Sunday, February 17, 2019

Days of Hate Finishes

The speculative fiction story about an armed insurrection within the United States has finished up.

Called Days of Hate, the story was created by Ales Kot and Daniel Zezelj, two Slavic dudes who grew up separately during the dissolution of Yugoslavia and watched how normal society can break down into sectarian warfare and ethnic cleansing.

They've mentioned that they were beginning to see the same rumblings here in the US, and were inspired to create.

The story follows four characters, two of which are a seemingly estranged lesbian couple. One is being routinely interrogated by a smarmy, Trumpian acolyte, slick-haired and oozing evil like a fifties-era movie-Nazi. The other half of the lesbian couple is busy in the underground, setting bombs and blowing up fascist meetings. Her partner is a non-white dude, apart from his family, whom he misses badly.

The first six chapter were split up from the second six by a few months.


When I saw a preview of issue 1's cover, I immediately recognized Daniel Zezelj's work. I became a fan of his back when Starve was released. I'm not exactly sure what it is about his compositions, but I dig it.


There is a level of comeuppance near the end and a murky future going forward, and the point is made: the kinds of feelings and statements that lead down the road to sectarian warfare and ethnic cleansing can only be faced and addressed by sane and sober people with differences talking about those differences.

It's good and a cultural marker, like its spiritual sibling, Calexit.