You Must Take Part in Revolution: A Graphic Novel | Badiucao, Melissa Chan

You Must Take Part in Revolution Q&A with Badiucao & Melissa Chan

What motivated you to write this dystopian story?

Badiucao: One of the important duties of an artist is to reflect what’s happening in our world and to do our best to imagine the future of humankind. For me it’s important to critique the regime of China as well as the current fascist tendencies of the U.S. I hope readers understand that no matter how difficult a situation is, we are empowered to make choices. However, these choices will have consequences and a specific price to pay.

Melissa: The idea for the graphic novel was motivated in part by this feeling that everything was truly going off the rails and heading in the wrong direction. And for those unfamiliar with China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, we hope to provide some understanding of the dynamics between these different sets of Chinese-speaking people. We are living in scary times, and we hope people understand the importance of resistance but also consider the costs.

Tell us about your process as a researcher, writer, and an artist.

Badiucao: This project has been an entirely new experience for me as an artist. I’ve done everything from political cartoons to paintings to museum installations, but sequential art and the graphic novel language is new. I think the most important thing to understand is the spatial dialogue between different panels on each page, and the passage of time as an extra dimension in which I can further play with artistic expression.

Melissa: Both of us have lived and worked in China, and in my case, I’ve also reported from other authoritarian states such as Russia, Cuba, and even North Korea. So, much of our story is not an abstraction for us, but a once-lived reality. But in creating the book we spent a lot of time developing the characters and world-building. This was a truly collaborative effort. At times, we were on the phone every 24 hours, even though we were on two different continents. And this process lasted for years.

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Professional Review

Chinese artist and political activist Badiucao and Emmy-nominated journalist Chan collaborate on a work of unabashedly political science fiction set in a near-future world on the verge of falling completely under the thrall of authoritarian regimes. When China and the United States—the latter now under the control of a proto-fascist government—enter into a potentially apocalyptic conflict, a trio of idealistic young people, dedicated to activism in the face of rising fascism, are forced to reckon with the personal cost of rebellion in an age of international aggression, total surveillance, and state-sponsored propaganda. Badiucao's bold, angular illustrations and evocative use of color create unforgettable imagery, juxtaposing human fragility with the cold, brutal machinery of oppression. Meanwhile, Chan's journalistic expertise provides a grounded, politically nuanced perspective, anchoring the speculative narrative with a sense of realism and a sharp understanding of global power dynamics. Though the story is often bleak, its unflinching portrayal of oppression and the vital necessity of maintaining idealism in the face of utter despair is as timely as it is deeply stirring. VERDICT In their debut graphic novel, Badiucao and Chan deliver a provocative and visually stunning call to arms against modern authoritarianism. —Library Journal

Review

“Its unflinching portrayal of oppression and the vital necessity of maintaining idealism in the face of utter despair is as timely as it is deeply stirring.”—Starred Review Library Journal 

“The potent narrative . . . proves hauntingly timely with today's global unrest, growing militarism, proliferating wars, and even U.S. politics. . . . Readers could well be witnessing an oracular warning of an imminent future.”—Starred Review Booklist

One of NPR's 2025 Books We Love

"You Must Take Part In Revolution can stand on its own as a salient warning and a welcome addtion to the increasingly popular dystopian literary canon in America." —Velshi Banned Book Club, MSNBC

"A stunning tale of government violence, organized protest, and radical hope." —The Los Angeles Review of Books

"An empathetic portrayal of the wrenching choices activists make when facing repressive governments."—Foreign Policy Magazine

"join[s] a tradition of the graphic novel (or memoir) as both a keeper of memory and a space to question power in all its forms." —The Financial Times

“With complicated characters struggling to maintain their humanity under the direst of circumstances, this morally complex, scarily resonant tale speaks to these uneasy times.” —Publishers Weekly

“A thrilling, heartbreaking graphic novel about the price of accepting—or fighting against—an oppressive government.”—Foreword Reviews

“This gripping dystopian narrative holds up a mirror to our present, asking urgent questions about surveillance, control, and the fragility of democracy. I sincerely hope it is not a future we are moving towards.” —Prof. Joel Christian Gill, author of Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America

“A tale that cuts to the heart of complicity, loyalty, trust, guilt, and hope. Powerful, complex, and angry, this book is a work of fiction that grapples with how much we are willing to destroy in order to defend what we believe.” —Tessa Hulls, author of Feeding Ghosts

“This nuanced and engaging story is beautifully illustrated in wholly original style. It lights a match to illuminate a not-so-futuristic tale that will blow your mind.” —Peter Kuper, author of Ruins

“Gripping, troubling, and intensely moving, with startling and startlingly beautiful art, this book is a timeless fable of courage in the face of oppression, and a reflection of our present and an only too plausible future. This book should be widely read and understood.” —Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent

“This beautifully illustrated and poignant graphic novel delivers a message that is more important than ever that democracy is a precious thing, and once freedoms are lost it is difficult to get them back.” —Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present

“A gripping dystopian thriller for this moment. The stunning artwork sings in this fable about loyalty, treachery, and the price of political ideals.” —Louisa Lim, author of Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong

Badiucao

Badiucao is a Chinese Australian artist, activist, and political provocateur. One of the most popular and prolific creatives from China, he confronts a variety of social and political issues in his work, often using satire to tackle censorship, authoritarianism, and capitalism. For years, he operated anonymously and was dubbed “China’s Banksy”. He has exhibited in the US, Australia, and throughout Europe. He has been interviewed by The Washington Post, The Guardian, Time, CNN, NBC, and others. The New York Times and CBS News’s 60 Minutes profiled him. In 2020, Badiucao won the Human Rights Foundation’s Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent. He currently lives in exile in Australia. This is his debut graphic novel.

Melissa Chan

Melissa Chan is an Emmy-nominated Hong Kong and Taiwanese American foreign correspondent based between Los Angeles and Berlin. She was previously posted in China until she became the first journalist in more than a decade to be expelled by the Chinese authorities in 2012. Much of her reporting examines human rights, the rise of global authoritarianism, and the defense of democracies. She has written for The New York Times where she was nominated for a Loeb Award—business journalism’s highest honor—and The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Time, The Guardian, and more. As a broadcast correspondent, she has reported for VICE News Tonight and Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines. This is her debut graphic novel.