Draw The Line, a comics project that started as a Facebook post and blossomed into an international project involving more than 100 comic artists, is now to be published as a book by Street Noise Books – and will launch with two events in the UK, one virtual and one in real life.
Draw The Line: 100+ Things You Can Do To Change The World! is described as a “To Do” list for changing the world. Artists share their passion and commitment to make things better in a fun and engaging collection, from simple ideas like signing a petition or going on a march, to more imaginative ones like becoming a “raging granny” (old ladies who use their innocuous looks to gain entry into places like board meetings or arms fairs, and then create havoc).
Many things can be done immediately, with little or no money at all. Others require a bit more planning. But all of them are steps that anyone can take if they want to enact change.
On Thursday 10th March, to mark the book’s launch in the UK, all are welcome to head to the Cartoon Museum to hear from a selection of Draw The Line’s artists speaking about how their work in comics makes political and social change.
On the panel will be Myfanwy Tristram, co-ordinator of this global project; Hannah Berry, ex Comics Laureate and creator of Livestock; Woodrow Phoenix, author of Rumble Strip and sequel Crash Course; Jaime Huxtable, artist on Such, Such Were the Joys; and Daniel Locke whose Out of Nothing creates a better understanding of the science that shapes our lives. They will be in conversation with Alex Fitch of Resonance FM, and the whole thing will be recorded for his show, Panel Borders.
Then, on Tuesday 15th March, a second line up of Draw The Line artists will present at LDComics’ online Zoom meeting. Each guest will discuss how their comics are having effects beyond the printed page.
Myfanwy Tristram‘s comics explore activism, protest and pop culture. She’ll explain how Draw the Line started as a Facebook post and blossomed into an international project involving more than 100 comic artists. Myf has also just self-published Sorry For The Inconvenience – We Are Trying To Save The World, a book about the importance of protest.
Siiri Viljakka is a visual and sequential artist from Turku, Finland. Her often deeply biographical work is powerful in its own right, but also gently normalises all forms of gender expression, queerness and bodily being, and she’s currently working on her first full-length graphic novel.
Beata Sosnowska, from Poland, is a multimedia artist, poet, comic illustrator, experimental filmmaker and graphic designer. She recently worked with Japanese ethnic minority Ainu and Polish woman artists on Mówi Onna (“Speaking Onna”).
Joan Reilly lives in rural Pennsylvania, USA. With author Elly Lonon she worked on Amongst the Liberal Elite, exploring societal inequalities solidified by Trump. Her current frank and relatable diary comic project explores her experiences with brain cancer.
Kate Evans, from Somerset UK, shed new light on the refugee crisis at the Calais ‘jungle’ with her book Threads, explored the life of a radical Polish Marxist philosopher in Red Rosa, and has made a lifetime’s work of exposing, explaining and ridiculing inequity, ecological disaster and human rights violations.
Kane Lynch is a cartoonist and educator based in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. Kane’s journalism comics for The Nib and other outlines have examined topics such as conspiracy theories, Russian politics, and undocumented workers in the United States. In 2020, he contributed Guantanamo Voices: True accounts from the world’s most infamous prison, published by Abrams Books. Kane also creates educational and interactive comics for students of all ages.
• Find out more about the Draw the Line project at drawthelinecomics.com
• The Draw The Line book – ISBN 9781951491154 – is available to order from all bookshops – but naturally, those involved in the project recommend using your local independent book shop.
Giving them your trade will help ensure they continue to enhance your neighbourhood, so there’s your first positive action right there, before you even start reading!
• In the UK, the Draw the Line team have a few copies available ahead of the UK launch in March 2022. Please purchase them here
After March 2022, support your local bookstore by buying at uk Bookshop.org or through Hive. Draw The Line is also available at Wordery, WH Smith and Blackwells
• In the United States, buy it now at Bookshop.org – the online bookseller that supports local independent booksellers; or buy at Powells, at Barnes and Noble, or if there’s no alternative, at Amazon
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Books, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events
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