s Second Amendment ruling to deputize paramilitary groups, Vya and Clara’s rogue state will blaze a path across America, inspiring others to raise their own armies… some in solidarity, others in opposition. Each issue of Rogue State will also include non-fiction material about building local support networks and grassroots campaigning for coming elections.

The first issue of Rogue State will be available from Black Mask Studios in October 2022, with a special preview book available in extremely limited quantities this week at Comic Con International in San Diego. Black Mask’s full slate of exclusives can be found below, and fans can find out more at the company’s panel on Saturday July 24! 

Black Mask SDCC exclusives: 

  • Calexit: Our Last Night In America [Uncut] 
    (limited to 66 main cover, 25 clean art)
    An extended version of the FCBD 2021 Calexit story which was edited and had pages cut for FCBD’s T+ format. Exclusive cover by Sunando.
  • Godkiller: For Those I Love I Will Sacrifice #1 advanced issue 
    (limited to 66 main cover/25 clean art of a censored cover, and another 66 main cover/25 clean art of an uncensored cover)
    Complete issue for upcoming series launch. Exclusive cover by Jasmin Darnell.
  • Godkiller: Tomorrow’s Ashes Collected Edition Hardcover & Softcover 
    (limited to 200 hardcover/200 softcover)
    Collected editions in hardcover and softcover with limited edition art by Maria Llovet
  • Rogue State ashcan
    (limited to 50)
    Preview book for upcoming series
  • Destiny, NY Chapter 1
    (limited to 99 of main cover, 25 of clean art)
    Special edition of Destiny, NY’s first chapter. Exclusive cover by Amancay Nahuelpan (Calexit, Batman: Detective Comics)

Black Mask: Debuting Tomorrow’s Legends
Saturday July 23, 2022 5-6pm, Rooom 28DE
Black Mask has made a name for itself as the hottest launchpad to debut new talent and as the home for some of the coolest, most provocative comics around, including BLACK, Destiny NY, CALEXIT, 4 Kids Walk into a Bank, and Alice In Leatherland. Black Mask co-founder Matteo Pizzolo (CALEXIT) joins creators Kwanza Osajyefo (BLACK), Pat Shand (Destiny NY), Adam Egypt Mortimer (Ballistic), and others for a wide-ranging discussion of how new ideas are changing comics and how you can be a part of it.

Gerard McMurray will write and direct Black for Studio 8

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Black

Gerard McMurray will write and direct the film Black, based on the comic series published by Black Mask Studios and created by Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3, with artists Jamal Igle and Khary Randolph.

Black debuted in 2016 and since has spun out multiple series set in the world. The comic is set in a world where only Black people have superpowers and it’s kept a secret. Kareem Jenkins discovers his powers after being shot by the police.

The film will take a similar direction following a young man who discovers his powers after surviving a violent crime. He then finds himself in the middle of a war over who will control the empowered and their abilities and the future of humanity.

Robinov and John Graham will produce for Studio 8. Osajyefo and Smith will co-produce with Black Mask Studio’s Matteo Pizzolo and Brett Gurewitz serving as producer and executive producer.

Godkiller Returns for a Fifth Volume

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After last week’s launch of Godkiller: Spiderland #1 sold out at the distributor level in 24 hours, Black Mask has renewed the series for a fifth volume Godkiller: For Those I Love I Will Sacrifice scheduled for Spring 2022, continuing its streak as Black Mask’s all-time longest running and bestselling series.

Fan-favorite painters Nen Chang and Liz Tecca return with an evocative handpainted cover featuring the sardonic bounty hunter Soledad. Series artist Anna Muckcracker channels Tommy’s psychotic descent into madness in cover-B. And Maria LLovet scorches the series with a sizzling NSFW wraparound to finish off her triptych of Godkiller covers.

In Godkiller: For Those I Love I Will Sacrifice, Halfpipe begins to master her newfound sorcery just as her relationship with Soledad becomes even more complicated. Meanwhile, Tommy struggles to break free of the vivisection table as the spider eggs in his blood are ready to hatch… for better or worse, we’ll finally reach the end of The Metarachnoid Larvae story arc.

Death and gore await some of our characters, rebirth awaits others… as the wildest comic on shelves thunders on in 2022. Godkiller is written by Matteo Pizzolo.

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