Sumerian proudly announces BISCUIT POWER, an original graphic novel written by Christopher Greenslate (Queen Kodiak) alongside Gorilla Biscuits vocalist Anthony “CIV” Civarelli, featuring beautifully strange art by Chris Anderson (Heavy Metal, Lost Angels, Spectral), colors by Vittorio Astone (Canto), and letters by Micah Myers.
Few hardcore bands have left a legacy quite like Gorilla Biscuits. Formed in New York City in 1987, the band helped define a movement with their landmark album Start Today, influencing generations of musicians well beyond the underground. Travis Barker has described attending their shows as “like church,” Steve Aoki has their iconic gorilla tattooed on his back, and Fall Out Boy covered the album's title track for Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.
Now, nearly four decades later, the band’s message of positivity, individuality, and community continues to resonate across generations, with their iconic gorilla mascot now stepping into a story of his own.
Queens is rotting from the inside out.
Something unseen is feeding on the city—turning dreamers into sleepwalkers. Whispering of an easier life. A softer life. A life without risk.
But only one can hear the whisper for the lie that it is, and his name is… Biscuit.
A telepathic, super-charged gorilla born from the raw electricity of New York’s public works system, Biscuit stalks the abandoned subway arteries beneath the boroughs, hunting the thing that’s draining hope from the people who need it most, and if he can’t stop it, the city doesn’t just fall—it forgets what it is…
For Christopher Greenslate, bringing the character to life meant capturing the same energy that made Gorilla Biscuits such an important part of hardcore culture while introducing its message to a new generation.
“Like so many people, I’ve been staring at this gorilla for most of my life. As a fan, it’s tattooed in the folds of my brain. As a writer, I wanted to bottle the spark of the band and bring it to readers young and old. To make something electric that fans will love, but that also widens the lens and invites new people in. Comics felt like the right place to do that, and Civ was down to develop a story that speaks to the moment we’re in. I’m super proud of this book—it’s killer.”
Civ recalls how the idea began with a particularly unexpected conversation.
“Christopher got in touch with me and said, ‘While I was showering yesterday, I thought to myself, what’s the deal with this gorilla? Where did he come from?’ “And I said, ‘That’s what you think about in the shower?’ So, I began to write the backstory on the phone with Christopher, and here we are today.”
Beyond giving the band’s longtime mascot a history, Civ hopes the graphic novel carries forward the values that shaped the New York hardcore community.
“New York hardcore was more than music; it was a scene. There was a hierarchy that set the rules and the ethos, and it was handed down through shows and music. Our values and love for one another are hopefully carried in these pages as we still struggle every day to understand our place in society.”
For artist Chris Anderson, transforming an image that has appeared on countless shirts, records, and tattoos into a fully realized comic book character came with its own set of challenges.
"This is all about the fans. They have had this image in their head for so long, I’m happy to be a part of busting it out of the static, iconic image into a sequential adventure that will stand the test of time alongside the original. That is, if I did my job right."
Perfect for Gorilla Biscuits fans and readers of TMNT, Battle Beast, Hellboy, The Tick, and Usagi Yojimbo, Biscuit Power combines street-level mythology, supernatural adversaries, and an unmistakable punk rock attitude. The graphic novel brings a new dimension to the band's legacy while introducing its iconic mascot to a new generation.
The Biscuit Power graphic novel is available for preorder through Sumerian, with four collectible bundles starting at $25, including a limited collector’s edition of 250 copies. Select bundles feature exclusive merchandise, including apparel, prints, and signed bookplates.
Additionally, a limited-edition Biscuit Power comic and 7-inch vinyl bundle will be available exclusively through Revelation Records. Limited to 500 copies, the release features two previously unreleased tracks, “Biscuit Power” and a cover of Buzzcocks’ “Sitting Round at Home.”
Orders are expected to ship approximately 60 days after the preorder launch. Fans can secure their copy here: https://sumerian.ink/products/gorilla-biscuits-biscuit-power.
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