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Comanche Moon
In comic book format presents the story of a white child raised by Indians in captivity and of her son, who became the last chief of the Comanche Indians.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1979
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130 people want to read
About the author
Jack Jackson
138 books6 followersJack Edward Jackson, better known by his pen name Jaxon, was an American cartoonist, illustrator, historian, and writer. He co-founded Rip Off Press, and many consider him to be the first underground comix artist.
Jackson was born in 1941 in Pandora, Texas. He majored in accounting at the University of Texas and was a staffer for its Texas Ranger humor magazine, until he and others were fired over what he called "a petty censorship violation".
In 1964, Jackson self-published the one-shot God Nose, which is considered by many to be the first underground comic. He moved to San Francisco in 1966, where he became art director of the dance poster division of Family Dog. In 1969, he co-founded Rip Off Press, one of the first independent publishers of underground comix, with three other Texas transplants, Gilbert Shelton, Fred Todd, and Dave Moriaty. Despite this, most of his underground comics work (heavily influenced by EC Comics) was published by Last Gasp.
Jackson was also known for his historical work, documenting the history of Native America and Texas, including the graphic novels Comanche Moon (1979), The Secret of San Saba (1989), Lost Cause (1998), Indian Lover: Sam Houston & the Cherokees (1999), El Alamo (2002), and the written works like Los Mesteños: Spanish Ranching in Texas: 1721–1821 (1986), Indian Agent: Peter Ellis Bean in Mexican Texas (2005), and many others.
Jackson was born in 1941 in Pandora, Texas. He majored in accounting at the University of Texas and was a staffer for its Texas Ranger humor magazine, until he and others were fired over what he called "a petty censorship violation".
In 1964, Jackson self-published the one-shot God Nose, which is considered by many to be the first underground comic. He moved to San Francisco in 1966, where he became art director of the dance poster division of Family Dog. In 1969, he co-founded Rip Off Press, one of the first independent publishers of underground comix, with three other Texas transplants, Gilbert Shelton, Fred Todd, and Dave Moriaty. Despite this, most of his underground comics work (heavily influenced by EC Comics) was published by Last Gasp.
Jackson was also known for his historical work, documenting the history of Native America and Texas, including the graphic novels Comanche Moon (1979), The Secret of San Saba (1989), Lost Cause (1998), Indian Lover: Sam Houston & the Cherokees (1999), El Alamo (2002), and the written works like Los Mesteños: Spanish Ranching in Texas: 1721–1821 (1986), Indian Agent: Peter Ellis Bean in Mexican Texas (2005), and many others.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 15, 2015
This work of history in accessible graphic novel form tells the life story of Quanah Parker.
Cartoonist and raconteur Jackson went by nom de plume Jaxon in the underground comics. His Texas history graphic novels, starting with this biography, are really good.
I bought this in the form of three "underground" comics from Last Gasp of San Fransisco back in the day. I just reread this collated volume, thanks to a reprint edition and our library, for the first time in a long time, more than thirty years. I miss knowing the author was alive and working: he died at his own hand about ten years back. His history comics are so good, so important, and so worth your time.
Highest recommendation.
I wish more archival care had been taken, more space given to reproduce Jaxon's fine cross-hatching. Maybe a publisher - like Fantagraphics, or, say, the University of Texas Press - would undertake a critical, archival edition of the works of Jack Jackson.
Cartoonist and raconteur Jackson went by nom de plume Jaxon in the underground comics. His Texas history graphic novels, starting with this biography, are really good.
I bought this in the form of three "underground" comics from Last Gasp of San Fransisco back in the day. I just reread this collated volume, thanks to a reprint edition and our library, for the first time in a long time, more than thirty years. I miss knowing the author was alive and working: he died at his own hand about ten years back. His history comics are so good, so important, and so worth your time.
Highest recommendation.
I wish more archival care had been taken, more space given to reproduce Jaxon's fine cross-hatching. Maybe a publisher - like Fantagraphics, or, say, the University of Texas Press - would undertake a critical, archival edition of the works of Jack Jackson.
April 5, 2018
I liked this book a lot. It doesn't read like a story though. More like reading a history book. In fact, I think it should be required reading for high school students. Especially for those of us who live west of the Mississippi. You'll be amazed at how a small nomadic people rose to become the most dominant tribe and obstacle to the white man's takeover of the land west of the Texas plains.
Once the horse was re-introduced to America through the Spaniards, the Comanche people were exceptianal at taming the animal as well as being masterfully proficient riders and marksmen. It's reasonable to say that without the horse, we might not have ever heard of the Comanche.
The book dispels some of the myths on how the Cavalry fought (shooting a gun while riding a horse was unheard of) and does it's best to go into the believed origin and history of the Comanches. It also goes into the history of some of their famous chiefs and kidnap victims as well as their eventual downfall which was achieved through the killing-off of the buffalo (their main food source) and the invention of the buffalo rifle which had an accuracy range greater than the Comanches arrows.
Think about that for a minute. It took the invention of a rifle that could not only shoot a heavy caliber bullet at a lethal speed at a great distance but had to do it accurately enough to hit a man outside of the kill range of the typical arrow fired by a Comanche warrior to be able to finally beat them back. They were that accurate with their arrows.
Once the horse was re-introduced to America through the Spaniards, the Comanche people were exceptianal at taming the animal as well as being masterfully proficient riders and marksmen. It's reasonable to say that without the horse, we might not have ever heard of the Comanche.
