ComiXology have announced Leviathan Freedom, a sci-fi series created by Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, with writer Marc Guggenheim (Arrow), artist Szymon Kudrański (No Man’s Land), and letterer DC Hopkins. A far future reimagining of the life of Civil War hero Robert Smalls, the five-issue comic depicts an uprising from the laborer caste that is powering a galactic civil war.
Leviathan Freedom #1 cover by Sedat Oezgen
The official synopsis reads, “In Leviathan Freedom, the galaxy is divided by civil war. And the profound human cost of conflict is felt not in the war rooms but by the Doldrums, the laborer caste essential for the war machine – until one man decides to stand against it.” In real life, Smalls (1839-1915) was an enslaved man who escaped by commandeering a Confederate ship for the Union in 1862, and then served in the Union Army.
Morello, who is African American, states, “For as long as I can remember, I’ve been on a mission to unearth the stories of revolutionaries — the fighters, the visionaries, the ones history either buries or sanitizes beyond recognition. Their courage, defiance and unwavering pursuit of justice, often in the face of seemingly impossible odds, have shaped the world, even if their names are too often left out of the narrative. Robert Smalls is one of those heroes. The idea of taking his revolutionary spirit and launching it into the cosmos feels like a perfect extension of his fight.”
Leviathan Freedom marks Morello’s first comics series since Dark Horse’s 2011-12 release Orchid. It coincides with his current tour with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which you can check out the dates for on his official website. Guggenheim adds, “Leviathan Freedom comes as a reminder that true freedom is rarely given and very often must be taken.”
Issue #1 will be released on June 16 with a cover by Sedat Oezgen (The Whisper War). Kudrański will provide covers for the subsequent chapters. You can check out an unlettered three-page preview in the meantime on Guggenheim’s Substack. Issue #4 of Guggenheim’s latest series, The Whisper War, will also be released on comiXology on May 12, before the final issue drops on June 9.
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