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The Minimum Security Chronicles: Resistance to Ecocide
From the winner of the 2012 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, a character-driven tale about our threatened environment and the practicality of putting contemporary revolutionary strategy into action.
In The Minimum Security Chronicles , the latest long-form narrative from Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award–winning cartoonist Stephanie McMillan, lifelong friends Kranti and Bananabelle are rounded up during a protest and locked in a pen by a faraway railroad track. After their escape, when trying to gain proof of their capture, Kranti discovers the future site of a nuclear power plant. After attempting to shut it down, she learns of an even more ecologically dangerous a massive geo-engineering project scheduled to begin in a matter of weeks. And so begins the tale of a group of friends—among them an apolitical computer programmer, an aspiring musician who joins the Occupy movement, a lovestruck community gardener, a militant bunny and a guinea pig theorist—who try to halt the plans of evil corporate overlords bent on destroying the earth for profit.
In The Minimum Security Chronicles , the latest long-form narrative from Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award–winning cartoonist Stephanie McMillan, lifelong friends Kranti and Bananabelle are rounded up during a protest and locked in a pen by a faraway railroad track. After their escape, when trying to gain proof of their capture, Kranti discovers the future site of a nuclear power plant. After attempting to shut it down, she learns of an even more ecologically dangerous a massive geo-engineering project scheduled to begin in a matter of weeks. And so begins the tale of a group of friends—among them an apolitical computer programmer, an aspiring musician who joins the Occupy movement, a lovestruck community gardener, a militant bunny and a guinea pig theorist—who try to halt the plans of evil corporate overlords bent on destroying the earth for profit.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
132 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie McMillan
27 books63 followersStephanie McMillan, a lifelong resident of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been a political cartoonist since 1992. She is the creator of the editorial cartoon Code Green, and the comic strip Minimum Security, syndicated through Universal Uclick.
Her cartoons have earned several major awards, including the RFK Journalism Award (2012) and the Sigma Delta Chi from the Society for Professional Journalists (2010). They have appeared in hundreds of print and online publications worldwide including the Los Angeles Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Daily Beast, Yes! magazine, Climate Progress, Funny Times, Yahoo.com, San Francisco Bay Guardian, and The Occupied Wall Street Journal (of Occupy Wall Street).
She has seven books, including The Minimum Security Chronicles: Resistance to Ecocide (graphic novel, 2013, Seven Stories Press), The Beginning of the American Fall (comics journalism, 2012, Seven Stories Press); and The Knitting Circle Rapist Annihilation Squad (a novel, 2012, PM Press), plus another graphic novel, comic strip collection, and a children’s book. Her latest book, Capitalism Must Die! (2014, INIP), combines comics with political theory.
A solo show of her work was exhibited in October 2013 at the West Gallery, California State University, Northridge. In addition, her cartoons have been included in numerous group exhibits, including at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (New York), the San Francisco Comic Art Museum, the Andy Warhol Museum (Pittsburgh), and the Institute for Policy Studies (Washington, DC).
An organizer all her life, Stephanie is a founding member of the anti-capitalist/anti-imperialist group One Struggle. She also contributes political theory to the publishing project Idées Nouvelles, Idées Prolétariennes.
McMillan is a dynamic public speaker on cartoons, political art, and social change. She has given presentations at political conferences such as the Left Forum and Sierra Summit, on radio programs such as Terra Verde and Air America’s Ring of Fire, and at many other venues..
Testimonials:
“McMillan’s expressive style, pared down to the basics and intensified over the years, allows for instant communication of thoughtful rage.”
— Comics Journal
“Very talented.”
— Washington Post
“This is social satire at its wittiest and most engaging.”
— Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States
“Her politics are perfect, her drawings sly and subtle, and her dialog funny as hell.”
– Derrick Jensen, author of Endgame
“Visionary and honest.”
— Ted Rall, past president of Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, author of Anti-American Manifesto and To Afghanistan and Back
“Minimum Security is like oxygen for our suffocating times.”
— Vandana Shiva, author of Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis
” Razor-sharp critique packaged as cute-kid-and-funny-animal cartoon.”
— Booklist
“Provocative, insightful, and entertaining.”
— Jeff Monson (“The Snowman”), MMA championship fighter
Her cartoons have earned several major awards, including the RFK Journalism Award (2012) and the Sigma Delta Chi from the Society for Professional Journalists (2010). They have appeared in hundreds of print and online publications worldwide including the Los Angeles Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Daily Beast, Yes! magazine, Climate Progress, Funny Times, Yahoo.com, San Francisco Bay Guardian, and The Occupied Wall Street Journal (of Occupy Wall Street).
