Commentaire descriptif

This graphic novel adaptation of the first instalment in a series featuring two families—the Hadleys and the McGregors—is set in a dystopian world where social and racial mores define and restrict individuals. Here, black people (crosses) are the elites and whites (noughts) the underclass. Despite their colour difference, Sephy Hadley and Callum McGregor share a strong bond—though it is strained by Sephy’s privilege and Callum’s involvement in the noughts’ Liberation Militia. “Blank by name, blank by nature. Blank white faces…. Blank minds … that’s why they serve us and not the other way around.” This gritty story pulls no punches in its examination of racism. That the tables have been turned in this world makes the message no less painful. Crushing injustice and brutality are met with violent rebellion. Monochrome drawings use strong line, deep shadow and dynamic composition to reflect the torment of two teens’ families and the frenzied unrest of society at large. In one full-page panel, sharp lines and black splotches shoot forward, as a bomb explodes in a shopping mall. In another, perspective is rendered from the ground up, as a tear-gas canister falls toward the viewer, its smoke billowing around the towering legs of heavily armed police officers. Perhaps in a fair reflection of our own society, this story does not offer a happy ending. But there are signs of hope in this grim universe: a supportive teacher who understands the need for equality and, ultimately, the love that persists between the two young people, despite impossible circumstances.