Calexit, Vol. 1

This topical ongoing series, collected in a first volume, presents a scenario in which a thinly veiled Donald Trump is reelected and orders the deportation of all immigrants who are living in California illegally. California subsequently secedes and becomes a sanctuary state, leading the government to cut off resources and declare martial law as the region divides into several disparate factions. Fugitive refugee Zora Donato, a resistance fighter with a half-million-dollar bounty on her head, enlists the reluctant services of drug dealer/courier/smuggler Jamil to transport her to a safe house. They’re dogged by Homeland Security enforcer Father Rossie, a sadistic nationalist. The insightful script is drawn with taut, four-color artwork, as Pazzolo (Godkiller) and Nahuelpan (Young Terrorists) weave a tense too-close-to-home nightmare with visuals that ground it in gritty detail. The collection is supplemented with interviews with the author and artist, a cover gallery, and other materials that bring into focus the political climate and factors that inspired the series. This rock-solid dystopian comic is thought-provoking and highly recommended. [em](July) [/em]