Inspired by the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, this story of three aspiring comics creators with big dreams, small cash, and publishing rights to one forgotten Golden Age hero—The Escapist—is Brian K. Vaughan's love letter to his chosen medium. The lives of these creators Max, Denny, and Case—latter day versions of Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay—are brilliantly woven together with the world of their creations.
Discovering his late father's decades-spanning vault of Escapist memorabilia at the age of six, Max became a fan of the Master of Elusion almost overnight. After exhausting the extensive stash of Golden and Silver Age comics, he needed more—and started writing his own Escapist stories. Now nineteen, he's determined to make the character a sensation once again. Together with his friend Denny Jones, and their newfound artist Case Weaver, Max relaunches The Escapist comics. Through a couple risky publicity stunts—including one that makes national news—the creators risk criminal charges to get the word out about their publication. Will it be enough to make the book a success? Or just enough to get them in jail?
Interwoven with Max's struggles are the comic-within-a-comic stories of The Escapist himself, his ally Luna Moth, good old-fashioned death traps, betrayal, and a touch of romance.
Mulitiple award-winning author Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, Y—The Last Man, Ex Machina) successfully crafts the perfect partner to Michael Chabon's masterpiece.