The Idris File

by Dix

In Wales 1974, a fisherman inadvertently reels in a Nazi flag. Meanwhile, young Idris and his mother ride a train in the countryside. Idris’s mother has a new housekeeping job awaiting her in the small town of Bothelli, by the sea. Her new employer, a wealthy man named Mr. Miller, is confined to a wheelchair and beginning immediately upon their arrival, Mr. Miller’s unceasing demands as an employer leave the socially awkward Idris adrift in his new town, friendless. That is, until he meets the mysterious and profane Gwen in the local cemetery. When Idris shows Gwen a map that he found at Mr. Miller’s, it sucks them into a web of mystery and unimagined horrors. As he did in his acclaimed 2018 graphic novel Dull Margaret, co-created with Jim Broadbent, Dix brings his world to life with his distinctive cartooning, weaving lumpy characters, earthy palettes, grim rumination, deadpan humor, supernatural elements, and a dreary countryside setting into one of the gnarliest graphic novels of the year.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

132 pages, Hardcover

First published June 24, 2025

Reviews

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following a teenaged boy named Idris and his mother who settle in the remote countryside in Wales in 1974, the slow, crawling and absurd horror of their new home soon begins to unfold. Tinged with some dark and deadpan humor, The Idris File pulls in a lot of bizarre happenings surrounding Nazis and sea monsters to pepper in to what can also be described as a coming-of-age story. The gloomy and dim backdrops, heightened only by the absurdness reminded me a lot of the Cartoon Network animated show, Courage the Cowardly Dog, especially with Dix's use of lumpy and ugly looking characters. Though the aesthetic isn't all that pleasing to the eye, it fits tonally with the story at hand. Aside from a little stuffiness in the story itself, this is a pretty funny yet jarring comic that really works best when luxuriating in the genuinely weird dialogue between the characters.

[Grace Stafford · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 - Insanely creepy and squelchy. The plot felt rushed generally, but, boy, did this deliver on atmosphere.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the review copy!

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an odd one with some fugly art. It's about a kid and his mom who go to a small town in Wales where she gets a job as a housekeeper. This kid is odd and meets a ghost and Nazis but the story isn't that interesting and the art is real ugly.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was rather odd. I mean we have ghosts, wanking, nazis, and donkey meat. Wow. What a weird read.