IDP: 2043
Irvine Welsh, Hannah Berry, Barroux et al.
[Freight Press]
IDP:2043 is a collaborative graphic novel that imagines Scotland’s fate 29 years from now. Set in the highest village in Scotland, New Wanlockhead, the work explores the fate of several IDP (Internally Displaced People) after global warming floods most of the land, leaving economic, social and agricultural turmoil. The story centres on the charismatic figure Cait, a slum farmer/television personality/action hero who finds her boyfriend murdered and is compelled to investigate before she’s next.
The book does well at maintaining the thrust of this central narrative, while allowing the various collaborators space to venture into their own stories, giving background and depth to its world. Many of the contributors focus on the dystopian bleakness of the tale. Will Morris uses great angular noir visuals to evoke the sympathetic life story of a henchman on Cait’s tail, while Irvine Welsh and Dan McDaid’s chapter is expectedly dark, telling the bloodied history of Gartman, the villain of the piece, with beautifully gritty, splotchy ink work. Other chapters take a more colourful approach, like Adam Murphy’s strong, expressive section, or the pairing of Denise Mina with Barroux’s childlike minimalist artwork. Overall, IDP:2043 does an astounding job of channelling many unique voices into one overarching story while still allowing each to flourish. The moral message of the story is a bit of a minor chord for the eco awareness front. But as a good-looking thriller, it succeeds.
Words: Mark Baldwin
