“Cholera is like tourists: they come, they annoy us, then they leave.”
Cholera Commotions is a comics anthology collaboration created by Berwick Academy students, Northumberland Archives, Museums Northumberland, Applied Comics Etc, Newcastle University and Printspot.
The anthology was created over three days in summer 2018 as part of a Learning Arc: Archives Education Group project. We began by exploring archive materials – and a nearby graveyard – to find about the history of cholera in Berwick upon Tweed. By day two we started planning a comics anthology to share this history with a teen/young adult audience, then on day three we created final artwork ready to be setup by Printspot’s graphic designer. Berwick Academy students made decisions at each stage of the project.
- ‘From Cholera To Comic’ talk by Linda Bankier, Jane Miller, and Lydia Wysocki. Fri 19th Oct, 4-5pm, Holy Trinity Parish Centre, Berwick upon Tweed
- Cholera Commotions exhibition of artwork, The Guildhall, Berwick upon Tweed
List of chapters:
- Pablo’s Problem by Joe and Albie
- Bizarre Cures for Cholera by Katie and Amy
- Ode to Maysie by Aimee, Emily, and Jaimee
- CSI Berwick by Bobby, Jessica, and Alex
- From Lonely to Dead by Rebecca and Kaitlyn
- True or False by Jessica and Alex
- Curse of Queen Cholera by Abi, Jen, and Charley
Thank you to everyone who helped make this comic:
- Abi, Aimee, Albie, Alex, Amy, Bobby, Charley, Emily, Jaimee, Jennifer, Jessica, Joe, Kaitlyn, Katie, Rebecca and Mr Bosanquet from Berwick Academy
- Linda from Northumberland Archives, Jane from Museums Northumberland, and Helen (volunteer)
- Lydia from Applied Comics Etc
- Ulrike, Sara, Gillian, and Lindsey from Newcastle University
- Kevin from Printspot
