New comic Calexit sees California rebelling against President Trump

The presidency of Donald Trump has certainly been eventful so far. The day after Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States, millions of Americans took to the streets to make the Women’s March one of the biggest protests in the country’s history — and that energy has not yet subsided. Liberal opponents of Trump proudly declare themselves “The Resistance,” as if they were fighting the Nazi occupation of France. Constituents have been storming Republican town halls and Congressional offices to protest the Trump-led Republican Party’s new health care proposal, while so-called “antifa” protestors have more violently confronted Trump supporters on the streets. The country has rarely felt so divided.

Don’t worry: It can get worse! Calexit, a new comic from Black Mask Studios, portrays a near-future world in which the state of California is in open rebellion against the Trump-led U.S. government. Militants clad in black bloc openly clash with federal troops to defend immigrants, painkiller addiction is widespread, and environmental decay is clear. Writer Matteo Pizzolo and artist Amancay Nahuelpan combine these elements to create a dystopia that feels far closer than many readers will probably be comfortable with.