crookedtreehouse's review
4.0
In times of political crisis, there are people who revel in speculative fiction and essays based on the current reality, and those who prefer to avoid political reality when reading. I am of the latter group. I have had many anti-Trump "satire" comics and books pass, briefly, before my rolling eyes, but they've all been cheap, easy potshots about the stupidity and ego of the current president, his regime, and his followers. This is different.
A story about California after a very Trumplike president takes power. There are no jokes about Californians or small hands or Twitter. This is the story of how a rebellion survives in a xenophobic American west. The major characters are a powerful rebellion leader, someone The President has tasked with subduing the California rebellion, and a delivery driver trying to remain neutral to keep up his business.
I recommend this to fans of DMZ, and people who prefer their political satire more accurate than funny.
A story about California after a very Trumplike president takes power. There are no jokes about Californians or small hands or Twitter. This is the story of how a rebellion survives in a xenophobic American west. The major characters are a powerful rebellion leader, someone The President has tasked with subduing the California rebellion, and a delivery driver trying to remain neutral to keep up his business.
I recommend this to fans of DMZ, and people who prefer their political satire more accurate than funny.
snchard's review
3.0
Reads like a prologue. Very dense material. The art is great, the story is unsettling in that too-close-to-home way. It will be interesting to read this a few years in the future when the context of the world has changed and we either narrowly avoided the future set out here or walked right into it.
theverbalthing's review
5.0
I picked this book up on a whim at my LCS because the title, the cover art, and the concept intrigued me, especially as someone born and raised in California now living on the opposite coast... I think I need to re-read before I can fully articulate my thoughts for a review, but damn. Damn. Read this.
stormslegacy's review
2.0
Calexit is one of those books that has incredibly great potential. It's got a strong and well-thought out world and premise, I love the back of the book where they break down the factions, the symbols etc. I want to believe it gets better which is why I gave it three stars.
But the story itself has so much misogyny it reeks. All of the background done aside...tthe presumably strong female character comes off as the straw-man “social justice warrior” that kills out of principal without any though whatsoever as to consequences.
I nursed a child, I love seeing breastfeeding in a comic but the circumstances in this one was exploitative and unnecessary. It was cheap and made zero sense even in context except as shorthand for how evil the big bad is or how dark the world is.
I feel the comic is riddled with caricatures and I feel it comes at the expense of genuine characters.
But the story itself has so much misogyny it reeks. All of the background done aside...tthe presumably strong female character comes off as the straw-man “social justice warrior” that kills out of principal without any though whatsoever as to consequences.
I nursed a child, I love seeing breastfeeding in a comic but the circumstances in this one was exploitative and unnecessary. It was cheap and made zero sense even in context except as shorthand for how evil the big bad is or how dark the world is.
I feel the comic is riddled with caricatures and I feel it comes at the expense of genuine characters.
_mery98_'s review
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
This is basically a left-wing fantasy novel where California has to fight for its independence from an authoritarian federal government. A wild romp through California's worst-case scenario.
The humor I find in this is that these "rebels" have to use weapons like "assault rifles" to fight which are heavily restricted by the current California state government as opposed to being encouraged to be more freely available to citizens by the current federal government.
The humor I find in this is that these "rebels" have to use weapons like "assault rifles" to fight which are heavily restricted by the current California state government as opposed to being encouraged to be more freely available to citizens by the current federal government.
grantkeegan's review
4.0
Calexit is a 3-chapter graphic novel that introduces a near-future dystopian world were California secedes from the United States after an executive order declaring the deportation of all undocumented immigrants. As anyone can tell from the premise, it is a highly political book. This is the main reason it piqued my interest, to see how these themes were handled.
There is a lot to think about in the short span of the comic. This is a work that wasn’t afraid to delve into controversial territory, which I honestly admired. Although it did sometimes feel a little too blatant and on-the-nose (The first page has a panel of Donald Trump starting the whole conflict of the story). Although I think this is the whole point of Calexit, and to be honest, we sometimes need more forms of art that have an explicit political message (movies, games, music, comics, etc.).
The main conflict follows two main characters, Jamil and Zora, who embark on a road trip to lead Zora to safety, as she is being hunted down by the United States’ new government. This plot is interceded by a lot of side characters which give the readers exposition about how this world works, I enjoyed them, and it made me think about the things that lead to the political conflicts within the story.
While I thought Jamil was annoying, Zora was a great character that left me with a lot of hopes about where her story lead next, and what I could learn about her past. Unfortunately, this is a story that we will never know what comes next. It was announced by Black Mask that it is highly unlikely that it will be continued, so these three chapters are all we have. It is a shame, this world leaves a lot to speculate, especially with the premise of this universe and all the work that was put into creating a believable situationn that deals with contemporary political topics. Still, I enjoyed this graphic novel, and it makes me want to check out other stories with heavy political commentary.
Final Score: 75/100
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There is a lot to think about in the short span of the comic. This is a work that wasn’t afraid to delve into controversial territory, which I honestly admired. Although it did sometimes feel a little too blatant and on-the-nose (The first page has a panel of Donald Trump starting the whole conflict of the story). Although I think this is the whole point of Calexit, and to be honest, we sometimes need more forms of art that have an explicit political message (movies, games, music, comics, etc.).
The main conflict follows two main characters, Jamil and Zora, who embark on a road trip to lead Zora to safety, as she is being hunted down by the United States’ new government. This plot is interceded by a lot of side characters which give the readers exposition about how this world works, I enjoyed them, and it made me think about the things that lead to the political conflicts within the story.
While I thought Jamil was annoying, Zora was a great character that left me with a lot of hopes about where her story lead next, and what I could learn about her past. Unfortunately, this is a story that we will never know what comes next. It was announced by Black Mask that it is highly unlikely that it will be continued, so these three chapters are all we have. It is a shame, this world leaves a lot to speculate, especially with the premise of this universe and all the work that was put into creating a believable situationn that deals with contemporary political topics. Still, I enjoyed this graphic novel, and it makes me want to check out other stories with heavy political commentary.
Final Score: 75/100
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goodybear's review
3.0
US government vs. California!
As the book was starting to get good, it ended on cliffhanger!
This volume only contains 3 issues and a bunch of previous released articles and interviews that tie into the themes of the book.
As the book was starting to get good, it ended on cliffhanger!
This volume only contains 3 issues and a bunch of previous released articles and interviews that tie into the themes of the book.
vintonole's review
2.0
Not really enough of an introduction to grab my interest. The background concept was enticing though. I might read reviews or synopsis of the sequel editions to see if I want to read more.
this_wretched_hive's review
2.0
Not great. This is act one of ???; if it was cancelled, that’s for the best.
Iconography is beautiful, premise is good. Story is severely lacking.
Iconography is beautiful, premise is good. Story is severely lacking.