CALEXIT is Coming. A Provocative, New Comic Book from Black Mask

Announcing a Provocative, New Comic Book Series from Black Mask Studios

Los Angeles, CA, President’s Day 2017) What if a fascist, autocratic President took over the United States? And what if that President lost California, the sixth largest economy on Earth, by nearly 2-to-1…a margin of almost 3 1/2 million votes? What if the day after that President took power, the largest mass demonstration in history occurred, and the state with the largest turnout was California. And then, the following week, two of the largest international airports in the world, California’s LAX and SFO, were blockaded by protesters? What if California refused to be ruled?unnamed-2 unnamed
This is the world of CALEXIT, the new ongoing comic book series launching this May from Black Mask Studios, the Los Angeles based indie publisher of acclaimed titles including SPACE RIDERS, WE CAN NEVER GO HOME, KIM & KIM and BLACK. Together writer Matteo Pizzolo and artist Amancay Nahuelpan, the creators of YOUNG TERRORISTS, have created a timely title about resisting oppression, punching Nazis, protecting each other, kicking ass, and demanding liberty for all.
“This is a special moment in the history of comics. We’re experiencing a real renaissance of progressive and political comic books and graphic novels,” said Matteo Pizzolo, co-founder of Black Mask Studios and the writer of CALEXIT. “It’s not by accident that the first comic to win a National Book Award is the incredible MARCH by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, or that images of anti-fascist superheroes are capturing the imaginations of people around the world right now. There’s never been a more diverse range of comics that speak to our politics here at home or to the unrest around the world.”
In CALEXIT, the citizens of California will struggle to seize power back from an autocratic government. The ongoing series tells the story of Jamil, a 25-year old courier (aka smuggler), and Zora, a 27-year old leader in the Pacific Coast Sister Cities Resistance, who escape together from a prison camp in Occupied Los Angeles, where martial law has been in place for the past year — ever since America’s demagogue President signed an executive order to deport all immigrants, and California responded by proclaiming itself a Sanctuary State. Each issue of CALEXIT will also include non-fiction material about local sustainability and grassroots campaigning for 2018 elections.
“I can’t think of a time when confronting the status quo with progressive, political art has been more important,” said Brett Gurewitz, co-founder Black Mask. “Black Mask Studios has consistently focused on stories that are both entertaining and have a real message driving them. With OCCUPY COMICS, we published stories devoted to the goals and themes of the Occupy movement. Since then, we published stories about living under a fascist state (GODKILLER), about fighting celebrity politicians (YOUNG TERRORISTS) and gentrification (THE DREGS). We’ve published the 2017 GLAAD nominee KIM & KIM, and the creators of the breakout hit BLACK have donated proceeds to Black Lives Matter. 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.”
The first issue of CALEXIT will be available from Black Mask Studios in May 2017.

46 thoughts on “CALEXIT is Coming. A Provocative, New Comic Book from Black Mask”

    1. I did an interview with Black Mask Comics Matt Pizzollo who explained more about what happened with Black Mask being derailed. Will have that up in the next few days.
      On Tue, Feb 21, 2017 at 12:45 AM, COMICSHEATINGUP.NET wrote:
      >

      1. They used to be, but the delays killed them. The book sounded interesting as a redder, but Black Mask has a lot of work to do to get the spec community back with them

  5. This is a joke, right?
    Jeezus… its 4 years. 8 at max. Yeah, can some seriously, irreparable, damage be done in even 4 years? Sure.
    Funny, how when Texas threatens this every other election cycle no one bats an eye. This SCREAMS “Look at us! Black Mask! We can be relevant again!”
    Maybe if they’re ACTUALLY passionate about this project, they’ll MEET their deadlines?

  7. Sounds like a very interesting read.
    There has been a movement for awhile in parts of California known as the “State of Jefferson”. It’s not necessarily secession but that some folks just don’t want to be a part of California anymore.
    Anyway, I’ll check out the first one, but anymore when I see Black Mask associated with a title I have very little optimism or confidence in the title. Pretty sad.

