1/6: The Graphic Novel, which released it’s second issue this week, in some ways feels like an intellectually, and personally intimate view into the lens of people like Harvard Law Professor Alan Jenkins. In many ways, the origins speak for themselves – not just for Professor Jenkins, but for all of us as Americans. “After the insurrection, I found myself waking up in a cold sweat at 3 a.m. for many weeks worrying about our democracy, worrying about the fact that we had already as a nation begun to move on from this cataclysmic event,” Jenkins states, in an interview with Yes Magazine. “…If you look at … the history of pro-democracy movements around the world, it’s always activists and artists and young people who are at the forefront of restoring democracy and also envisioning a broader world, a new nation.”
In many ways, these earnest sentiments – backed by the chilling oversight afforded by credentials – adds to the already horrific nature of what the graphic novel insinuates. Each of the colorful images, masterfully realized by veteran comic book artist Will Rosado, show a world we dare not see. A world we avoided for the past four years, and a world whose real-life counterpart we may be challenged to face the potential ramifications of again this November. “When you see authoritarian regimes in other countries having seized power through coups or other violent means, and seized the apparatus of the state, control over the media becomes first and foremost,” series cowriter, and New York Times bestselling author Gan Golan states, in an interview with Yes Magazine. Jenkins adds, “Like all good speculative fiction, it’s also a warning…It’s a call to action for the threats that still remain.”
Speculative fiction, indeed. Nearly everything depicted in the panels of 1/6 is something either certain Trump officials have stated they have wished to execute, or say they will if he wins the next presidential election. The idea of an American totalitarian government, when you actually consider the possibilities, seems both like something idealized in fictional media to the detriment of the consumer, whilst simultaneously something so unfathomable to the average American it almost constitutes a shake of the head. In some ways, perhaps, that’s why work a la 1/6 is so vital, particularly in a consumable format that never dries or becomes too verbose for people seeking entertainment. By making these kinds of disquieting possibilities accessible via entertainment, Jenkins, Golan, and Rosado succeed in what they’ve set out to do with flying colors. They’re imparting vital civic and historical lessons in the text and imagery, but without feeling partisan or like they’re shoving facts down the readers’ throats. Rather, much like the two-dimensional creations living in the realities inside the panels, you’re an experiencer. Someone temporarily dragged into a world realized so meticulously, and with enough insight as an observed civilian you feel the knife twist in your gut. Because every time something with entertainment value keeps one turning the page, you realize with chilling severity the reality inspired behind each and every creative decision.
Jason Hillenburg
