This graphic novel is a series of 16 mini comics, written and designed by various authors and artists, which tell the story of some of Nottingham’s famous (and dead!) figures. A response to recent figures detailing illiteracy in the young people of Nottingham, Dawn of the Unread imagines a dystopian future where libraries, a source of community and knowledge, are being closed down.
Dawn of the Unread is not only a comic series, but an incredible digital project that has seen this clever twist on the zombie genre be developed into a variety of readably accessible material. It has become ‘a reading flash mob, 58 YouTube videos, the placement home for 120 NTU students, an interactive app, a computer game, music video, Guardian Education winner, zombie dolls, manifesto for the digital humanities, and, of course, an online graphic novel serial,’ spoken by James Walker, the editor, and featured author.
The utilisation of the zombie genre to put a twist on modernising history for a young audience is unique and compelling, and gave the different comics cohesion. Upon receiving my copy of Dawn of the Unread and escaping into Nottingham’s past I was confronted with a comic element, which could engage any reader, and a passionate sense of community identity that made this read enjoyable, overall.
The inclusion of the last comic ‘Powe Meets Africanus’ by Panya Banjoko was an incredible acknowledgement of how far Nottingham has come in increasing and celebrating its diverse community. Other comics in this collection also stood out to me as perfectly encapsulating the power of words and the importance of our local libraries. ‘Duke and Disorderly’ by Andrew Graves encourages readers to ‘read it together’, while stories like ‘My Long Walk With Slav’ by Brick and ‘Shelves’ by David Belbin offer heartfelt reflections on how reading, and discussing books within a space accessible to the whole community, has impacted people’s lives positively.
However, because of these passionate ideals of a future saturated with our literary heritage, I feel like the message could be misread in places. Society is ever changing – there’s no denying technology has taken over. Is this necessarily a bad thing? ‘Byron Clough’ by Andy Croft asks ‘where have all the poets gone… up the Amazon!’
A clever pun on the world’s leading bookseller of both physical books and ebooks. Is this graphic novel hoping to improve literacy through any means, such as utilising Amazon’s popularity, or only through traditional strategies?
Some of these comics could also be seen as perpetuating a negative student stereotype, which could decrease the strength of the community message overall. I noticed a harmful link between pop-culture and social media being incompatible with an interest in literature.
Also, suggesting in any way that the icons of young people, such as Justin Bieber are to blame for the decrease in literacy is harmful – disregarding what people may think of him as a role model.
However, due to Dawn of the Unread’s incredible span of medium and inclusion of everyone, including students, within the community, I am sure these allusions are actually unfounded. The addition of the cities’ dialect in a few of the stories only added to the sense of community, suggesting that any stereotypes in the graphic novel are intended to unite, rather than divide, the City of Nottingham.
Overall, Dawn of the Unread is an engrossing read with a variety of gorgeous, intricate and often amusing art styles that really capture the heritage and culture of Nottingham’s literary past. A great read for anyone between the ages of 13 – 100, this graphic novel should be celebrated as much as the figures and messages it celebrates itself!
Edited by: Sarah Holmes
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