Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection, Volume 2

Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection #2

by Hope Nicholson (Editor), David Alexander Robertson (Contributor)

The stories in MOONSHOT Volume 2 will take you on a journey from this world, to worlds beyond!

Volume 2 of the MOONSHOT collection centers around present-day indigenous spirituality and tradition. You will see what life and wonders exist now on this Earth, the spirit world, alternate dimensions and more through this gorgeous collection of original indigenous comic/graphic novel stories.

Each of the 15 short stories included in this c.200 page volume will be based on a tradition from the author's own tribe/community. These stories highlight present-day traditions, and diversity, in indigenous peoples today. With each story adapted into comic book/graphic novel format by award-winning artists and illustrators, MOONSHOT Volume 2 is sure to amaze, intrigue and entertain!

Volume 1 of the Indigenous Comics Collection was awarded the title "The Best Book of 2015" by the School Library Journal - the largest book reviewer in the world. The book also won the Bronze Medal Award for "Best Graphic Novel" at the 20th Annual Independent Publisher's Awards.

We are extremely honoured and excited to be working with another huge list of award-winning authors and artists on this Volume 2, including:

Artist Jeffrey Veregge (Red Wolf, G.I. Joe, Transformers)
Artist Stephen Gladue (Cree Dancer)
Authors Sean & Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley (Lesson of the Wolf, Ajjitt)
Artist David Mack (Kabuki, Fight Club, Daredevil)
Author Elizabeth LaPensee (Copper Heart, The Observing)
Artist Haiwei Hou (Two Brothers, Ochek)
Illustrator Fred Pashe (SpiritWolf)
Artist menton3 (The Memory Collectors, X-Files, Silent Hill: Past Life)
Author Richard Van Camp (Tlicho Naowo, Three Feathers)
Artist Scott B. Henderson (Blanket of Butterflies, The Chronicles of Era)
Author Deborah L. Delaronde (Emma's Gift, Metis Spirits)
Artist Alexandria Neonakis (Sweetest Kulu, Uncharted4)
Artist Ryan Huna Smith (Tribal Force)
Artist Steve Keewatin Sanderson (Darkness Calls, Journey of the Healer)
Artist Weshoyot Alvitre (Little Nemo, Native American Classics)
And more!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Indigenous, Comics, Anthologies, Fantasy, Canada, Graphic Novels Comics

186 pages, Unknown Binding

Published February 1, 2017

About the author

Hope Nicholson is the owner of Winnipeg-based publishing Bedside Press. She's an ardent comics fan passionate about bringing new stories to light, and author of the book "The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen" which shines light on characters forgotten by comics history.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was worried after reading the first two stories in this collection -- vague and weird tales by a few of the only authors who also contributed to the first volume -- but the quality picked up with the third story by a new author about the power of hair and friendship. The rest of the volume was mostly new writers also, and I generally enjoyed or admired their tales of indigenous people in the past, present and future.

The ratio of indigenous creators improved with this volume to two-thirds, with the non-indigenous mostly providing art for a majority of the stories.

I'll be picking up the third volume at the library this afternoon.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, this volume was stronger than the excellent Moonshot Volume 1. The creator’s roster was star studded and they created a wonderful array of indigenous stories from a variety of Nations. My favourite stories were the Anishnaabe thunderbird from Aamjiwnaang First Nation. I live a few hours from here and being Anishnaabe myself I was touched by the power of Elizabeth LaPensee’s writing and Richard Pace’s illustration. David Alexander Robertson (Cree) , Richard Van Camp (Tlicho Dene), Jeffery Veregge (S’Klallum), David Cutler ( Mi’kmaq) were my favourite contributors from the team of 30 who put these 15 stories together.

Both volume 1 and 2 are incredible collections. The art, writing, colouring are all fantastic. There is so much love and care put into the production of these books and I feel as though the whole world should read them.

[Keenan Crone · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for anyone who enjoys indigenous storytelling. The last few stories aren't quite as polished as the rest, but the majority of these are brillantly written and drawn.

They take either indirectly or directly from stories passed down by oral traditions. Each one speaks directly to the heart and the modern interpretations give much commentary for our world today.

