Iron Circus Comics has released Indiginerds, a comic anthology celebrating Indigenous culture.
The book collects work from Indigenous artists and writers and tells stories that balance the traditional aspects of the Indigenous culture with elements like gaming, social media, Star Trek and Dungeons & Dragons. Over 600 people pledged support for the Indigenerds crowdfunding effort on Backerkit, and the comic releases today. CBR reveals an exclusive excerpt from the book's 'Digital Eden' story by Raven John and Asia Wisely. The pages show a Native artist, Robbie, comparing the masks of Indigenous people to the masks people wear in their day-to-day lives to feel more "normal". At the end of the preview, readers can see Robbie put on one more mask -- a VR headset that takes them to a digital paradise that is the land of their dreams.
INDIGINERDS
Bvlbancha Forever by IDA ARONSON and TATE ALLEN
Walk With The Earth Mother by MAIJA PLAMONDON and MILO APPLEJOHN
Roll Your Own Way by JORDANA GEORGE
Digital Eden by RAVEN JOHN and ASIA WISELY
Amplification/Adaptation by EM MATSON and NIPINET LANDSEM
Welei (I Am Fine) by BIANCA "BINKZ17" and RHAEL MCGREGOR
Saving Throws by JAMES WILLIER and SAM "MUSHKI" MEDLOCK
Dorvan V by ALINA PETE
Uncured Horror by GILLIAN JOSEPH and WREN RICE
Airwaves Pirates by AUTUMN STAR and PJ UNDERWOOD
Missed Pow Wow Connection by KAMERON WHITE
Indiginerds Celebrates Nerdy-and-Proud First Nations Culture
The anthology collects eleven stories from Indigenous authors and artists that aim to showcase the First Nations Culture beyond how it is usually portrayed in the media. "Most stories about Indigenous people are focused on two things: current grief or the past tragedies of colonization," the anthology's editor, Alina Pete, said. “But First Nations culture isn't stuck in the past, and generations of Indigenous kids have grown up watching the same movies and tv shows that non-Indigenous folks have. This pop culture has crept inexorably into our lives, and we love video games, cosplay and other nerdy things just as much as everyone else! Indigenerds tells modern stories about modern Indigenous people, and celebrates our joys and passions.”
Raven John and Asia Wisely, creators of the 'Digital Eden' story previewed above, both have deep connections with their heritage and visual arts which are infused into the story. John is an artist, two-spirit activist of Coast Salish and has a BFA degree from Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Wisely, commonly known as "extinct inks", has been a two-spirit freelance illustrator and comic artist for nearly two decades and is of the Indigenous Pomo and Konkow Maidu people of Northern California, as well as Japanese-American. Besides illustration, they enjoy knitting, crochet, and 3D sculpting.