Pizzolo says Calexit is about all of that.

"It’s about that hope and inclusion and also the challenges of finding solidarity among a diverse group but figuring it out and supporting one another," says Pizzolo. "Even if California split off, we’d still need to work together across cultural and political lines, probably even moreso. We’re not going to solve the problems we face alone. There's a darkness to the situation and the world, but it's a story of hope."

In real life, the election of President Donald Trump sparked talk of a Caliexit, which would see California succeed from the union.

The comic book series opens a year after the release of a presidential executive order to deport all immigrants, which led to California declaring itself a Sanctuary State. "As you can imagine, things escalated quickly," Pizzolo explains. "When our story begins, martial law has been in place in California for over a year. The series follows two twenty-something rebels who continue to resist, after they escape from a prison camp in Occupied Los Angeles. Working with the Pacific Coast Sister Cities Resistance, they continue to rise up against the government. … It's informed by the issues we're all currently facing and inspired by comics like V for Vendetta and films like Battle of Algiers. There's a lot of things happening that are depressing and infuriating, but this book is about celebrating resistance."

The comic — which will feature background information about grassroots campaigning and activism in each issue — continues a history of political material from the publisher, which launched with 2012's Occupy Comics, with titles such as Young Terrorists, Black and The Dregs following. "I can’t think of a time when confronting the status quo with progressive, political art has been more important," co-founder Brett Gurewitz said in a statement from the publisher.

Calexit is set to launch in May.