She has seven books, including The Minimum Security Chronicles: Resistance to Ecocide (graphic novel, 2013, Seven Stories Press), The Beginning of the American Fall (comics journalism, 2012, Seven Stories Press); and The Knitting Circle Rapist Annihilation Squad (a novel, 2012, PM Press), plus another graphic novel, comic strip collection, and a children’s book. Her latest book, Capitalism Must Die! (2014, INIP), combines comics with political theory.
A solo show of her work was exhibited in October 2013 at the West Gallery, California State University, Northridge. In addition, her cartoons have been included in numerous group exhibits, including at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (New York), the San Francisco Comic Art Museum, the Andy Warhol Museum (Pittsburgh), and the Institute for Policy Studies (Washington, DC).
An organizer all her life, Stephanie is a founding member of the anti-capitalist/anti-imperialist group One Struggle. She also contributes political theory to the publishing project Idées Nouvelles, Idées Prolétariennes.
McMillan is a dynamic public speaker on cartoons, political art, and social change. She has given presentations at political conferences such as the Left Forum and Sierra Summit, on radio programs such as Terra Verde and Air America’s Ring of Fire, and at many other venues..
Testimonials:
“McMillan’s expressive style, pared down to the basics and intensified over the years, allows for instant communication of thoughtful rage.”
— Comics Journal
“Very talented.”
— Washington Post
“This is social satire at its wittiest and most engaging.”
— Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States
“Her politics are perfect, her drawings sly and subtle, and her dialog funny as hell.”
– Derrick Jensen, author of Endgame
“Visionary and honest.”
— Ted Rall, past president of Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, author of Anti-American Manifesto and To Afghanistan and Back
“Minimum Security is like oxygen for our suffocating times.”
— Vandana Shiva, author of Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis
” Razor-sharp critique packaged as cute-kid-and-funny-animal cartoon.”
— Booklist
“Provocative, insightful, and entertaining.”
— Jeff Monson (“The Snowman”), MMA championship fighter
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 9, 2020
A political cartoonist since high school, Stephanie McMillan is a 2nd generation Fort Lauderdale resident whose work has now been shown internationally, with an archive of her original and papers at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Ohio State University. A multimedia artist, according to her website, McMillan offers classes with her partner Chistopher Burns.
Moving along to the actual plot of the book itself, basically we follow a dynamic group of friends as they resist ecocide. Lots of direct action and black block tactics with a dash of will they sell out and/or liberal vs leftest tension. What, if anything, will save the planet? All options are on the table.
While I overall can appreciate this book, more as time goes by, it's still one of those books where the text is dense enough to trigger my ADHD impatience with TEXT. The whimsical elements, like the pyromaniac rabbit with one eye, do help to balance out the existential dread.
While, if I'm recalling correctly, we don't touch on gender/ability diversity/commentary we do see representation of several bipoc characters, two of the guys are gay, and there's a lot of class tension happening throughout the story.
Moving along to the actual plot of the book itself, basically we follow a dynamic group of friends as they resist ecocide. Lots of direct action and black block tactics with a dash of will they sell out and/or liberal vs leftest tension. What, if anything, will save the planet? All options are on the table.
While I overall can appreciate this book, more as time goes by, it's still one of those books where the text is dense enough to trigger my ADHD impatience with TEXT. The whimsical elements, like the pyromaniac rabbit with one eye, do help to balance out the existential dread.
While, if I'm recalling correctly, we don't touch on gender/ability diversity/commentary we do see representation of several bipoc characters, two of the guys are gay, and there's a lot of class tension happening throughout the story.
July 6, 2020
I honestly had to give up about halfway through this graphic novel. I recognize the author’s passion for the subject matter but she didn’t tell a story here: she used a comic to lecture the reader. Most of the dialogue were back and forth discussions debating progressive activism versus radical eco-terrorism and none of the characters felt even remotely authentic. The story was simply a collection of panels of people discussing what course of action was appropriate...and these discussions were almost always long, wordy and boring. It was an information dump and it made reading this graphic novel a burden.
December 14, 2017
Delightful! A great follow-up to "As the World Burns."
April 5, 2020
Insightful storytelling
February 28, 2023
Startling and thought-provoking, this book takes the reader down the rabbit hole of imagining and implementing tactics and strategies to fight global warming and capitalism.
December 11, 2013
Poorly illustrated and a poor story line. This graphic novel just cries out bleeding heart alarmist! It took all of 30 seconds for me to realize this WAS NOT a book for me! I will not be recommending this book to anyone, it will be used to keep the wobble out of my diningroom table and that is about it!
July 5, 2016
A delight from start to finish (except of course for the dire straights in which we find ourselves). Excellent on tactics and strategies, with an unforgettable cast of characters.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews