Set against the backdrop of the disastrous 2015 floods in northern England, Rain chronicles the relationship between two young women, one an environmental activist. Their wild moorland is being criminally mismanaged, crops are being poisoned, and animals are being slaughtered. The characters are fictional: the tragedy is shockingly real.

* Writer Mary M. Talbot is a scholar of international acclaim who has published widely on language, gender, and power, particularly in relation to media and consumer culture.

* Artist Bryan Talbot is one of the pioneers of the graphic novel, whose works include The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, The Tale of One Bad Rat, Alice in Sunderland, and the Grandville series.