Oni Press and Magnetic Press have launched the Kickstarter campaign for LIBERTY, a sweeping historical graphic novel from writer and video game designer Jordan Mechner. Mechner is best known as the creator of the groundbreaking Prince of Persia franchise.
The book features art by Étienne Le Roux (The Cimmerian: The Scarlet Citadel) and Loïc Chevallier (The Brothers Rubenstein). The lushly illustrated and meticulously researched epic dramatizes the true story of the secret arms smugglers who helped win the American Revolution.
Fans can support LIBERTY on Kickstarter now. The project comes from Magnetic Press, the Eisner Award-winning publisher known for prestige graphic novels from around the globe since 2013.
Jordan Mechner Takes on Revolutionary History
Mechner built his name through pioneering video games, including Prince of Persia, KARATEKA, and THE LAST EXPRESS. In recent years, he has turned his focus toward graphic novels.
His recent work includes Monte Cristo, a modernized take on Alexandre Dumas’s classic novel with art by Mario Alberti (The Wall). He also wrote the graphic memoir Replay, which won the 2023 Chateau de Cheverny graphic novel prize.
With LIBERTY, Mechner teams with Étienne Le Roux and Loïc Chevallier. The French art duo has earned international attention for its detailed, expressive visual storytelling.
“As an American living in France, I’m doubly thrilled that my graphic novel LIBERTY is being published in English by Magnetic Press. From the moment I learned about this incredible real-life ‘black op’ to save the American revolution in 1776 by shipping illicit arms from France across the ocean to a desperately outgunned rebel army, I knew I had to write it.” explains Jordan Mechner. “The odd-couple partnership of two men who changed history, yet have few statues in their honor — Parisian playwright Pierre Caron de Beaumarchais (The Marriage of Figaro) and Connecticut secret agent Silas Deane — grabbed my imagination. Without their courage, ingenuity, and the huge personal risks they took for a good cause, it’s unlikely we’d be celebrating July 4th as a holiday today.”
Smugglers, Diplomacy, and Revolution
Set in 1776, LIBERTY follows Silas Deane, a Connecticut merchant, and Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, a flamboyant French playwright. Beaumarchais is best known for writing The Barber of Seville, but LIBERTY focuses on the secret work that shaped history.
As the outnumbered American rebel army fights to defend New York against British forces, Beaumarchais launches a clandestine mission from Europe. His goal is to funnel weapons and support to the colonists.
The story moves through political intrigue, betrayal, and high-stakes diplomacy. It presents a hidden chapter of the Revolution where art, ambition, and rebellion collide.
“This is the American Revolution in stark relief — no mythmaking heroics, just a global chess match of empires, merchants, smugglers, and idealists.” says Magnetic Press’ Director of Publishing, Mike Kennedy. “It’s a story of the struggle for freedom and political subterfuge, told with sweeping historical scope and intimate human drama. The 250th anniversary of American Independence is the perfect moment to bring this acclaimed graphic novel home to America. The Revolution wasn’t just about the birth of our nation; it was an international uprising with global implications, and LIBERTY captures that truth with nuance and cinematic flair.”
Deluxe and Collector Editions Planned
Magnetic Press will publish a deluxe hardcover edition of LIBERTY. The publisher is also producing a Limited Collectors 250th Anniversary edition.
The collector edition will feature a foil-stamped slipcase with Fleur-de-Lis & Liberty iconography. It will also include a ribbon bookmark, foil-gilded pages, and a bookplate signed and numbered by Jordan Mechner.
Fans can support LIBERTY now on Kickstarter.
