Arts and Literature

Well, that’s exactly what Mancunian cartoonist Marc Roberts and writer Marc Hudson aim to do. For the last two years, they have been working together on a series of cartoons that highlight the major global issues that we all face and break them down into bite-size pieces.

Climate change (c) Marc Roberts

Marc Hudson says they use cartoons simply because they "make people laugh, and they seem 'harmless'."

"People learn better when they’re in a good mood and without their usual defences up. If you give someone a long typed leaflet, it either gets forgotten really quickly or doesn't get read at all.

"Cartoon characters can do and say really memorable things. You can get a lot of information across, and give people a laugh too."

But while there’s little doubt that they get the issues across in a new way, do the pair really think they can make a difference with them? Marc is sure they do.

"If they help people understand things, and those people then go out and get involved in changing how we consume - and waste - energy, then yes.

The media (c) Marc Roberts

"It's not too late to do something about climate change, but the window of opportunity won't be open forever, and we've already wasted a lot of time dithering and denying."

The pair’s cartoons have increasingly been pointed towards that one issue, but Marc insists that’s it not their only target.

"It's mostly climate change and 'environmental' issues, like transport and bio-fuels, but we've done one on journalism too - Fearless Ferret - and the Lab Rats ones, which we started out with, tackle all the great human themes - greed, stupidity, love, power, greed, science, religious belief."

Like all great cartoons, the series have recurring characters, and there’s one pair that Marc particularly likes, partially because of their direct action approach to issues.

Klaatu and Gort in action (c) Marc Roberts

"I love Klaatu and Gort, the alien Health and Safety Inspectors, because they look so cool, and because they have come to Earth intending to sort things out. They've very little patience for ‘nonsense’ as can be seen in the ‘Crisis, What Crisis’ strip [in which the pair storm the UN, demanding change]."

Having spent the last two years publishing via the Internet, the pair are now collecting some of their best-loved work into a book, as well as a new website, though Marc says this is not about the money.

As much as he’d like to earn his living from his cartoons, he sees the issues as being of more importance than his personal wealth.

"We would like to be paid what you usually pay for cartoons and images, but if that would make the difference between using and not using them, then we want people to pay us what they can.

"If people need a cartoon to illustrate a campaigning leaflet or something, and they can't find one that suits them on our site, then they can contact us and we'll come up with something for them - free of charge if needs be.

"To unfunded charities and community groups, we operate a bit of a 'free to a good home’ policy. In any case, all we ask is that everyone, paying or not, gets in touch to discuss rates and gives us full credits.

If their cartoons do manage to make any sort of change for the better in the world, then you wouldn’t deny them that credit.

Climate Cartoons – the book and the website – is launched at Sandbar on Weds 5 Sept.