Never one to shy away from controversial topics, Black Mask Studios is wading deep into the current political tumult with its latest project: "CALEXIT."
The series, from Matteo Pizzolo and artist Amancay Nahuelpan, imagines a not so unbelievable world where a fascist autocratic politician has taken over the United States despite losing by an overwhelming 3,500,000 votes, a 2 to 1 margin, in California, the most populated state in the country. Following a series of widespread protests throughout the state, the citizens of California push to break from the Union and become the center of the resistance against the new regime controlling the United States.
The ongoing title will center on 25 year old courier Jamil, and Zora, the 27 year old leader of the Pacific Coast Sister Cities Resistance. The duo escaped together from a prison camp in an occupied Los Angeles, a city that's been struggling under Martial Law ever since the President issued an order to deport all immigrants, and now find themselves in the middle of the growing resistance movement.
Each issue of "CALEXIT" will feature non-fiction material on local sustainability and grassroots campaigning for the 2018 midterm elections.
The series will join Black Mask's expanding lineup of politically charged indie titles like "Godkiller", which follows two teens on the run in post-apocalyptic fascist state, and "Young Terrorists", a series that chronicles a group of escaped prisoners taking on a web of shadow governments, megabanks, and celebrity politicians. Brett Gurewitz, co-founder Black Mask, explains, "I can’t think of a time when confronting the status quo with progressive, political art has been more important. Black Mask Studios has consistently focused on stories that are both entertaining and have a real message driving them...The fact that the comic market is supporting brave voices like these is a real testament to comics' crucial role in our national and international cultural dialogue."
Look for the first issue of "CALEXIT", by writer Matteo Pizzolo and artist Amancay Nahuelpan, in May 2017.
