An Anatomy Of Decay: Intertextuality And Thematic Patterns In Chris Riddell'S Cartographies Of Poly-Crisis

The under-view study aims to document the “anatomy of decay” during the poly-crisis era of 2025. It is based on the analysis of editorial cartoons by Chris Riddell, which were published between January 11 and April 19, 2025, in The Guardian and The Observer. The study intends to unearth how satirical imagery is operated by a Riddell to satirise the erosion of democratic norms, diplomatic decorum, ecological degradation and disruption of world order. For that, the study is based on a qualitative interpretive approach, centred on intertextuality and thematic patterns embedded within visuals. The findings of the study point toward a consistent and recurrent narrative, i.e., institutional vandalism, ecological degradation, and loss of principle, predatory peace and the end of globalisation. It is chartered by intertextual references such as “Reverse Midas”, “Gothic”, “Captain America”, and “Bug Bunny”. These act as signifiers of aggression and brute force. The study concludes that Riddell has identified the political dynamics of 2025 as “gothic horror”, in which diplomatic norms and ecological well-being are replaced by “vulture capitalism” and “commodification of crisis”. The study has concluded that the Riddell cartoons project profound historical regression through a vulture capitalist approach. The imperative of the study lies in the notion of operation of satire through editorial visuals, i.e., cartoons as a diagnostic tool to decode the “anatomy of decay” in 2025 under Trump 2.0. Keywords: Anatomy of Decay, Institutional Vandalism, Geopolitics Poly-Crisis, Intertextuality, Thematic Mapping, Political Satire, Editorial Cartoons