I despise illiteracy and would go so far as to classify it as a form of child abuse, given how profoundly it can shape an entire life.

England’s never had it so good when it comes to this shameful social problem. According to a major study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), it holds the unenviable title of 22nd most illiterate country out of 24 industrialised nations.

The study involved over 166,000 adults and went as far as to suggest the potential threat of “downward mobility,” whereby the younger population is less educated than the older generation. Not what you’d expect in the so-called information age.

The long-term economic implications of these findings were supported by the Confederation of British Industry which found that one in six pupils struggle to read when they leave primary school. One in 10 boys aged 11 has a reading age no better than a seven-year-old and, at 14, six out of 10 white boys from the poorest backgrounds are still unable to read properly.

The solution from former schools minister Nick Gibb is typically robust. Give them more “complex books,” that’ll sort the problem.

The National Literacy Trust suggests the reason for this depressing trend is that books are deemed a thing of the past by a YouTube generation of readers. Consequently, the number of children reading outside of school has dropped by a quarter since 2005.

Finding engaging reading material is a particular problem for boys and a recent extensive survey found that 35 per cent of them agreed with the statement that “I cannot find things to read that interest me,” compared with 26 per cent of girls.

Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust, said: “There’s a really strong relationship between literacy — reading and writing — and social outcomes, whether it’s earnings, home ownership, voting or a sense of trust in society. If children are not practising reading, they will miss out.”

When we look at access to books the hole gets deeper. How are those 35 per cent of boys ever going to read if physical access to books is diminishing?

Despite public libraries providing a statutory service, 201 libraries were closed down as part of government cuts in 2011-12.

Last year, Nottingham city council cut over £25 million from its budget for libraries and arts organisations. It is perhaps not so surprising that visitor numbers to physical libraries are gradually decreasing.

To address these issues, Paul Fillingham and I are attempting, through the innovative graphic novel Dawn of the Unread, to imagine what would happen if the great literary figures from Nottingham’s past went unread. If their ideas are not preserved and made accessible, will they effectively disappear from our minds?

In a twist on the zombie genre, Alan Sillitoe, DH Lawrence and Lord Byron et al refuse to put up with such an insult and return from the grave, in search of the one thing that will ensure their survival — “books.”

I’m a Nottingham lad, which is why we’re exploring literary figures from my home town. It’s a city that’s had some unfair press in the past and so I want young adults to discover what an incredible heritage it has. This is something that has recently gained national exposure through our bid to become a Unesco City of Literature.

The remit of Dawn of the Unread is not to thrust the “complex” books advocated by Gibb on people to read. It’s to create a thirst for knowledge, to tease, tantalise and inspire. So each month we release a new eight-page comic which is available to read across all media devices.

At the end of each comic the reader has the option of completing four tasks. These are recorded on a virtual library card and the person who scores the highest will feature as a character in our last comic.

The tasks include Bwainz, questions about the literary figure to test reading ability and GO, visiting a literary location which we track through GPS. Our aim is to create a sense of civic pride and awareness of home.

READ encourages getting a physical book out of a library while CREATE involves uploading a short story related to the comic which can be viewed on public screens. This is to raise aspiration and remind readers they are the potential future writers.

Whether we like it or not reading has changed, as have people. Digital technology insists on active participation and readers expect to share their opinion.

Hopefully our rounded approach to reading may just help that generation who’ve been so conveniently written off. The relationship between digital and physical books is not so much a happy marriage, rather a fun and open relationship.

If we can use digital to get the next generation of readers into libraries while also proving that our project has helped with literacy levels, there is nothing to stop this format being adapted and rolled out regionally.

But now it’s down to you. We’ve contacted every school in Nottinghamshire to get pupils aged 13+ involved and offered free talks.

So far two schools have taken up this offer.

We won’t rest until we’ve visited them all.

Dawn of the Unread is available from dawnoftheunread.com and the app can be downloaded from the Google Play store.