[Csenge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would love to read some of these stories in a longer format, as their own separate volume. I think that says a lot in itself about how much I liked this collection
This second volume lives up to the first, or even goes beyond it in some ways. It has longer chapters (or at least that's how it feels) that result in more rounded stories; they definitely struck me more and stayed with me longer told in this format. Visually the whole volume is gorgeous, and shows a wide ranges of styles and genres. It connects to current issues in many ways, and speaks in the present tense about various cultures, even when it works with ancient traditions, which is refreshing and intriguing. I especially loved the hummingbird story, which was visually amazing, and very touching.

[andrea]

this was so cool and the art and stories were really beautiful!! my enjoyment was only diminished by how long this this took me to get through, i think i just don't do well with short story or comic collections :'(

[Becky Loader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume is more uneven than the other two. I strongly recommend reading the three in order.

[Tamara Morrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great collection of short stories and comics written by indigenous authors
the only reason i didn't like this one as much as the first volume was that i didn't like the stories as much as the first
but overall was a great collection with great artwork

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection, and I'm delighted to have backed it on Kickstarter. I hope there are more in the future.

[Lenore Kosinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://celebrityreaders.com/2021/11/...

OVERALL:
4 stars — There wasn’t a single art style that didn’t wow me, I loved how different they all were…though I will admit that I was drawn to some more than others. Some stories were harder for me to get into, and I’m still not used to this medium I suppose. But there were also some stories that with just a few pages conveyed so much. Solid anthology.

FOREWORD by James Leask
This really connected me to how much these collections mean to indigenous communities, and there were a few sentences that just *hit* me.

INTRODUCTION by Michael Sheyahshe
Loved getting a glimpse at each artist

THEY WHO WALK AS LIGHTNING by Elizabeth LaPensée, Ph. D., illustrated by Richard Pace
3 stars — Short. Hard to connect with the characters or story. Thought the story of the Thunderbirds and the Protectors was really cool, and I did get broad strokes of what the story was trying to convey.

WINTER’S SHELL by Sean and Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley, illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis
3.5 stars — I got a bit lost in the narrative style of this one, which is a bummer. I might try reading it again. It was an interesting depiction of how little parents can know their children and vice versa…how we get wrapped up in our own stuff and fail to notice the strides of others. LOVED the art style in this one, just gorgeous.

WORST BARGAIN IN TOWN by Darcie Little Badger, illustrated by Rossi Gifford
4.5 stars — This one had everything for me: some snarky humour, sassy characters, an easy to understand narrative and lesson. Kickass girls saving the day. And super fun art style.

KA’TEPWA: WHO CALLS by Alina Pete, illustrated by Trudi Castle
3.5 stars — Super unique art styles in this one as well, I really enjoyed that. The narrative was harder to follow though. And yet I still felt things.

BOOKMARK by David Alexander Robertson, illustrated by Natasha Alterici
4.5 stars — Oh look, Mr. Robertson made me cry again. Very affecting. It took me a hot second to figure out the switches between past and present, but then I was all emotionally wrecked. I will admit that I didn’t get the bookmark though…maybe I’m just dense.

THE AWAKENING by Armand Garnet Ruffo, illustrated by David Cutler
4 stars — I really enjoyed the lessons in this one. They were presented in an interesting manner, with the little boy as a juxtaposition in some ways. I believed in Jake’s journey.

THE MAGIC OF WOLVERINES by Richard Van Camp, illustrated by Scott Henderson
4.5 stars — I kind of loved that this one felt very much like hearing a story around the fire from an elder. It had a magical quality to it. It was very different in so many ways.

9 MILE LAKE by Tanya Tagaq, illustrated by Stephen Gladue
4 stars — What a fascinating way to catch a glimpse of life way up north. I loved the imagery the story evoked, and I could feel how torn the narrator was between being a little girl and a big girl.

THE BOYS WHO BECAME THE HUMMINGBIRDS by Daniel Heath Justice, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre
4.5 stars — Wow. Another affecting story. I love the way it was told, and how the art style suited it…I mean, you can’t go wrong with rainbow. It was a really interesting portrayal of the power of fear, but that being true to yourself is powerful as well.

