Did you know that there was a new history of the Co-op in comics form? I certainly didn’t, but it seems our beloved medium has been turned to exploring the history of the Co-operative’s 150-plus years influencing British society, from the formation of the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Co-operative in the mid 1840s through to the modern business which has stores on the high streets of most UK towns and cities, as well as banking, insurance and numerous other offshoots. The cartoonist Polyp also takes in the history and development of co-operative movements around the globe, from Indian snake catchers to American cranberry growers and includes a hopefuly fictional look at a possible future several decades hence. Published by New Internationalist to mark the United Nations 2012 Year of Co-operatives the idea is to explain and celebrate the concept of co-operatives in an accessible manner, and in a world where it often seems the massive corporate owned future William Gibson and others wrote about in fiction decades ago is now largely coming true, it’s uplifting to realise that from the grim days of the industrial revolution through to developing nations today there are people who come together not only to work together but achieve something sustainable for those around them too. More details can be found on the NI site.
Thu, Oct 11, 2012
Comics and cartoons