Rebirth of the Gangster

There’s no escaping the sins of our parents, a lesson Marcus Thompson and Hunter Anderson are about to discover.
 
Marcus is a rising star in the prosecutor’s office, but he wants a new direction for his life: to defend the downtrodden instead of putting them behind bars. And to step out of his family’s shadow, away from his mom’s nostalgia for dark thrills and his dad’s obsession with image.
 
Hunter has bounced from job to job, but he finds a new purpose with a surprising revelation, putting him on a path that will honor his father’s memory and support his mom after her cancer diagnosis. A path where he will get revenge on those he blames for his family’s misfortune: Marcus and the rest of the Thompson family.
 
And Marcus’s quest for a new life will help Hunter on that road to revenge.
 
But Hunter’s new schemes won’t just affect the Thompson family—his revenge could destroy the lives of a former friend turned cop, another friend out on parole, and his own mom.
 
As the dark secrets of the past are dragged into the light, a crime saga is reborn. For fans of The Godfather, Destroy All Monsters, and The Wire, Rebirth of the Gangster is the story of what people do to escape and restore family honor—if a family built on blackmail, murder, and dangerous love can bring anything but trouble.

Act 1: Meet the Family
As Marcus and Hunter grapple with disappointing lives, the Thompson and Anderson families secrets start to come to light, sparking the revenge scheme that will target these families and others innocent of the families’ crimes.

Act 2: What’s Old is New
Reeling from the murder at the end of Act 1, Marcus tries to turn the tables on his blackmailer, one who has suspicious connections to the Anderson family. But the blackmail is only the first step in this revenge scheme, and everyone involved is reaching the point of no return.

Act 3: A Family Affair
While Marcus looks to take back control of his life and co-opt the revenge scheme for his own purposes, Hunter reveals the truth behind a tragic event in Marcus’s family. A truth that leads to even more death.

Coming May 1, 2023!
Act 4: Inheritance
The climactic volume of Rebirth of the Gangster sees the Anderson and Thompson families facing their biggest challenge yet: a bank robbery that will reveal all the secrets still shrouded in mystery. A robbery that will pit family members against each other, not just their rival family. A robbery that may lead to the death of everyone caught in this revenge scheme. And if any survive, they might have to do so by becoming that which they hate.

A Booklife Editor’s Pick, the concluding volume of a successful Kickstarter series acclaimed by Graphic Policy, Fanbase Press, Comic Booked, and more

“The storytelling is tense, taut, and emotionally resonant, …[Romera and Standal] excel at depicting hard lives, addiction and desperation…The conclusion proves satisfying, though new readers are advised to start with the first collection…The knockout conclusion of a smart and humane graphic novel crime series.”
―Booklife

“A graphic novel that steals your attention from start to finish.”
―Write with Light Productions
 
“Standal has great range as a writer”    
―Fanbase Press
 
“C.J. [Standal] is good at breaking down people, and situations, to where we feel for them and can even imagine ourselves in their situations.”     
―Comic Booked
 
“Romera’s artwork reminds us of David Mazzuchelli on Batman: Year One crossed with the late and lamented Darwyn Cook, all bold but simple brushstrokes and strong shadow work giving life to each panel.”            
―Pipedream Comics

“The artwork by Juan Romera did not disappoint. The scenes provide easily interpretable body language and facial expressions…Although printed in black and white, I can almost see the redness of the blood.”
―Readers’ Favorite