WATER SPIRITS by Richard Van Camp, illustrated by Haiwei Hou
3.5 stars — I enjoyed that we got to learn about things that have happened up in Yellowknife (that I personally don’t remember learning about), and having that tied into Indigenous beliefs with the water spirits.

THE CREATOR TAMOSI by Gerard and Peta-Gay Roberts, illustrated by Nicholas Burns
3 stars — I found this one a bit all over the place, and I guess it again felt short for the lesson it was trying to teach. I did enjoy the little creation story interstitial in the middle though.

WHERE WE LEFT OFF by Steve Keewatin Sanderson
4 stars — This one was surprising, and in some ways hit close to home because it’s a path that I can see open to us. I enjoyed the way things played out, how our hero changed as time went on — in bad ways and good.

DO WILD TURKEYS DREAM OF ELECTRIC DRUMS by Michael Sheyahshe, illustrated by Kim Hunter
4.5 stars — This was just amusing as shit. It was fun, I loved the art style, I loved that it brought human elements onto the animals…yeah, just fun.

JOURNEYS by Jeffrey Veregge
5 stars — Hands down my favourite. I mean, the art style is unbelievable, I ADORE it! It has a kind of retro vibe in some ways. I loved the way the ship was drawn, and later the canoe parts with the ancestors, and the musical notes… And there were small elements of humour in it, and it was just easy to connect with.

AFTERWORD by Elizabeth LaPensée, Ph. D.
This focused a lot on how someone could get into this medium, which I wasn’t expecting and isn’t exactly relevant for me personally. But I enjoyed yet another perspective of how wonderful it is to have self-representation.

[Malcolm · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Moonshot project has set out to raise the profile of ‘comics’ by Indigenous writers from those territories claimed by Canada and the USA. Like the first volume, this presents narrative illustration (hence the sneer marks on ‘comics’, even though I get the desire to rehabilitate the term) as shaped and grounded in Indigenous experience and world views although the genre vary each story has a powerful contemporary feel, and potent engagement with social and political issues of the day, although many do this in subtle, allusive ways. We get unemployment and queerness, environmental despoliation and historical reassertion, the presence of the past in nearly that happens alongside sharp insight to predators, spiritual and material.

The editors have done an excellent job of matching writers and illustrators, where for instance Haiwei Hou’s richly detailed images enrich and empower Richard Van Camp’s wonderful ‘Water Spirit’ while Rossi Gifford’s manga-esque style unsettles the psychic predator in Darice Little Badger’s ‘Worst Bargain in Town’. The two that stood out for me stylistically were Alexandria Neonakis’s pale pastels supplementing Sean and Rachel Qitsualk-Tinsley’s haunting tale of shamanic symbolism in ‘Winter’s Shell’, and the almost monochrome world of Natasha Alterici’s work in David Alexander Robertson’s ‘Bookmark’, based in ideals of wellbeing and approaches to suicide prevention.

It feels a bit unkind to draw out these ones, but that’s as much to do with the visuals and anything and highlighting the matching of illustrators and writers sidelines the wonderful post-apocalyptic ‘Where We Left Off’ written and drawn by Steve Keewatin Sanderson. Equally, is suggests that the others are not so strong – but I adored ‘The Boys Who Became Hummingbirds’ (Daniel Heath Justice and Weshoyot Alvitre) and ‘They Who Walk As Lightning’ (Elizabeth LaPensée and Richard Pace) for their power ad their hope.

It’s a fabulous collection, and hopefully a series that continues (past the third volume recently published).

[Becki Iverson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this even better and more accessible than the first Moonshot volume, and I really hope this series continues. It's such a beautiful way for those of us who are unfamiliar to first encounter legends of the First Nations and Native American tribes, and a gorgeous visual celebration of their traditions. Growing up in Minnesota I do know a fair amount about the local tribes that originated here, but these open my eyes to how truly widespread and diverse the experience of indigenous peoples is across the Americas. A lot of these tie back to foundational myths, which I think is part of the reason I found them so accessible. I truly enjoyed this and will certainly be picking up future anthologies should they be produced.

