EIGHTEEN - The Graphic Novel
In collaboration with Time Bomb Comics
The Midland Main Line is being electrified as part of a £2billion upgrade. The electricity running through the lines is 100 times more powerful than the voltage used in houses, and ten times more than the electric chair, making electrified railways much more dangerous.
But only 37% of young people deem the railway to be a dangerous place. Also, as a hard to engage audience, they are more likely to ignore authoritative messages and certainly wouldn't listen to organisations such as Network Rail about public safety.
So we worked with over 250 young people near danger hotspots in the Midlands, learning why they took risks and what would change their behaviour, then co-created a believable short story about the dramatic impact a shocking railway electrocution accident would have on their friends and family.
The first iteration was an award-winning short film – which was viewed over 6 million times, so we knew it resonated. But to expand the story’s reach we looked to expand into other mediums and further engage a new audience.
Enter EIGHTEEN, the graphic novel version of the film.
Graphic novels are not only considered cool and high-value, which means our audience were more likely to accept and read one than a leaflet, but are also consumed in a completely different way - readers may not realise it but they use visual, spatial and textual cues to formulate one solid understanding of the story. So, whilst they are undeniably entertaining, they require more investment from the reader and are therefore more memorable.
Working with artist Steve Tanner of Time Bomb comics – known for his Flintlock adventure series - the 32-page graphic novel version follows the same storyline as the film, whilst adding a fresh dimension.
We launched at ComicCon Birmingham - reaching a large part of our audience based in the Midlands and aligning with the geography of the portion of the railway being electrified. Print copies were available free of charge at the show while visitors also had the opportunity to get it signed by Steve Tanner at our stand, ensuring it was something they would keep. It was also distributed in selected Midlands cinemas and a digital version was made available online.
The ComicCon Launch event was attended by over 30,000 visitors and over 3,000 copies were handed out.
Social media advertising, event materials and competitions – plus a QR code in the graphic novel – contributed to a significant uplift for the film '18', adding approximately 1 million views, 11,000 likes and 650 comments.
Features and Accolades
The graphic novel was awarded at the DMAs in the Best Use of Unaddressed Print category and was featured extensively across the comic community including Bleeding Cool, Tripwire, ComicScene and Down The Tubes.