The story behind The Agents of Polio Eradication

By Rotary International

By Rotary communications staff

How do you tell the story of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in comic-book form? That was the challenge that four Rotary staffers – Chris Brown, Brad Cowan, Kate Benzschawel and Stuart Cleland — faced in the summer of 2015. They needed an angle that would cover the major aspects of the GPEI’s work. But it had to be a story, not just a list of organizations and achievements.

Luckily, Kate had spotted “Polio Partners” in the September issue of The Rotarian, and suggested the team base the comic on the four pillars of the eradication effort – virus hunters, strategists, advocates, and immunizers. “They could be super-heroes,” said someone. “And they protect kids,” said another. “They’re the Agents of GPEI!” added a third.

That’s how it started. Soon, Stuart and Chris had written a script. Chris, whose non-Rotary alter ego is the artist 360°, began creating characters and experimenting with color and style as a paneled comic. Brad converted Chris’s work into a motion-comic, spending hours along with Kate tweaking frames, adding music and sound effects, and incorporating notes from the PolioPlus team.

The result – The Agents of Polio Eradication. We hope you enjoy …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog