In The Adventures of Captain Polo, readers embark on a journey with a polar bear as he travels the world discovering the devastating impact of climate change. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Climate change is a global problem, yet there are local effects, and also in many cases, local solutions. I wanted to depict this somehow, so very early on when drafting the script, I knew this book was going to be framed as a global odyssey. In the course of my research, I was lucky enough to talk to prominent climate professionals, such as the late Saleem Huq, who enlightened me on very specific aspects to consider, mostly from the perspective of the global south. This inspired me, as did also my own background as a person who has lived mostly in the developing world, and I also drew inspiration from my professional experience in conservation, which has exposed me to the problems faced by wildlife, as well as by local communities. Many of these problems are made worse by global warming, and those who suffer the immediate effects of this are those who are least responsible for the problem. Researching all this under a climate lens basically determined the exact geographical route Captain Polo follows.

However the story also needed to be engaging; inspiration for the fiction, adventure, and comedy inherent in the book come from my own reading while growing up – mostly TinTin and Asterix albums, with a few nods here and there to Lucky Luke and even post-war British cartoonist Carl Giles.

What was one scene in the novel that you felt captured the morals and message you were trying to deliver to young readers?

There are several such scenes, but one that stands out for me is the scene where Captain Polo meets a boatload of emigrating Kiribati islanders fleeing their island home in a desperate gamble to find asylum in New Zealand. This scene reflects a very real truth facing the Small Island Nations in the Pacific region, and it is a perfect example of climate injustice: small island nations are literally being flooded by rising sea levels entirely caused by global warming entirely caused by large, developed or emergent economy countries very far away. For this reason, there is a strong moral lesson to be read in this scene: those who are least responsible for global warming are the very same who pay the highest and most immediate price. This theme is actually present throughout the book and its sequels, and it serves as a bridge between the reality faced by Captain Polo as a polar bear whose Arctic home is literally melting beneath his feet and a great number of human communities around the world who face similar challenges as a result of glacial ice melt raising sea levels the thereby causing catastrophic flooding. As such, climate justice – or rather, injustice – serves to establish a bond between the main character and the various people he encounters.

What made you decide to write Captain Polo’s story as a graphic novel?

Graphic novels are the format I specialize in because I am actually a cartoonist rather than an author of prose per se; my ability to draw cartoons largely predetermines the format of my storytelling. I believe it gives me an edge I would not normally have over prose authors telling the same story, and at the same time, I suspect most graphic novelists would not have my scientific inclinations, interests, or knowledge to tell a story about climate change. It is this sweet spot combining art and science that defines my niche style. The graphic novel format also allows for near-constant visual movement and a dynamic dialogue and narrative, which is necessary to give the story a fast pace. This fast pace represents an unspoken sense of urgency – “the world is burning, we need to do something, NOW.” The graphic novel format crucially also lends itself to the use of visual humour, which is my most important style indicator, and I believe important for my target readers, especially when addressing a subject as grim as climate change.

Can you give readers a peek into the second installment of Captain Polo’s adventures?

In Book 2 of the Adventures of Captain Polo – Polo and the Yeti – the story continues where Book 1 ended. Spoiler alert: Captain Polo escapes his captors and crosses China before entering the mysterious realm of Tibet and beyond. This part of the trilogy is perhaps even more fast-paced than Book 1, and I allowed myself to have a bit of fun with some of the characters!

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At the beginning of his life-changing journey, the bear is hungry, frightened and alone, drifting further and further from an Arctic home that is changing in ways he cannot comprehend. But the bear without a name survives, and as he travels the world, meeting colourful characters both human and non-human and getting into all sorts of adventures, he gradually begins to understand a reality he never knew existed. The bear who will become Captain Polo realises he is not alone in seeking answers.

The Climate Change Comic is a fast-paced graphic novel depicting accurate geographical settings and detailed, colourful illustrations designed to make learning about a complex and frightening subject positive, easy and fun. In this first book of the series, readers as young as 9 will be swept into a global journey of discovery that will help them understand some of the causes and effects of the most critical environmental crisis in human history, what people are doing about it, and how each one of us can make a difference – wherever we live, and whoever we are.

Our children are facing an existential crisis in the form of ecological collapse and global climate change, but they don’t have to stay confused and anxious. Instead, give them what they want: understanding and actionable knowledge empowering them to become agents of positive change at home and at school. This is the mission of Captain Polo.

Get the first book of the series now!