    1. There are those groups in almost every state. You’d be surprised of the amount of “secession groups” there are in each state, whether they want to secede from the Union or State.. Just not as easy as it once was..

  8. A new book already? We just got Young Terrorists #2 with no #3 in sight.. I’ll be dead of old age before we see Calexit #2… 🙁

    2. Yeah, just use your imagination for how it ends…Like all the hippies forget to vote and CA stays in the union.

  9. Ugh..Hard Pass. Until Mexico or the real America invades California and takes them over, or controls their water sources.
    2 issues max.

    1. Real America? Do elaborate…
      I think it’s important to keep in mind just how much agriculture is produced by California for the rest of the United States.
      Maybe a hard pass is appropriate for many here. After all, this one isn’t for You People.

      1. True, CA does produce a huge amount of agriculture. Thing is most of California’s agriculture is produced in Kern county…The most conservative county in the state. Very doubtful Kern county would stay with CA “if” it did secede. There are more than a few other counties that are either middle moderate or lean slightly right or left that most likely wouldn’t stick with CA either such as Orange County, Riverside County and San Bernardino County (the largest land mass country in the country). I know there are a few moderate to right leaning counties in northern CA that probably wouldn’t stick with the sate if secession actually did happen. If it did the “country” of California would potentially be looking at massive food and water shortages before long. Outside of that not every company that runs it business operations would stay especially if things got complicated. I live in CA. Every aspect of the state is run so poorly it is laughable. How some think it would survive as its own country is mind boggling to me.

  12. On a personal level it annoys immensely whenever a small amount of people in a state talk about secession as if it were actually a logical and possible thing to do. No state would actually do this as it would utter demolish them–be they Texas getting mad about Obama or California about Trump. Just thinking about everything from the economy of a a state, to transit, to representation, to etc. etc. Now then, putting aside how it is impossible in terms of realism, I would of course enjoy a good story about a state trying to do this, even if in this day and age it is impossible if we look at things factually.
    Plus maybe it’ll get some controversy and actually turn into a good spec play!

    1. Well I guess none of you have been to Utah. In Utah, the religion and the state are one. Something that no other state does. At least to my knowledge. Utah does so many ilegal things as a state and as a religion, that we see it as it being ok. I am going to give this book a try just to see if the story is any good. Maybe this will be the book that will get me back on Black Mask’s good side.

    2. So true. I live in CA and even most democrats shake their heads and roll their eyes when “secession” comes up. It is really coming from a loud group of people who are upset they didn’t get their way and simply can’t get over it and wait four to eight years.

      1. I’m also a Californian and while I think the idea of us leaving the union is completely infeasible, it’s rather disheartening to see people react to CalExit with something akin to, “Good, let them leave! Good riddance!” We are in this together and we need each other. It’s obtuse to pretend that the U.S. wouldn’t be severely crippled without California and that California doesn’t depend (in some way) on the U.S. at large.
        I think that there are some deep incompatibilities between most of the rest of the country and the California mindset that enables this type of thinking and the current political climate is only serving as a catalyst for things like CalExit.

  13. More SJW crap. Marvel went full tilt on it and I’ve stopped buying singles. Looks like Image is my only option now for reading a quality story without the “cry baby” political drekk.

    1. I hate to break it to you, but Image is a CA-based company with progressive, forward-thinking ideals. It surprises me that this isn’t apparent in some of their more prominent titles.

      2. Yeah, used to not be that way. Used to be about fun stories and such. Everything seems to be a political statement these days….Oh well.

  15. Did anybody else get the vibe that if they threw a nuke in the mix we would have a comic version of Fallout the game?

  16. Ahhhh…. hmmmm… pass…. big time. I can just read just about any newspaper or Internet article for this. Not drinking that Kool aid here

  17. if Black Mask aka “The One Hit Wonder” want to attract the far left fringe, so be it. They won’t be getting any of my money

    1. Sounds like you’ve never read much of their comics.
      Their political leanings aren’t hidden.

  18. not sure about this one. and I am still a tad cold to anything with black mask might need to trya nd set up an interview for my podcast as this books sounds interesting but yount terrists has put a souir taste in my mouth with dealys blind adam out

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