Back in 2017, the acclaimed online comics and illustration venture Draw the Line was the Broken Frontier Award winner in the Best Webcomic category. The project saw over 100 international artists come together to create work that showcased actions we can all take to improve the world around us in one easily accessible online resource. It included such regular names at Broken Frontier as Karrie Fransman, Hannah Berry, Danny Noble, Sean Azzopardi, Amber Hsu, Wallis Eates, Richy K. Chandler, John Riordan, Katriona Chapman and EdieOP, alongside the likes of Fumio Obata, Kripa Joshi, Dave McKean, Woodrow Phoenix, Steven Appleby and Roger Langridge.
Overseen by Myfanwy Tristram, who in Draw the Line organised one of the finest examples of collaborative comics community I have seen in my time at Broken Frontier, it was an incredibly well received effort. Multiple BF Award-winning creator Karrie Fransman summed it up perfectly when she said ““Draw the Line is an uplifting demonstration of what a hundred talented comic artists and activists can accomplish with blood, sweat, ink and a belief in justice and equality. We hope these actions will inspire thousands more.”
The project has been crowdfunding at Unbound in recent times but in order to ensure a print copy got out to backers sooner rather than later the team behind Draw the Line have agreed with Unbound to print and distribute the book themselves, with money from its sales still going to charity Help Refugees/Choose Love. However, this also means that this is your very last chance to pledge for a copy as the campaign finishes at the end of September. You can read an interview with Myfanwy Tristram about Draw the Line here at BF from a couple of years back.
We honestly cannot recommend this fantastic project more highly and right now, in these darkest of times, we need its positivity more than we ever have before. Be quick, though, you have until the end of this month before orders close!
Pledge for your copy of Draw the Line here!
PUT OUT A WELCOME MAT: Let refugees know that they are welcome. (By Karrie Fransman)
GIVE MINDFULLY: Donate money to an organisation whose values you share. They’ll know exactly how your money can best be put to work. (By Dave McKean)
GO CROSS-COUNTRY: Taking fewer flights can be a reward in itself, if you take time to enjoy the journey as well as the destination. (By Myfanwy Tristram)
QUESTION SOURCES: Don’t believe everything you read. Always check whether that news story has come from a trusted source — especially if you’re planning on sharing it! (By Roger Langridge)
CARRY WATER: Along the US/Mexico border, the Border Angels charity leaves jugs of water along desert migrant paths, to prevent dehydration — an all-too-common cause of death for migrants. (By Katriona Chapman)
EMPLOY THE LESS EMPLOYABLE: Could you give a job to someone who would find it hard to secure work elsewhere Consider recruiting from groups such as ex-convicts – giving them less reason to return to a life of crime – or those with autism, learning difficulties or disabilities, allowing them a chance for paid work that few others may offer. (By Wallis Eates)
SEE PEOPLE AS PEOPLE: The charity Streets of London say that we must “challenge the perception that homeless people are any different from the rest of us. Homelessness begins when something bad happens and you don’t have family or friends around to help. It could happen to any of us.” The same logic can be applied across many sectors of society: they may be temporarily disadvantaged, but they are people. (By Woodrow Phoenix)
