Happy Wednesday! This week in the Small Press Spotlight, we focus on the works of Indigenous comic creators. Dr. Lee Francis IV, the founder of Albuquerque-based Red Planet Books & Comics, has a few projects in the works highlighting this corner of the literary world. The shop is one of only four bookstores in the US specializing in Indigenous literature and the only Native American comic shop in the world. Dr. Francis is also a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, a writer, an artist, and a former educator, as well as the creator of Indigenous Comic Con/IndigiPop X.
Take a look at two projects happening right now:
“Something Else” Indigenous Creators Showcase Series
The title of the showcase series was inspired by Election Night 2020 when a cable news organization referred to the entire US Indigenous population as “something else” during their demographic election analysis. That is where Indigenous Dreaming – Not a Book Fair but Something Else began.
The series features guests and their works in addition to behind-the-scenes access to the creative process. The goal is to create a dialogue that offers diverse cultural perspectives to guests and participants alike.
The showcase series runs every Thursday until June 3 for free. Read the details from their website here:
“Cancel your Thursday plans immediately, and get ready to join us for a FREE virtual 4-part series brought to you by the only pop culture publisher specializing in creating, consolidating, and curating work – by, for, and about – Indigenous creators and people of color.
For 2 incredible hours each Thursday this May and June, we will engage our Indigenous imaginations together! Featuring one hour of live programming and another hour of digital Q&A!
Eager to learn about Red Planet’s upcoming plans and releases? Want to discuss the amazing projects with incredible Native Creatives? Curious about what’s happening behind the scenes with Red Planet’s licenses and distribution? We’ll cover all that and more. You’ll also get the chance to hear from some incredible creators and dreamers, including AJ Gloshay, Brian Yazzie, Stephen Graham Jones, Weyodi Old Bear, and more!”
Visit here for more details and to register.
A Howl Anthology
The anthology has already collected more than $40,000 at the time of this writing and the Kickstarter campaign still has a couple of weeks to go. A Howl: A Comics Collection of Wolves, Werewolves, and Rougarou by Native Realities Press features everything from unbridled werewolves to werewolves from outer space.
Edited by Elizabeth LaPensée (Co-Editor of Deer Woman: An Anthology, Sovereign Traces Vol. 1, MOONSHOT Vol. 3 & Editor of Sovereign Traces Vol. 2) the stories included are by accomplished writers and artists with a passion for all things wolves, werewolves, and rougarou. Creators include writer Stephen Graham Jones (The Bird is Gone: A Manifesto, Demon Theory, Mongrels), artist Weshoyot Alvitre (Marvel’s Voices, Deer Woman, MOONSHOT Vol. 2 & 3), writer Jay Odjick (KAGAGI: The Raven, Blackflies, Bear for Breakfast), artist Krystal Cox, illustrator and writer Maria Wolf Lopez (By the Horns, Women of Marvel, Deer Woman), illustrator and writer Sadekaronhes Esquivel (MOONSHOT Vol. 3), and illustrator and writer Dale Ray Deforest (Hero Twins, The Powwow Mystery, Trickster). Look for splash art by Wolf Tomoyaketu, Rhonda Lucy, and Ovila Mailhot. The collection is set to publish this winter and will be distributed by Dr. Lee Francis IV.
To back the book before June 8, click here.
