2024: A GRAPHIC NOVEL by Ted Rall

 




Originally published in 2001 by NBM Books.

Ted Rall's graphic novel 2024 is a loose re-telling of George Orwell's classic novel 1984. It feels like a healthy dose of Huxley's Brave New World has been thrown in as well. 

This is an alienating tale - it is hard to find any character with any redeeming qualities at any point. It is hard to really understand their society and how it works - until you realize that Ted Rall was actually quite the prophet.

In this world, the economy is controlled by massive corporate conglomerates that control the government as well. The main character is Winston. At work, his job is to re-write history (just like he does in the original novel). History has been re-written so often that even Winston can't keep track of what the official story is. 

He spends a great deal of time day trading and shopping for items online that he doesn't really need.

Parts that I thought were prophetic include:  

-Winston's country, Canamexicusan, announces a new set of alliances and pretends like it has always been this way. This reminded me of the Trump Administration's hard turn towards Russia and away from NATO, as if it had always been that way.

-Very few people are interested in sex. Sex is simply not interesting when compared to the videos and the shopping. This has been noted in our real world modern society as well.

-Very few people have any idea what's going on around them - they have their face in a screen all of the time. 

-Social media trolling as a hobby.

-On page 95 there is a TV announcement that sounds almost exactly like a Donald Trump tweet about the tariff trade war with China:

"Freedom Media is pleased to announce total victory against the Asians! That's right: In a TOTAL VICTORY for Canamexicusan consumers, Asia has agreed to smash tariffs on Canamexicusan products! Interest rates will be reduced, our total economic potential will finally be achieved...This is a great moment on a great day!" 

To be honest, this is quite a bummer of a book, but it called out what 2020's would be like on so many levels that you have to give it credit.

I rate this graphic novel 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: 2024 by Ted Rall.

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