This myth-shattering graphic novel challenges readers to re-examine how the media "governs" their lives, whether in print, over the airwaves, or online. A chilling account of willingly-embraced oppression and abandonment of individual autonomy in exchange for the predictability and comfort of fascism, Underground is a new genre: the Graphic Novel presented as Visual Cinema. Adapted from the original screenplay of Andrew Vachss by Mike Richardson (47 Ronin, Crimson Empire, The Secret) and noted author Chet Williamson, with art by Dominic Reardon best known for his work on 2000 A.D.
When all sources of "news" are so clearly biased that none can be considered even remotely trustworthy or reliable, there
is no news . . . and The Terror descends. For decades, The Rulers have been using prisoner/slave-labor to construct Underground, confident that those who flee there will willingly trade their freedom for security. Now, "truth" is what the Rulers say it is, and The Rulers rule all aspects of the human existence. But even within this antiseptically evil world, a revolutionary movement is brewing. A new breed of journalists-"The Book Boys"-risk everything to graffiti the truth on Underground's pristine walls. The intolerable act of creating a reliable source of truth-"If it's written in blue, it must be true."-is against The Rules -a huge bounty has been offered for identification or capture of any of this crew.
Adapted from a screenplay by Andrew Vachss, acclaimed author of
Another Chance to Get It Right,
Heart Transplant,
Hard Looks and numerous prose books and stories.
Features the three-part story scripted by Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson that originally appeared in
Dark Horse Presents and over 100 pages of never-before-published material!.
Cover by
Fatale artist Sean Phillips. Andrew Vachss' writing has been described as "red-hot and serious as a punctured lung" (
Playboy), "hypnotically violent ... made up of equal part broken concrete block and razor wire" (
Chicago Sun-Times), and "short and choppy, like the ticking of a time bomb" (
Seattle Post-Intelligencer).
Author Bio: Andrew Vachss has been a federal investigator in sexually transmitted diseases, a social-services caseworker, a labor organizer, and has directed a maximum-security prison for "aggressive-violent" youth. Now a lawyer in private practice, he represents children and youth exclusively. He is the author of numerous novels, including the
Burke series, three collections of short stories, and a wide variety of other material including song lyrics, graphic novels, essays, and a "children's book for adults." His books have been translated into twenty languages, and his work has appeared in
Parade,
Antaeus,
Esquire,
Playboy,
The New York Times, and many other forums. His books have been awarded the Grand Prix de Littérature Policiére (France), The Falcon Award (Japan), the Deutschen Krimi Preis (Germany), and the Raymond Chandler Award (Italy). Andrew Vachss' latest works are
Urban Renewal (Vintage: January, 2014) and
Shockwave (Pantheon: June, 2014). The dedicated Web site for Vachss and his work is
www.vachss.com (a.k.a. The Zero), which has both a Facebook analog and a Twitter account.
Author Site: http://www.vachss.com
