As reported here exclusively in February 2004, Public Enemy will be the stars of a new graphic novel, made with the cooperation of frontman Chuck D, that will debut in 2006. The book will be an action-adventure story that reflects the politics and ideology of the group, expressed in such modern classics as “Don't Believe the Hype,” “911 Is a Joke,” and the anthemic “Fight the Power.”

“The reality is Public Enemy is a world-famous revolutionary, political hip-hop band that inspires young and old alike. The fiction is they are members of a secret underground organization called the Underground Railroad,” creator Adam Wallenta of American Mule Entertainment (AME) said during a recent interview with Glyphs (http://glyphsonline.blogspot.com/). “While they are touring the world they act as agents of peace and justice and help people whenever they are in need. They don’t have super powers but they still kick major ass. There will be lots of adventure and action as well as social commentary reflecting many of today’s issues.”

Wallenta first met Public Enemy while on tour with them in 2002 and he brought up the possibility of a PE comic with Chuck D after seeing their previous attempt at it flounder. “I remember when I interned at Marvel and they had the license, but they were doing it all wrong,” Wallenta said. “They didn’t understand the music. They didn’t feel it or love it. I did and I knew I could translate that vibe into a kick ass comic. It took some time to work out the details, but we are now finally in production and it will be released next year.”

The book will come with an exclusive CD of new PE material (to coincide with several new PE albums currently in the works) as well as songs by artists from Chuck D’s label SlamJamz and other indie musicians. Wallenta plans to due his utmost to spread the word among hip hop fans. “The graphic novel will be distributed to all of the major book store chains as well as music stores. There will be a big grassroots movement to push awareness of the book on all of the hip hop websites, and promotional material will be sent to all of the major hip hop magazines for their review. I don't think we can afford to take out an ad in Rolling Stone or The Source but hopefully we can get them to write a review. With Flav on TV and several new PE albums in [the] store, I think we can get people interested in checking the comic. It's going to be a great book for fans and newcomers alike.”

To help build some buzz for the graphic novel, while contributing to a worthy cause at the same time, Wallenta and Chuck D plan to release a one-shot featuring pages and sketches from the book and a section of illustrated lyrics to a new PE song about Hurricane Katrina that will also be included. Proceeds will go towards Katrina relief.

Wallenta is an illustrator and musician who started out doing color work on Marvel titles like Spectacular Spider-Man, New Warriors, and X-Men Adventures, among others. He went on to form AME with Bryon Turner and they released The True Adventures of Adam and Bryon. When Turner left for the military, Wallenta continued with an anthology, Imagine, and another series, The Retributors. At the same time he undertook a great deal of freelance work (including a brief stint in Hollywood) and well as recorded and produced music under the moniker Illus.