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Dawn of the Unread
Dawn of the Unread imagines a scenario whereby dead writers from Nottingham's past are incensed at the closures of libraries and low literacy levels in 21st Century Britain. They are concerned that if their ideas are not preserved and made accessible, then they will cease to exist. Sillitoe, Lawrence, Byron et al would never put up with such an insult and so return from the grave, in a twist on the zombie genre, in search of the one thing that wll ensure their survival: 'boooks'.
Dawn of the Unread features: William Booth, Slavomir Rawicz, Charlie Peace, Gotham Fool, Bryan Clough, Alma Reville, D.H. Lawrence, the 5th Duke of Portland, Bendigo, Ms. Hood, Alan Sillitoe, Mary Howitt, Stanley Middleton, Margaret Cavendish, George Powe and George Africanus. Ray Gosling, Edith Slitwell and Blakey from On the Buses also make guest appearances.
Dawn of the Unread features: William Booth, Slavomir Rawicz, Charlie Peace, Gotham Fool, Bryan Clough, Alma Reville, D.H. Lawrence, the 5th Duke of Portland, Bendigo, Ms. Hood, Alan Sillitoe, Mary Howitt, Stanley Middleton, Margaret Cavendish, George Powe and George Africanus. Ray Gosling, Edith Slitwell and Blakey from On the Buses also make guest appearances.
184 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2016
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
James Walker
359 books3 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 12, 2019
nice graphic novel
December 15, 2016
*I received a free copy of this book from Spokesman Books, branch of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine, and mine alone. Look out for this review published on Spokesman books' social media pages and Her Campus Nottingham's website soon!*
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 (alluded to in the comic below) are to blame for the decrease in literacy is harmful - disregarding what people may think of him as a role model.
While I acknowledge social media can be a negative environment, it can also be an incredible tool for advertising the libraries and engaging the young people of Nottingham.
Ironically, the student population is also only existent because of people’s desire to learn in a stimulating pedagogical environment, so surely an increase in literacy in young people will mean more future students. Which is a shame, if student housing is to blame as one of the reasons for libraries closing.
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.
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 (alluded to in the comic below) are to blame for the decrease in literacy is harmful - disregarding what people may think of him as a role model.
While I acknowledge social media can be a negative environment, it can also be an incredible tool for advertising the libraries and engaging the young people of Nottingham.
Ironically, the student population is also only existent because of people’s desire to learn in a stimulating pedagogical environment, so surely an increase in literacy in young people will mean more future students. Which is a shame, if student housing is to blame as one of the reasons for libraries closing.
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.
January 4, 2017
Dawn of the Unread is the response to anybody who asks you 'Why is Nottingham a City of Literateur' tell them to read this book. This collection of short Comics, each detailing on a different author/poet/character that somehow links into Nottingham. Serving as both a showcase of art and fiction and an informative lesson, Dawn makes for a good experience no matter personal preference. I would even recommend this as someone's first graphic novel, as it showcases a variety of styles. While some may be lean towards the style side, lacking in story and inspiration while still being artistic, and others lean more to substance, being greatly informative, but perhaps lacking when it comes to artistry. Of course, some of them are a perfect balance of both. Ones I would recommend would be: 'Little Boxes', 'Going Underground' and 'Charlie Peace, Inside the Mind of a Master Criminal.'
Dawn of the Unread is a great read for anyone with even a passing interest in Nottingham or any of the writers featured in it.
Dawn of the Unread is a great read for anyone with even a passing interest in Nottingham or any of the writers featured in it.
February 1, 2017
This collection of comics explores Nottingham's history and literary figures. The 16 stories each have different writers and artists, and therefore some will be more to your taste than others. My personal favorites include 'DH Lawrence - Zombie Hunter' (which has made me want to read Lawrence, even though I've had him labelled as one of the boring classic authors), and 'Acting the Goat', about the Gotham Fools story (which inspired Bob Kane to name Batman's hometown after the little Nottinghamshire village). This collection is so lovingly made, and the creators' enthusiasm about Nottingham and history and literature is so infectious: it has made me want to learn more about Nottingham's history, and to read books by and about Nottingham authors. Overall, the comics gave me a warm feeling inside and made the world seem a bit brighter and better.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews