Angélique Roché’s upcoming graphic novel First Freedom arrives February 10 and tells the powerful story of Dr. Opal Lee and the decades-long fight to establish Juneteenth as a national holiday. Ahead of our full written feature next week, we’re sharing something special.
Below is our full, uncut conversation with Roché, presented exactly as it happened. The discussion covers the immense responsibility of telling real-world history through comics, her research process, artistic collaboration, and how Opal Lee’s philosophy of becoming a “committee of one” helped shape the book’s message.
It’s a candid, wide-ranging conversation that explores the creative and emotional core of First Freedom, offering early insight into the themes, challenges, and storytelling choices behind one of the year’s most meaningful graphic novels.
You can stream the AIPT Comics podcast below or find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
AIPT Comics Podcast Best Comics of the Week:
Dave:
- Uncanny X-Men (2024) #23 (Gail Simone, David Marquez)
- The Nice House by the Sea (2024) #7 (James Tynion IV, Alvaro Martinez Bueno)
Chris:
- Knight City #1 (Matt Kindt, David Lapham)
- Thundarr the Barbarian #1 (Jason Aaron, Kewber Baal)
Standout KAPOW moment of the week:
Chris: Knight City #1 (Matt Kindt, David Lapham)
Dave: Wolverine #15 (Saladin Ahmed, Mike Henderson)
In our Judging by the Cover segment, Dave loves Adam Hughes’ Black Cat #7 cover, and Chris picks Baldemar Rivas’ Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1. Check out both below.
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