We Cannot Underestimate the Fragility of Our Democracy

Like millions of Americans, we watched in horror on January 6, 2021 as a riotous, Confederate-flag-wielding mob ransacked the U.S. Capitol, assaulted police officers, and strode the halls of Congress chanting, “Hang Mike Pence!” and “Where’s Nancy?” The rioters’ goals were not just violence and mayhem; they did their best to overturn a free and fair election. It was an insurrection, and they almost succeeded.

In early 2021, with the Capitol still in shambles, we began writing a comic book series that would imagine a dystopian world in which that was the case.

Shockingly, or perhaps not, we’ve seen many elements that we only imagined becoming reality in recent months. And it should be a stark reminder to Americans everywhere that our democracy remains fragile.

The message is clear and straight out of the playbook: Violence in the name of an autocrat is, in fact, patriotic heroism. The leader is the law.

Issue #1 of 1/6: The Graphic Novel, which debuted in January of 2023, featured a fictional, government-sponsored rally honoring “patriots” who raided the Capitol on January 6 and an Iwo Jima-style monument to J6 “martyrs.” In reality, a gala honoring insurrectionists was scheduled at former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club earlier this year, albeit later canceled. And evidence unsealed this month from the federal case against Trump for trying to overturn the 2020 election nearly mirrored conversations we imagined in Issue #2 that took place from the Oval Office.

Many other elements of our series (which we won’t spoil here) have also come to pass in recent months.

To be clear, we’re neither soothsayers nor futurists. But between the Republican National Committee announcing it has recruited thousands of “poll watchers,” Georgia officials already planning how to undermine election results, and the FBI warning of election-related domestic terrorism, it is clear efforts to undermine our right to vote are already in progress.

We must stay vigilant to these efforts, so that our fiction does not further become reality.

In researching the book, we spoke with dozens of journalists, scholars, eyewitnesses, and at least one participant in the insurrection. It quickly became clear not only how close we came to a successful coup d’état, but that Trump consistently follows what many experts call an “Authoritarian Playbook,” employed by tyrants and dictators around the world.

The playbook includes attacking the press, scapegoating and demonizing vulnerable groups, trafficking in conspiracy theories, fostering a loyal cult of personality, and encouraging violence by acolytes and followers. We incorporated each of these themes into our series, thinking that we were writing a speculative cautionary tale for the future.

What seemed like science fiction now feels more like a prediction. Trump has deepened his hatred of the free press, even insulting the right-leaning Wall Street Journal this month. He has made ridiculous claims about immigrants eating pets, one of many false conspiracy theories he’s trafficked.

He also doubled down on the insurrection this month, calling it an event with “love and peace” and insisting there was a “peaceful transfer of power.” Meanwhile, both he and his vice presidential pick JD Vance have refused to admit that the former president lost the 2020 election, and have dodged questions as to whether they would seek to challenge this year’s election, even if every governor certifies the results.

Perhaps most ominously, Trump has said he would pardon some or all of the 1,400 people charged in connection with the attack on the Capitol, calling them “hostages,” “political prisoners,” and “unbelievable patriots.” They include over 200 who pleaded guilty to assaulting federal officers, obstructing law enforcement, committing seditious conspiracy, and other felonies. Hundreds more have been convicted or pleaded guilty to other crimes.

The message is clear and straight out of the playbook: Violence in the name of an autocrat is, in fact, patriotic heroism. The leader is the law.

In much of our series, the former president is depicted in shadow as others do his bidding. That’s because our research made clear to us that, whoever wins the presidential election in November, the threat of authoritarianism in America will be with us for years to come.

But our series also carries hope and surprising optimism, fueled by those same conversations with experts and observers. Voting, it turns out, is necessary but not sufficient to preserve democracy. Fending off tyranny also requires broad and diverse civil resistance, strategic organizing and communications, disrupting and persuading business and other elites, and solidarity in the face of repression.

Art, artists, and creative expression are also essential, which brings us back to comic books. From Captain America socking Hitler in the jaw months before the U.S. entered World War II to Wonder Woman fighting misogyny and repression, to Black Panther fighting the KKK, comics have long been used to oppose hate and oppression. We hope that our series will continue that tradition. And that it’s not too late.