500 million.
This is a (very rough) estimate of the number of comics (of all kinds) read in the world at least monthly. In other words a lot of people read comics. Although the comics scene is mostly dominated by superheroes, there is a growing movement of using comics towards achieving environmental and social justice aims. You can read more about this phenomenon on, The Nature of Cities, an integral partner in the creation of the NbS Comics series.
Comics offer a unique platform for addressing social challenges through storytelling, combining visuals and narratives in an engaging way to create vivid representations of some of the consequences of negative externalities such as pollution, deforestation and so on.
The unique power of comics is the way that artists can touch readers and create a lasting impact on their understanding of environmental concepts like nature-based solutions, changing the pace by which people contemplate issues, as compared to mediums such as film.
Comics offer space to explore and capture emotions and individual experience in a unique way that can thus touch more diverse audiences, including those who do not typically engage with other forms of communication.
NetworkNature was in awe of the impact that the first call for comics left on audiences all over the world. And this is why the 2024 Open Call for NbS Comics is now open to comic creators all over the world.
Interested in submitting or know a talented artist who would be a good fit? Read more about submission criteria here.
NbS Comics is a partnership between NetworkNature+ and the Nature of Cities, funded by the European Commision.
