The graphic novel "Alpha: Abidjan to Paris" follows the fictional character Alpha from Côte d'Ivoire to Paris, France, detailing his struggles as a displaced person without legal status as well as the various barriers he encounters on his journey to finding safety. The story of Alpha demonstrates a multifaceted, intersectional, and complex experience illustrating the social, political, and economic "crisis" of displacement. The graphic novel also critiques the ways by which displaced persons experience the violence produced by the international refugee regime, especially among West Africa, North Africa, and the European Union. The idea of "crisis" is expressed in the graphic novel in multiple ways. The language and images used accurately portray the tragedy that so many displaced persons have to experience. By highlighting the reasons that people leave hopeless conditions in search of a more secure life, the novel redefines crisis not as an individual experience, but rather the result of harmful decisions produced at the state and global level. The graphic novel demonstrates how powerful institutions can open up their borders to particular types of migration while simultaneously closing it off to other groups, depending on their intersecting identities (including their national origin, race, age, sex, and socioeconomic status).