Attempts to shut down Private American did not keep Mike Baron’s comic out of readers’ hands. Now, the two-time Eisner Award-winning writer is returning with a sequel—and giving his patriotic vigilante some backup.
BIG Comics has announced a Veterans Day crowdfunding launch for Private American II: Meet the Deplorables, a 72-page graphic novel written by Baron and illustrated by returning artist Richard Bonk.
Baron’s résumé includes a five-year run on Marvel’s The Punisher, scripting more than 60 issues of Frank Castle’s first ongoing series, which debuted in 1987. His other credits include DC’s The Flash, Batman, and Deadman, along with Star Wars adventures for Dark Horse Comics.
The Fund My Comic campaign launched November 11 with a $17,500 goal. According to the publisher’s announcement, the funds will support completion of the artwork, printing, production, and distribution to backers.
The sequel marks another step forward for a project whose opponents tried to cut off its funding before the original book was published.
The Campaign Against Private American
The original Private American attracted opposition over its politically charged story about a Cuban-American military veteran confronting criminals operating along the southern border.
Private American II cover art – BIG Comics
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As the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression documented in January 2023, a December 2022 Daily Kos article urged readers to contact Kickstarter about hosting the project. Some commenters said they had submitted complaints.
Kickstarter subsequently suspended the campaign, which had raised more than $2,500 against a $250 goal. Despite previously approving the project, the platform cited rules prohibiting discrimination, subjugation, or intolerance toward marginalized groups.
Crowdfundr suspended its campaign later that month, also citing standards concerning intolerance. FIRE criticized both platforms’ decisions and the pressure campaign surrounding the unpublished comic.
Those setbacks complicated the book’s path to publication, but Baron and his collaborators kept going.
According to BIG Comics’ press release, Private American ultimately raised more than $80,000 through alternative crowdfunding platforms. The publisher also says Antarctic Press subsequently released the original story as a three-issue miniseries.
Having found an audience despite those obstacles, Baron is returning with a larger cast and an equally unapologetic approach.
Meet the Deplorables
Private American II brings back Marcos Zamora, a Cuban-American former Green Beret who confronts threats others will not take on.
The official description sets the story against America’s 250th anniversary:
“America’s 250th year. The flags flew. The fireworks exploded. The crowds gathered. But behind the celebrations, something was moving in the shadows. Foreign operatives. Cartels. Terror cells. Political conspiracies. Plans were already in motion. Most Americans would never know how close they came to finding out. One man did.”
The Deplorables from Private American II – BIG Comics
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This time, Zamora is joined by an unconventional team that includes two towering former Navy SEALs who answer to “Snowflake” and “Safespace.”
Rounding out the Deplorables are Chris Sala, a knife-wielding specialist in tactical operations and close-quarters combat, and Merry, a Ranger School graduate who “drives a Corvette like a missile.” Her specialties are described as “Covert operations and overt distractions.”
BIG Comics promises international criminal operations, UFC combat, dangerous adversaries, and cameo appearances by President Trump. The publisher compares the team to The Expendables, pairing military action with Baron’s irreverent humor.
Bonk, whose credits include Spawn: Dark Ages and Superman: Emperor Joker, returns to illustrate the adventure. His involvement reunites the original book’s writer and artist, while the expanded cast gives Zamora new allies—and plenty of potential for clashing personalities.
The announcement sums up the intended attitude with a straightforward slogan: “NO CAPES. NO SAFE SPACES. NO APOLOGIES.”
A Veterans Day Return
The November 11 launch opens crowdfunding for the sequel, with additional work still needed to complete and deliver the graphic novel.
It also gives Baron a concrete response to the effort to shut down the original. Private American reached publication, found readers, and now has a follow-up that embraces the same provocative attitude its critics opposed.
Mike Baron – BIG Comics
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The next test is whether those readers return. Crowdfunding gives them the opportunity to decide for themselves whether the sequel deserves their support, and Baron is once again putting that decision in their hands.
His critics remain free to dislike Private American. Their objections have not stopped him from writing the next chapter.
Will you be checking out Mike Baron’s Private American II? Sound off and let us know!
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