Exclusive Look at New “Liberator” Comic — Radical Activist Superheroes

When I received this collection of comics, I had to drop everything and read all of them. Liberator is a series about young vigilantes who go above the law (and go underground) to rescue animals from vivisection labs, dogfighting rings, and anywhere else they are abused.

What I love about the series is that it presents a counter-narrative to the political reality of “eco-terrorism.” The comics are of course fictitious. But they are also grounded in radical activism, drawing inspiration from groups like the Animal Liberation Front. When presented in comic form, these characters seamlessly transition from so-called “terrorists” to freedom fighters.Â

“Real heroes donâ€™t wear capes,” Liberator’sÂ tagline says. “They wear ski-masks.”

These are sympathetic characters and inspiring heroes. And for that reason, I have no doubt vivisection groups and animal abusing industries are going to flip out about the collection. TERRORIST PROPAGANDA! I can see the press releases now.

Liberator Volume 1: Rage IgnitionÂ collects the series in a book, and also includes new material. It will be out next week.Â LiberatorÂ was createdÂ by real-life dog rescuer Matt Miner, and the book is being published byÂ Black Mask Studios, the new comics publisher from Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion), Matt PizzoloÂ (Occupy Comics), andÂ SteveÂ Niles (30 Days of Night).

The folks at Black Mask Studios were kind enough to let me run this preview of one of the new comics. They were all fantastic, but you can probably guess why I chose this one.

“Unlocking”

Written byÂ Fabian Rangel, Jr.

Illustrated byÂ Jonathan Brandon Sawyer

Colored byÂ Doug Garbark

Lettered byÂ CRANK!