The late Evel Knievel is taking a new, large leap onto the comic book page. Launching September 9th on Kickstarter from Half Evil Comics, Evel Knievel: The Last Gladiator is the daredevil’s first-ever full-length comic series. Written by Ringo Award-winner Rylend Grant (The Jump, The Peacekeepers), and with art by Dave Acosta (Terrorwar, Elvira), the book re-imagines Evel as a modern-day folk hero during the lead-up to his infamous Caesars Palace fountain jump.
You can get notified of the launch (coming very soon) here.
I spoke with Grant and Kelly Knievel, Evel’s son and brand manager, via Zoom last month to talk about the project, its inspirations, and how Evel’s legacy continues to cruise ever forward.
Bringing Evel to Comics
When the creators said “folk hero,” they meant it in every sense of the word.
“Evel is a folk hero in the purest sense,” Grant said. “We’ve leaned way into that. He’s our gunslinger on a steel horse — solving mysteries, throwing punches, making insane jumps, and romancing every local bombshell in sight.”
Kelly Knievel added, “My dad was larger than life. He wasn’t just doing stunts — he was telling stories with every jump, every crash, every time he got back up. That’s what people connected with, and that’s what this comic captures.”
For Grant, the idea of Evel as a comic book character was almost inevitable.
“He’s essentially a superhero that actually existed,” Grant said. “He wore the costume. He had the origin story. He fought through pain and stood up again and again. That’s a comic book character if I’ve ever seen one.”
The Vegas Years
As mentioned, the story fully plays up an infamous Las Vegas stunt as a springboard into Evel’s life and work.
“The book is set during the lead-up to Caesars Palace,” Grant said. “You’re seeing Evel not just as a daredevil, but as this American mythic figure. It’s part action thriller, part modern-day Western. That’s the fun of it.”
Kelly added, “I remember being a kid, and Caesars was everywhere. It wasn’t just a jump — it was the moment he became Evel Knievel to the world. People forget he broke nearly every bone in his body, but he still got up and kept going. That’s what made him a legend.”
Myth and History Collide
The work here, to an extent, was finding a balance between history and the inventiveness of storytelling.
“We wanted to ground this in real history,” Grant said. “The Cow Palace, the million-dollar party in Butte, the Snake River Canyon — it’s all in there. But we also wanted to let him be the outlaw hero he always was in people’s minds.”
Kelly added, “This isn’t a documentary. It’s entertainment — just like Dad always was. He lived like a gladiator. That’s why the title works. He was fighting, crashing, bleeding, but always standing back up in the arena.”
Grant went as far as to further compare Evel to a real-life cowboy hero.
“He’s this gunslinger figure wandering into town, tangling with outlaw bikers, and then doing the impossible,” Grant said. “It’s not far from reality, but it’s heightened in the way comics can heighten things. Evel was already a myth—our job is just to lean into that myth and let it roar.”
Carrying the Legacy
Kelly Knievel said his father’s spirit makes this project different than any other Evel Knievel adaptation.
“People always ask me why my dad mattered,” Kelly Knievel said. “It’s because he stood for something. He stood for courage, for taking risks, for showing people you could live big. That’s what we want people to see on the page.”
Grant agreed, adding, “It’s a love letter to Evel, but also to the way comics can mythologize a figure. If he were around today, I think he’d love this. He’d want his story told this way—loud, bold, and dangerous.”
Sure, we couldn’t all grow up with Evil Knievel, but this comic may just be the next best thing.
“When people read this comic, I want them to feel what I felt growing up—watching him get on that bike, knowing he might crash, but also knowing he was going to get up no matter what,” Kelly Knievel said. “That’s Evel Knievel. That’s The Last Gladiator.”
Evel Knievel: The Last Gladiator is now available to back on Kickstarter.
The Kickstarter goes live next week. Get notified when it launches!
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