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fantastic collection! You can read them in any order (I read Vol. 2 before reading Vol. 1 by accident), because they both act as an anthology of short comics. In this collection my favorite was The Boys Who Became Hummingbirds , which is a beautifully drawn two-spirit parable. I also loved the art in Ka'Tepwa: Who Calls? The editors really should get so much credit for how amazing the flow of the collection is, as well as for how the wonderful introductions to the pieces are. The preface is also fantastic-- don't skip over it, because it will definitely enrich your experience and really helps to connect all of the stories together.

[Fraser Simons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, way better than the first one. There were at least 4 stories that I considered to be completely perfect and a great marriage to the form of comics. Two duds, but the overall quality is staggeringly better. And the resolution was better, though still not exceptionally high dpi for whatever reason. Or maybe it was exported and then scrubbed for lower file size. Regardless, glad I kept reading. Excellent stuff. And on paper, of course you wouldn’t have that issue. Printers require a set high dpi (300) to print anything.

[Jacob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the structure of having the introductions for each of the comics, and the included biographies of the authors and illustrators. I also liked the diverse artwork and panel placement. Although most of the comics in this collection initially interested me, by the end, I was left feeling that many were not fully realized. In some cases, the comics ended prematurely, in others it was a matter of the absence of a plot. Of the comics in this volume, I enjoyed Winter's Shell, Worst Bargain in Town, Bookmark, and Creator Tamosi

[feux d'artifice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of respect for the first volume collection so I was pretty excited to try volume two, and it still managed to blow all expectations out of the water. The story and art all levelled up, the emotional impact was incredible, would highly, highly recommend.

particular favourites: Winter's Spell (CRY FROM FEELS) and Ka'tepwa: Who Calls (TEAAAAR)

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another great anthology of indigenous comics and stories. While I think Volume 1 was a bit more consistent, this book really have us a lot of stories that had only been told previously through oral traditions. Some stories seemed to translate better than others to this medium. Still a good book full of a variety of art from indigenous creators.

[Vicky Maldonado · Rating 1 out of 5]

Realllly disjointed; the collection, the volumes and the individual comics. Each comic has an introduction thank goodness, but they still aren't helpful enough to give the reader context. I'd say out of the whole thing, 2-3 stories felt complete or had a clear message. The collection is such a great concept but feels like it was put together by high schoolers just trying to turn something in.

[Rem the Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome drawings and Story lines in each comic set.

"The Boys who became the hummingbirds" by Daniel Heath Justice and illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre was definitely one of my favorites.

The variety of stories and style of drawings is impressive and emersive. Looking forward to reading the third one as well.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this even more than Volume 1 (which I also loved). There is something urgent in the stories here about, for lack of a better word in English, stewardship, and there is deep love in the stories about family and community.

I hope there's a volume 3!

[Catherine Fitzsimmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was beautiful. I loved all the different styles in both the art and storytelling, and the indigenous myths were woven together with contemporary stories beautifully. The stories are so full of spirit, love, and hope.

[Bri Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel much the same about this volume as I did about the first: incredible artwork and some really stand-out writing, but the length of each contribution feels too short to do the talent and the content justice. Still a beautiful collection and worth a read!

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

It felt like the project really hit its stride here. Lots of great stories and art.

My favorites of the bunch were “Worst Bargain In Town” by Darcie Little Badger & Rossi Gifford, “Water Spirits” by Richard Van Camp & Haiwei Hou, and “Journeys” by Jeffrey Veregge.

[Freya Abbas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot, especially the Caddo story about the monster who drained strength from people's hair and the one by Daniel Heathe Justice about the two Cherokee boys who turned into hummingbirds. As with the first volume, I loved the variety of the art.

[Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will finish this review when I’m more awake, but just to remind people that Hope Nicholson edited this collection. Perhaps borrow this one from your library or buy it used. http://www.multiversitycomics.com/new...

[Avery Delany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come - it's a phenomenal collection though and you should support it <3

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another stunning collection of old stories told in modern ways.

[Aris Merquoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Also terrific, a great follow-up to the first volume with more terrific stories traditional and new.

[Rachael Arsenault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent collection! I was sad when I turned the last page and realized I had read all the comics in the Moonshot anthologies - I hope to see a volume 3 sometime soon in the future!

[Jaq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timely and informative. Let us take the time to reflect on the lessons contained within this collection.

[Leslie (updates on SG) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both the stories and art are varied and of high quality. We need more collections like this one.