When the Wind Blows - Raymond Briggs

Written and illustrated by Raymond Briggs, When the Wind Blows was his first attempt at an adult graphic novel. Released in 1982 on the back of his success with children’s books, it tells a sorrowful tale of the effect a nuclear attack on England has on a retired couple living in rural Sussex. A heavy topic, but the dark, yet compassionate sense of humour pervading the book lightens the mood somewhat. Twinned with the cosy, pastel shaded art-work, the unsettling, yet warm-hearted story closely examines the initial effects of a disaster on two people who have never done anything to deserve it.

The harmless pair are developed through their interactions with each other, and (some clunky exposition in the first page aside) are convincingly characterised. Their tender, occasionally abrasive relationship adds some humour as well as developing their characters. They are both survivors of WW2, with some strangely nostalgic memories of that time. Despite Jim’s research at the local library into the current situation, they have a muddled idea of the scale and nature of the current conflict – mistakenly believing that their past war-time experiences were still relevant. Jim constantly misunderstands modern terminology (calling computers “commuters” is a common malapropism of his) and reels off distorted facts and assurances. His wife Hilda is an archetypal “prim and proper”, fussy, old fashioned English-woman. Their trust in the government (referred to occasionally as “The powers that be”) blinkers them, they try to follow every inadequate council guideline and assume they will be looked after.

Although this is a large format graphic novel, the panels can become cramped due to their quantity. Around the same size as comic strip panels, they are perfectly readable but smaller than most graphic novel panels. There are occasional, rather plain double page spreads scattered throughout the book. They are rather plain, but brilliantly express the ominous military threat overshadowing the entire novel.
Despite it’s simplicity, the art appears very textured. The many hues lend it a depth that is extremely effective on the usually small panels. The Blogg’s are quite simply drawn, preventing anything masking the emotions written on their faces. People they have directly experienced are portrayed in the same deceptively comfortable style; however, foreign or famous figures are shown in an oversized, warped fashion reflecting their opinion of them while emphasising the Blogg’s diminutive stature in the global events of the nuclear attack. Despite the similarity to the illustration style used in Brigg’s children’s books, the charming art only serves to make the tragedy even more heartbreaking.

While only 50 pages long, the number of panels provide more material than you would expect. The story is straightforward, but Brigg’s satirical social commentary manifests itself giving his novel more depth. A wry sense of humour stems from the character’s naiveté. Some unintentional (on the character’s part at least) jokes are delivered with a cheery grin at the reader, and some of their dialogue sometimes has a greater meaning than they suspect. But no amount of humour or optimism from the characters detracts from this work’s impact. It’s avoidance of specific political details keep it relevant as a warning against the perils of nuclear war.

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