“I’ve long been obsessed with the details, loose ends, and personalities involved in the 1962 escape from Alcatraz—the government’s response and need for a narrative, the disappearance of the three men who made it off the island, and the vivid nature of the country’s cultural climate at the time, which was poised to explode into the radicalism of the mid and late 60’s," said series writer Christopher Cantwell. “But OUT OF ALCATRAZ specifically takes the mystery further. If those men did escape… then what? What would they—or any of us—do if we had suddenly achieved a tentative and highly fragile, fleeting freedom? Would that freedom even exist given how many caveats and fears would be attached to it? The more I thought about that central tenet, the more I realized that same question of freedom could be applied to any one of our ordinary lives. What are we encumbered with on a day to day basis, what do we feel trapped by, and how do any of us truly break free?”
"Designing the cover for a first issue is always a huge challenge," said series artist Tyler Crook. “It needs to communicate a lot about the story, and it needs to do it almost instantaneously. Early in the development of the series, I had the idea that each of the covers should be made to look like a 1960s movie poster. I’ve always found that era of poster design to be particularly compelling and I felt it would be perfect for Out of Alcaraz. And hopefully potential readers will see that and know right away what this story is about and get the sense that it’s going to be a wild ride."
“OUT OF ALCATRAZ is one of the most beautifully written and illustrated books I've read, with Chris and Tyler building immense depth and relatability for this time, place, and their characters,” said Senior Editor Bess Pallares. “Many of my favorite artists have contributed covers to the series, crafting a diverse but distinctly connected vision of this story, and drawing from the design, genre, and literary inspirations of the midcentury era. Working again with Hayden and for the first time with Valeria Burzo and the inimitable Massimo Carnevale has been a delight—and I'm especially excited that Oliver Dominguez will make his comics debut providing lush gouache painted covers for all five issues. Every cover on OUT OF ALCATRAZ is a piece of art worth owning."
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! | 
