Action & Adventure
Young Ault
Light Braves the Darkness; Darkness Fears the Dawn.
For centuries, the venerable mantle of The Red Rooster has passed from generation-to-generation in order to battle man’s most ancient and pernicious evils. Now, it’s disgraced icon Frank Cooper’s turn to don the cape and cowl in this Dust Bowl-era tale of mystery and redemption against all odds.
World-Class Creators
Industry veterans Mitch and Elizabeth Breitweiser
If I sound like I have a crush on the Red Rooster comics and other comics projects from Allegiance Arts—it’s because I do.
My experience with Red Rooster (and Allegiance Arts) started back in 2016, at FanX in Salt Lake City, when I was fortunate enough to table across from Mitch and Elizabeth Breitweiser.
I was instantly and absolutely amazed by Elizabeth’s masterful work as a colorist and cover artist for titles like Batman, Captain America, Hulk, Ultimate Comics X-Men, The Amazing Spider-Man, Outcast (of which I was already a fan), Kill or be Killed, Velvet, Fatale, and many more. I pored over her portfolio and works for sale and plagued her with questions related to her work and creative processes for all 3 days of the event.
Mitch’s covers and line art for Captain America: Patriot, Captain America the Chosen, Defenders, Green Arrow, Adventures of Superman, Phantom Jack and many other titles—as well as his artwork for original projects—left me drooling.
In talking with Mitch and Elizabeth, it quickly became apparent that they are a singular duo with a deep commitment to their craft and an equal commitment to bettering themselves as individuals and being genuine in their lives—not exactly what I expected to come across at such a large, flashy pop culture event. I tried not to take too much of their time (can you imagine a goofy cartoonist fanboying over such serious and skillful work?) but I also couldn’t help returning to their table time and time again to marvel at the same images I was already familiar with.
Rise of Red Rooster
From sketches to graphic novel
Mitch included some phenomenal artwork in his exceptional portfolio that I kept returning to. The pieces included a man with a metal arm, a mysterious-looking boy in a turban, and a superhero with a cape and a rooster comb atop his head. These, Mitch said, were from a variety of personal projects he was working on and that he hoped to do something with in the near future.
In July 2018, the Red Rooster graphic novel was launched on IndieGoGo and I jumped at the chance to support the project and help bring it into creation.
I was thrilled to find I was only one of thousands of enthusiastic people ready to see this story come into being, and the project ultimately raised a groundbreaking $197,434 USD by 3,582 backers on IndieGoGo.
From their IndieGoGo project page:
RED ROOSTER: GOLDEN AGE
The Red Rooster and his allies are celebrated vigilante folk heroes, but at the height of their success a cabal of his most notorious villains conspire to ruin him and the Red Rooster Legacy forever.
“LIGHT BRAVES THE DARKNESS, DARKNESS FEARS THE DAWN.” For centuries, the mantle of THE RED ROOSTER has passed from generation to generation to fight mankind’s most ancient & terrible evils. Now Frank Cooper must rise to the challenge. Rockwell meets Lovecraft in this dust bowl-era, southern gothic cape & cowls mystery.
Masterful Storytelling
More than just a barnyard Batman, Red Rooster is something to crow about!
I really can’t say enough good things about the RED ROOSTER: GOLDEN AGE graphic novel.
To begin with, the characters are fantastic! Believable, rich, grounded, and exciting to follow. It’s clear that each character existed in time well before this story takes place, and one gets a sense of each character’s unique history, fears, and motivations, even though the book itself is only 60 pages.
These 60 pages, however, tell an engaging story that feels like part-Batman, part-Dick Tracy—yet wholly original.
Without giving anything away, I love how the Red Rooster character is revealed to the reader, and how the pop culture aspect of superheroes in general is addressed and used in the story.
Did I mention I love the characters?
Red Rooster is an interesting enough character to dedicate volumes to, but the fact that Mitch Breitweiser and Mark Pellegrini fleshed out an entire supporting cast of complex heroes and fascinating villains just goes to show how much thought, effort, and care they’ve put into this story.
Of course, the craft that has gone into the character designs, environments, scenes, writing, composition, color, line, and story are nothing less than masterful, with an overall breathtaking effect.
I put down this book and immediately wanted to read it again, as well as every other story that’s hopefully to come from the world Red Rooster and the creative force that is Mitch and Elizabeth Breitweiser and their newly-formed entertainment company Allegiance Arts.
The Adventure Continues
Red Rooster is only the beginning!
Allegiance Arts is the entertainment company founded by Mitch and Elizabeth Breitweiser following the record-breaking success of their RED ROOSTER: GOLDEN AGE graphic novel on IndieGoGo.
“Allegiance Arts & Entertainment combines world class illustration with powerful, character-driven narratives for comic book, graphic novel, and entertainment markets. At AAE, our driving passion is creating and delivering unparalleled, genre-spanning content for fans of all ages from our ever-expanding catalog
Our debut titles, Norah’s Saga, Bass Reeves, The Futurists, and Red Rooster can be found on the shelves of US Walmarts, Walmart.com, and in digital editions on AllegianceArts.com. With episodes arriving regularly and new titles in the works, adventure is always on the horizon.
AAE is an Arkansas-based company founded by comic industry veterans Mitch and Elizabeth Breitweiser in 2019.”
The Futurists
Separated by War. United by a Curse.
India, 1866. Stricken by an insidious curse, three desperate and dangerous foes race to unearth the secrets of the lost land of Shambhala. In their way is Teddy Gunn, a treasure-hunting rogue with a dark secret who must save the family he left behind. To rescue his daughter from a dark magic, Teddy must forge an unlikely alliance with Harij, a beguiling young shaman who is much more than he seems. Together, they will navigate a war-torn landscape and face terrifying monsters, murderous cults, macabre plots, and the exotic mysteries of an ancient land.
BASS REEVES
Slave. Lawman. Legend.
In a life torn between family and duty, the story of Bass Reeves shines a bright light on one of the most legendary lawmen of the American west. Reeves escaped slavery, became a feared tracker and bounty man, then accepted a commission as the first black man west of the Mississippi to wear the silver star of the US Marshals service. Bass always got his man, arresting over 3,000 outlaws – a record that stands till this day.
Norah’s Saga
From Gym Class to Warrior Class.
New school–new world, literally. Sassy, book-smart Norah Karlsson’s quest to fit in becomes an epic tale of survival when she crashes through the mists of time and into a realm of ice and Norse legend. The high school’s mean girls had nothing on the god of mischief, and at least they never tied her to a stake. Bullies? Try trolls, and not the Internet variety. Forget sharing a table with the cool kids in the cafeteria; Norah would be just as happy if she didn’t have to slay her lunch.
The Saints
Save the Past. Rescue the Future.
On the cusp of a discovery that would rewrite history, world-renowned archaeologist Jean Marc LaPointe finds himself in the crosshairs of dark and dangerous conspirators that will go to any length to keep their secrets. LaPointe, now an international fugitive with nowhere left to run, is recruited by The Saints, a covert society tasked with saving the world from an ancient menace and guarding secrets too terrible to be known.
A Reason to Read
I told you I was a fan.
I thoroughly enjoyed the RED ROOSTER: GOLDEN AGE graphic novel and am excited to find out what happens next in The Futurists, Bass Reeves, and Norah’s Saga, as well as Allegiance Arts’ currently-funding The Saints graphic novel.
If you’d like to preview my next projects for FREE and before they’re published, sign up for my First Readers Club here.
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