Comics Features

PRESS RELEASE: Thunder-Man Makes Noise About Bullying for Anti-Bullying Week

Xander Goodwin is a 5-year-old school boy from Beeston, Nottingham. Earlier this year he created his very own superhero, Thunder-Man, as part of a school project.  But Xander wanted his hero to do “real things”, and after a suggestion about raising money for charity, he said that he wanted to “help orphans, like Batman is, because he has no mummy and daddy.”
Xander went on to help design a superhero t-shirt, which he sold to raise money for SOS Children’s Villages.  He was then adamant that he wanted to “do charity” every month, so he has gone on to raise money for ChildLine, the NSPCC,  a Children’s Hospice, and this month he wants to help the Anti-Bullying Alliance.  Xander knows that bullying is not nice and he is an advocate for Anti-Bullying at his school, Chetwynd Primary Academy, remarking “Bullying is not nice, and I tell people to stop teasing my friends.  Some mean boys were teasing my friend because he said he liked pink, so I told them to stop and told my friend I liked pink too“. Below is a picture of Xander dressed as his superhero…

Xander as Thunder-Man

The Anti Bullying Alliance (http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/) is promoting Anti-Bullying Week from the 16th of November – 20th of November, and Xander’s superhero creation Thunder-Man has become a large part of what the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the web child safety organisation Internet Matters are doing to celebrate this. In the first instance, Xander asked one of his artist friends, Dan Butcher of Vanguard Comics, to draw a picture of Thunder-Man to put on t-shirts to sell in order to raise money for the Anti-Bullying Alliance.  The t-shirt that was created strongly promotes the ‘Make a NO!SE about bullying campaign’ that the Anti-Bullying Alliance is running during Anti-Bullying Week, and Xander has their full support.

Lauren Seager-Smith, National Coordinator of the Anti-Bullying Alliance says: “We need to empower children and young people to Make a Noise about bullying – wherever and whenever it happens. Through Anti-Bullying Week, we will give teachers the tools they need to respond quickly and effectively to resolve bullying when it happens, and parents and carers the information they need to support their children with these issues.

The t-shirts are available to buy at https://www.tboom.co.uk/makeanoise – you can find an example below:

TMABAtee
When the website Internet Matters http://www.internetmatters.org/ found out about Thunder-Man and the t-shirts, they approached Xander to create a Thunder-Man comic around the issue of cyberbullying.  Xander asked his artist friend Tu Phan (from the Netherlands) to help, and then they made a comic together. This was in order to inspire children to create their own comic for a competition Internet Matters and the Anti-Bullying Alliance were running.
IM Comic Strip Comp Poster
All school-aged children nationwide can get involved in this great competition, and Xander will be one of the judges to choose the winning entry later this year!   More information about the competition and the finished Thunder-Man comic strip can be found at the following website: http://www.internetmatters.org/hub/competitions/cyberbullying-comic-strip/
Internet Matters TM comic
Because Thunder-Man has thunder powers, he has also inspired the Anti-Bullying Alliance to create a ‘Thunder-Clap’ on social media to help promote Anti-Bullying Week: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/33132-make-a-noise-about-bullying?locale=enAlong with the Thunder-Clap, during Anti-Bullying Week, everyone can write their own anti-bullying message on a KAPOW! speech bubble, then take a selfie and upload it to social media with the hashtag #antibullyingweek or #makeanoise.

Kapow speech bubble

Xander is very proud to see his superhero Thunder-Man being a big part of such an important campaign; he really is a little hero himself!  You can follow Thunder-Man on twitter @Thunder__Man, or on Facebook at ThunderManHero.  You can also visit the Thunder-Man website for more information: http://thunder-man1.wix.com/thunder-man

For more information contact:
Matt Goodwin
e: thunder-man1@hotmail.com
mob: 07597396473

About the Anti Bullying Alliance (ABA):
ABA is a unique coalition of organisations and individuals, who work together to reduce bullying and create safer environments in which children and young people can live, grow, play and learn. ABA is hosted by the National Children’s Bureau. For more information visit www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.ukAbout The National Children’s Bureau (NCB):

The National Children’s Bureau is a leading charity that for 50 years has been improving the lives of children and young people, especially the most vulnerable. We work with children, for children, to influence government policy, be a strong voice for young people and practitioners, and provide creative solutions on a range of social issues. For more information visit www.ncb.org.uk.

 

Anti-Bullying Week 2015 takes place 16-20 November 2015.

About the author

Alex Reale

From a young age, Alex knew he was destined to be a writer. He also harbored a deep infatuation with superheroes and comics. Luckily, he was able to combine these two passions through his role with A Place to Hang Your Cape, where he works as Junior Sidekick and Social Media Hero.

When he’s not writing for AP2HYC or working full-time as a content manager for a small business website, Alex is diligently at work on other creative projects including a fantasy novel collection and an independent comic series.

You can find Alex's first book, Dodger's Doorway, on Amazon!