The following is an interview with Jordan Mechner (creator, Prince of Persia video game franchise) regarding the recent launch of a Kickstarter campaign for the historical graphic novel adaptation, Liberty!, in collaboration with Magnetic Press and Oni Press. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Mechner about his shared creative process in bringing real-life 18th century events to the page, what readers may take away from the modern interpretation, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the launch of your Kickstarter campaign for the historical graphic novel, Liberty!, in association with Magnetic Press and Oni Press! What can you share with us about the genesis behind this project and the real-life 18th-century events on which the story is based?
Jordan Mechner: Thanks! I was amazed when I discovered that Beaumarchais–a brilliant French playwright, one of those guys you’d picture in Paris and Versailles, matching wits with Voltaire; I knew him as the author behind the Mozart opera, The Marriage of Figaro— was also an unsung hero of the American Revolution! He set up a front company in 1776, operating out of Paris under a fake name, to ship arms and ammunition to the American rebels at a time when that was totally illegal and against France’s official foreign policy. I started reading more about it, and became absolutely fascinated by this story. Congress sent a secret agent from Connecticut named Silas Deane to France, and Beaumarchais helped him when no one else would. At the time, the whole world assumed the Americans would lose. I think Beaumarchais supported the rebels out of genuine sympathy and idealism, seeing them as underdogs fighting for their freedom against a tyrant (much as Figaro does in his play)–and also because he thought, naively, that it would be profitable. It struck me as a kind of 18th-century Iran-Contra situation, with so much resonance for our present day. I had to do it as a graphic novel.
BD: How would you describe your shared creative process in working with artists Étienne Le Roux and Loïc Chevallier to bring this story to life on the page?
JM: I was lucky that the script attracted artists of the caliber of Etienne and Loic–and Elvire De Cock, the third member of the team, an amazing colorist. When Etienne said yes, it meant in effect that he and Loic would be devoting several years to it. The way they work together, Etienne storyboards the pages, blocks out the action and the dialog balloons, and draws the characters. Loic draws the backgrounds, and somehow it all looks as if it was drawn by one person. They did a ton of historical research into what the streets, interiors, shipyards, and so forth actually looked like at the time, as well as the costumes–all that in addition to the research I did to write the script. With artists as experienced as they are, who are also comics authors in their own right, I don’t try to dictate or second-guess how they should break the action into panels. I write mostly in master shot, as if it were a movie screenplay, but with a lot more detail in description of settings and background action.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. Why do you feel that it is vital for readers to honor the bravery of Beaumarchais and Deane’s actions, and what, if any, conversations do you hope that they may inspire?
JM: At the time, in the summer of 1776, the whole world assumed the British would crush the American rebellion in a matter of months. Britain was the world’s biggest empire, with the most powerful military and naval force. They sent a massive armada of professional soldiers to take New York and everyone figured that was it, it was over. The rebels were desperately under-equipped–short of gunpowder, cannons, everything you need to fight a war. It’s reminiscent of the situation in Ukraine today. When Russia invaded in 2022, few people imagined that the Ukrainians would fight back so successfully. Russia’s army was far superior numerically and in every way–on paper. Vladimir Putin made the same mistake King George made in 1776. The British leadership assumed they would win because they didn’t believe there really was an American nation; to them, it was a British colony that needed to be put back into line. The proof that the USA was a country is that they organized and fought back against overwhelming odds, with limited resources but great determination and ingenuity, and endured all the loss and destruction of a terrible war. The British took Manhattan, the city was burned–and the fighting moved to New Jersey, and continued. Tyrants tend to underestimate the motivation of people who are fighting to defend their own homes, their children’s future. I think what Beaumarchais and Deane went up against to support a new American democracy 250 years ago is an extremely relevant and important story to tell in 2026.
BD: What makes Magnetic Press and Oni Press the perfect publishing partners for Liberty!?
JM: I’d worked with Magnetic before, on my 2024 graphic novel with Mario Alberti, Monte Cristo–a modern version of Dumas’ classic love and revenge story, transposed to post-9/11 America and today’s globalized world. I think you interviewed me for that one. That was my first time doing a Kickstarter campaign for a graphic novel, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a fun alternative to traditional advertising and marketing campaigns; for an author, it offers a chance to connect with readers sooner, and feel their enthusiasm and support for the project right away as they back the Kickstarter, instead of waiting months until the book is physically distributed in stores. In a crazy coincidence, Magnetic’s founder, Mike Kennedy, and I both come from the video game world–our paths first crossed in 1991, when Mike as a young graphic artist was cleaning up the sprites for the Macintosh version of Prince of Persia. We both share a longstanding love of comics and graphic novels, and our separate career paths eventually brought us back to that.
BD: What are some of the exciting backer rewards that will be available through the Kickstarter campaign?
JM: It’s always fun to brainstorm and come up with special items and swag to include in the campaign. Mike just let me know that as of day 4 (July 4th!) we’ve already surpassed our target and unlocked the first two stretch goals, so the books will be printed on the best quality paper which is slightly more expensive–I’m glad about that! On my side, I’ll be hand-signing a numbered limited edition of art book plates, and shipping them from France (where I live now). The most ultra-special reward for collectors is, of course, the “Contraband” crated edition–limited to 250, of course for America’s 250th anniversary!
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
JM: I have to mention Monte Cristo, my previous book with Magnetic, drawn by the magnificent Mario Alberti. I think readers who appreciate Liberty! will also enjoy that one. It’s a 220-page color, hardcover graphic novel, a dense and exciting thriller set in the world of Wall Street and Washington. Sam Castillo is a young American who comes back from Iraq as a contractor employee in 2005, is framed for terrorism and sent to an offshore prison–and 20 years later, comes back to take revenge on his enemies, even though they’re now untouchably wealthy and powerful. Readers of Dumas’ classic original will recognize the story, but I think they’ll find our version full of surprises, in a good way. It’s very much about America, while also being an international story about today’s globalized world–which Mario and I portray with the same epic scope and historical accuracy that Liberty! brings to the 18th century. Monte Cristo is available as an add-on in the Liberty! Kickstarter campaign.
In a different register, I wrote and drew a personal, autobiographical graphic novel, Replay: Memoir of an Uprooted Family, which interweaves my life making video games in the 1980s and 1990s (Karateka, Prince of Persia and The Last Express) with my family’s back story as refugees in World War II and my grandfather’s experience as a soldier in World War I. Replay is the first graphic novel I’ve drawn myself, and is very special to me. Readers can find information about all my books, as well as the video games, at my website, jordanmechner.com–I keep a blog and post a ton of archival material there, including my game development journals.
