Every member of the 27 Club left behind a timeless body of music, but some inspired even more important legacies.  Mia Zapata has influenced many women to follow their rock-n-roll dreams, but her violent, tragic death led to the creation of Home Alive, a self-defense program that has no doubt saved the lives of countless others.

A founding member of The Gits, Mia and her band-mates were mainstays of the Seattle music scene in the early 1990s.  Though they never achieved mainstream success, Mia’s energetic performances (seen below in a live performance of “Second Skin) led to a devout local following, and The Gits counted other rockers like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Joan Jett among their fans.

On July 7, 1993, Mia was beaten, raped, and murdered after leaving a local tavern.  Rocked by the tragedy, the local artistic community formed Home Alive, an anti-violence organization that offers practical and affordable self-defense and boundary-setting courses.  Home Alive’s resources are now available online for anyone to use–a fitting legacy for Mia, who was known as a vibrant, positive force within her community.

Mia is one of the many artists that inspired stories in our upcoming collection 27, A Comic Anthology. With the strongest line-up of creators ever, and a theme for the ages, we are hoping to produce a “Rock Hard” hardcover edition of the anthology.  Please visit our Kickstarter and lend your support!