On March 20, 2012, it was announced that Occupy Comics, the charity comic book inspired by and raising funds for Occupy Wall Street, organized by Pizzolo, would not be released through an existing comic book publisher, but through a new company called Black Mask Studios. Niles and Gurewitz joined with Pizzolo to found Black Mask, Niles noting "if V for Vendetta were created today there would be no publisher for it." Pizzolo has explained that Black Mask will operate under the mottos "to create you must destroy" and "Inspire, never meddle". On June 12, 2012, Black Mask Studios opened its webstore and officially released Occupy Comics No. 1 with the announcement that Pulitzer Prize-winnerArt Spiegelman, Bill Ayers, Ryan Alexander-Tanner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Matt Bors had joined the book's roster. On September 17, 2012, the one-year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Comics No. 2 was released to the project's Kickstarter backers and via the Black Mask Studios website. The cover featured a new and iconic illustration by V For Vendetta artist David Lloyd pitting his seminal character V against the Wall Street Charging Bull. Nearly a year later, on February 14, 2013, Black Mask Studios unveiled its first slate of comics with a two-pronged distribution strategy of supplying comics to traditional comic book shops as well as direct-to-fan through digital-physical hybrid subscriptions. The following year, in October 2014, Black Mask Studios announced its second slate of 15 new series, a major expansion for the company, flagshipped by Sinatoro from Grant Morrison and Vanesa Del Rey and Disciples from Steve Niles and Christopher Mitten. Black Mask Studios has since announced several non-comics productions: a TV adaptation of Five Ghosts by Frank Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham, executive produced by Pizzolo and Gurewitz for Syfy and Universal Cable Productions with a pilot by Evan Daugherty; an animated feature film trilogy of Godkiller by Pizzolo, Anna Muckcracker Wieszczyk and Ben Templesmith, a TV adaptation of The Disciples by Niles and Christopher Mitten at Universal Cable Productions, a TV adaptation of Mayday at Imperative, and an adaptation of Sinatoro by Grant Morrison and Vanesa Del Rey at Universal Television with a pilot by Heroes writers Adam Armus and Kay Foster, co-produced with Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Black Mask currently has 11 projects in development at studios. Black Mask Studios announced in February 2017 that a new comic Calexit will be released on May 2017, which will be about the Pacific Coast Sister Cities Resistance in a California under martial law by the President of the United States set in an occupied Los Angeles. In May 2017, it was announced that Black Mask title Kim & Kim earned the company its first Eisner Award nomination.
Titles
The first slate of titles was scheduled to launch on May Day 2013 with Occupy Comics No. 1. The list announced by Black Mask includes:
Occupy Comics
12 Reasons To Die created by Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah, producer Adrian Younge, and executive producer RZA, written by Matthew Rosenberg and Patrick Kindlon, illustrated by a rotating team of artists
Ballistic written by Adam Egypt Mortimer, illustrated by Darick Robertson, colored by Diego Rodriguez
Liberator written by Matt Miner, illustrated by Javier Aranda, colored by Joaquin Pereyra
The second slate of titles began debuting in late 2014 with new series scheduled to launch through mid-2015, including:
Sinatoro written by Grant Morrison, illustrated by Vanesa del Rey
Space Riders written by Fabian Rangel Jr., illustrate by Alexis Ziritt
Our Work Fills The Pews written by Vita Wong and Matthew Rosenberg, illustrated by Yasmin Liang
X'ed written by Tony Dreannan, illustrated by Ayhan Hayrula
Young Terrorists written by Matt Pizzolo, illustrated by Amancay Nahuelpan
The Disciples written by Steve Niles, illustrated by Christopher Mitten
Last Song written by Holly Interlandi, illustrated by Zoe Chevat
Mayday written by Curt Pires, illustrated by Chris Peterson
Toe Tag Riot written by Matt Miner, illustrated by Sean Von Gorman
We Can Never Go Home written by Matthew Rosenberg and Patrick Kindlon, illustrated by Josh Hood
Transference written by Michael Moreci, illustrated by Ron Salas
Godkiller written by Matt Pizzolo, illustrated by Anna Muckcracker Wieszczyk, covers by Ben Templesmith
Critical Hit written by Matt Miner, illustrated by Jonathan Brandon Sawyer
Pirouette written by Mark Miller, illustrated by Carlos Granda
Last Born written by Patrick Meaney, illustrated by Eric Zawadzki
The third slate of titles debuted in Spring 2016, including:
Jade Street Protection Services written by Katy Rex and Fabian Lelay, illustrated by Fabian Lelay, colored by Mara Jayne Carpenter, lettered by Taylor Esposito, covers by Annie Wu
Kim & Kim written by Magdalene Visaggio, illustrated by Eva Cabrera, colored by Claudia Aguirre, lettered by Zakk Saam, covers by Tess Fowler and Devaki Neogi
Black written by Kwanza Osajyefo, designed by Tim Smith 3, illustrated by Jamal Igle, covers by Khary Randolph
Run for the Shadows written by J.M. DeMatteis and Matt Pizzolo, illustrated by Josh Hood
The Skeptics written by Tini Howard, illustrated by Devaki Neogi, colored by Jen Hickman
4 Kids Walk into A Bank written by Matthew Rosenberg, illustrated by Tyler Boss, lettered by Thomas Mauer
The Forevers written by Curt Pires, illustrated by Eric Pfeiffer
No Angel written by Eric Palicki and Adrianne Palicki, illustrated by Ari Syahrazad, colored by Jean-Paul Csuka, lettered by Jim Campbell
The Dregs written by Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler, illustrated by Eric Zawadzki
Tomorrow's Ashes illustrated by Anna Wieszczyk, written by Matt Pizzolo, covers by Jen Bartel and Tess Fowler
Space Riders volume 2 written by Fabian Rangel Jr, illustrated by Alexis Ziritt
We Can Never Go Home volume 2 written by Matthew Rosenberg and Patrick Kindlon, illustrated by Josh HoodOthers:
The Wilds'' written by Vita Ayala, illustrated by Emily Pearson
