Can comics change the world?

Can books and comics change the world? I think Paul Goodenough, the creative behind 'The most important comic book on earth: stories to save the world' would say that they definitely can!

Science fiction writing has traditionally stretched the boundaries of what is possible and shown its readers the infinite possibilities of the future.  Some futures have been less than positive, with dystopian visions of what might face us if we allow inequality, injustice, pollution, war or a destroyed natural world to happen. 

Other books show us a more positive future – not so much the impractical world of utopia – but stories that stretch, and challenge us about the kind of future we may just achieve if we work together and make it happen.

There are terms to describe writing like this, such as solarpunk and cli-fi.  Solarpunk stories imagine a world that is sustainable and equitable. A world where we either have or are on the way to using natural and renewable energy and live in balance, both with each other, and the natural world. These stories give us hope and the imagination to work towards building the kind of world we all want to live in.

Alternatively, cli-fi stories deal more directly with climate change in the future, and where it may lead us. They imagine both dystopias and utopias, depending on how people actually respond to the climate crisis we are facing at the moment.

Which future do you want to imagine?

To inspire you, we have come up with a list of fabulous futuristic books and comics for all ages, to help you all imagine – and create – the kind of future world we all want! 

Ten of the Best: Stories to Change the World

Picture Books

• Anya’s Quest by Jasbinder Bilan & Jane Ray
• Clem and Crab by Fiona Lumbers
• The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers
• The Last Wolf by Mini Grey
• Omar, The Bees And Me by Helen Mortimer & Katie Cottle
• Somebody Swallowed Stanley by Sarah Roberts and Hannah Peck
• Stories for a Fragile Planet by Kenneth Steven
• There’s a Rang-tan in my Bedroom by James Sellick & Frann Preston-Gannon
• This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers
• Window by Jeannie Baker

For Children

• Aubrey and the Terrible Ladybirds by Horatio Clare
• Breaker by Annemarie Allan
• The Extraordinary Colours of Auden Dare by Zillah Bethe
• Floodland by Marcus Sedgewick
• Global by Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin
• Island by Nicky Singer
• The Lost Whale by Hannah Gold & Levi Pinfold
• Song of the Dolphin Boy by Elizabeth Laird
• Song of the River by Gill Lewis
• The Uprising – The Mapmakers in Cruxia by Eirlys Hunter

For young Adults

• Code Blue by Marissa Slavin
• Future Hopes: Hopeful Stories in a Time of Climate Change edited by Lauren James
• Green Rising by Lauren James
• If Not Us by Mark Smith
• The Last Whale by Chris Vick
• On Silver Tides by Sylvia Bishop
• Snow Globe by Soyoung Park
• Song of the Dolphin Boy by Elizabeth Laird
• The Summer We Turned Green by William Sutcliffe
• Survival by Nicky Singer

For Adults

• The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin
• Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach
• Emergency Skin by N. K. Jemisin
• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
• Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
• Pacific Edge by Kim Stanley Robinson
• Suncatcher by Alia Gee
• Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation edited by Phoebe Wagner
• Walkaway by Corey Doctorow
• The Word for World is Forest by Ursula Le Guin

Find out more…

Climate fiction Writers League - a group of authors who believe in the necessity of climate action, immediately and absolutely. 

‘Fiction is one of the best ways to inspire passion, empathy and action in readers. Our works raise awareness of climate change, and encourage action at the individual, corporate and government levels.”

This is a great resource for all ages, with lots of chats and book recommendations.

Storytelling to Accelerate Climate solutions - download this free book that shows how storytelling can inspire concrete action toward addressing climate change.