# A Dystopian Take on Rising Authoritarianism and Resistance

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/horns-of-a-dilemma-697116/a-dystopian-take-on-rising-authoritarianism-and-resistance
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/horns-of-a-dilemma-697116/a-dystopian-take-on-rising-authoritarianism-and-resistance.md
Podcast: [Horns of a Dilemma](https://stenobird.com/podcast/horns-of-a-dilemma-697116)
Published: 2026-03-04T22:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://hornsofadilemma.libsyn.com/melissa-chan-on-rising-authoritarianism-and-her-debut-graphic-novel
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/clean/secure/hornsofadilemma/Melissa_Chan_on_Rising_Authoritarianism_and_Her_Debut_Graphic_Novel.m4a?dest-id=662418
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/horns-of-a-dilemma-697116/episodes/a-dystopian-take-on-rising-authoritarianism-and-resistance
Duration seconds: 2232

## Resource

Melissa Chan joins to discuss her career reporting across Asia and why she pivoted from journalism to co-creating the graphic novel "You Must Take Part In Revolution" with activist-artist Badiucao. We discuss the book's visual style (Chinese watercolor influences, Frank Miller's Sin City palette, and manga elements), the subversive Mao-derived title, and a near-future plot spanning Hong Kong to a 2035 war over Taiwan amid surveillance, drones, and AI. Chan describes choices around depicting resistance, representation, and hidden "Easter eggs," and reflects on the book's strong reception. Hosts: Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Ryan Vest Producer: Jordan Morning

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## Transcript

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