The book dispels some of the myths on how the Cavalry fought (shooting a gun while riding a horse was unheard of) and does it's best to go into the believed origin and history of the Comanches. It also goes into the history of some of their famous chiefs and kidnap victims as well as their eventual downfall which was achieved through the killing-off of the buffalo (their main food source) and the invention of the buffalo rifle which had an accuracy range greater than the Comanches arrows.
Think about that for a minute. It took the invention of a rifle that could not only shoot a heavy caliber bullet at a lethal speed at a great distance but had to do it accurately enough to hit a man outside of the kill range of the typical arrow fired by a Comanche warrior to be able to finally beat them back. They were that accurate with their arrows.
April 27, 2025
Clap, clap, clap. Very nice true story about a Comanche chief making peace with the whites.
This is market as a pro American Indian book. And I figured it would maybe just take a neutral standpoint, but nope. It's really pro American Indian. When we see the Comanche attack the fort to kidnap the White girl we see not deaths. They happen off screen and are alluded to. Like the initial man going out to greet them to see what they are there for. They even chase down women and children. We see a man with a rifle save a woman and children. And we get no number of slaughtered civilians. One was castrated and then scalped yet this is not shown or even mentioned. At least give us the number that's surely not too unfair to American Indians?
Then they kidnap some children and women as the men are killed. Women for a specific purpose I guess? We see her screaming "No, please, no.", and they in some way humiliate her. But again we have no more clues. No clear words are used to describe this and we have no visual clues whatsoever. They look like the natives in Avatar. Noble savages. And this in itself is bad science no matter how much these writers claim they are "making up for old misconceptions". It's just another misleading depiction. All this could be explained away if this is just for kids. But then we see the little kidnapped girl butt naked.
At this point the book can't really hide this stuff and becomes more realistic. The White woman has a son. He becomes the Comanche chief. Soon he raids white settlements. Killings, stealing horses. The government sets out to stop such American Indians killing whites. They use their reservations as a base to raid from and the US government cannot accept this. Settlers moved away from those Texas regions as they can't be safe. But at the end the government army finds them and kills nearly 1500 horses and burn their winter food storage and all their weapons as they run away from camp. They are forced into the reservation. White hunters hunt down all bisons. The government turns a blind eye as killing all bisons would mean the American Indian can never roam free and kill again. And this is where the story really gets going. The chief has no plans to stop. He visits his mother's families and learns about basic White man stuff like money. He returns with an eagerness to move towards this new life as his old hunting life is gone. He even campaigns and hunts with Teddy Roosevelt. White people respect and like him too. He gets rich and powerful. He never becomes Christian and has many wives despite forces trying to persuade him.
The book depicts the red vs. white conflict. We see both sides of it and I think it's fairly depicted. Of course we follow the reds so we see their side. But the White man is not depicted as a brute like in most modern movies about this subject. The movie Prey (2022) depicts the White people as dirty hoodlums. Microsoft remastered Age of Empires then remove the mission where you fight American Indians as they of course could not be the bad guys in any media. So there are degrees to this I guess. This is not extremely noble savages. We do see them drawn as muscular models. But this is typical comic book style.
The main issue here is the lack of color. Man, this is terrible. So much desert, greenery, animals, American Indian war paint, cowboys, settlements. And zero color. It's a crime and with color this could easily be a best-seller. This is such an issue I feel like it's not really complete. This is an amazing book here it just needs to appear. The text is also a tad small. I'll read all his books for sure. The history is here you just need to know his pro American Indian bias and get past it.
This is market as a pro American Indian book. And I figured it would maybe just take a neutral standpoint, but nope. It's really pro American Indian. When we see the Comanche attack the fort to kidnap the White girl we see not deaths. They happen off screen and are alluded to. Like the initial man going out to greet them to see what they are there for. They even chase down women and children. We see a man with a rifle save a woman and children. And we get no number of slaughtered civilians. One was castrated and then scalped yet this is not shown or even mentioned. At least give us the number that's surely not too unfair to American Indians?
Then they kidnap some children and women as the men are killed. Women for a specific purpose I guess? We see her screaming "No, please, no.", and they in some way humiliate her. But again we have no more clues. No clear words are used to describe this and we have no visual clues whatsoever. They look like the natives in Avatar. Noble savages. And this in itself is bad science no matter how much these writers claim they are "making up for old misconceptions". It's just another misleading depiction. All this could be explained away if this is just for kids. But then we see the little kidnapped girl butt naked.
At this point the book can't really hide this stuff and becomes more realistic. The White woman has a son. He becomes the Comanche chief. Soon he raids white settlements. Killings, stealing horses. The government sets out to stop such American Indians killing whites. They use their reservations as a base to raid from and the US government cannot accept this. Settlers moved away from those Texas regions as they can't be safe. But at the end the government army finds them and kills nearly 1500 horses and burn their winter food storage and all their weapons as they run away from camp. They are forced into the reservation. White hunters hunt down all bisons. The government turns a blind eye as killing all bisons would mean the American Indian can never roam free and kill again. And this is where the story really gets going. The chief has no plans to stop. He visits his mother's families and learns about basic White man stuff like money. He returns with an eagerness to move towards this new life as his old hunting life is gone. He even campaigns and hunts with Teddy Roosevelt. White people respect and like him too. He gets rich and powerful. He never becomes Christian and has many wives despite forces trying to persuade him.
The book depicts the red vs. white conflict. We see both sides of it and I think it's fairly depicted. Of course we follow the reds so we see their side. But the White man is not depicted as a brute like in most modern movies about this subject. The movie Prey (2022) depicts the White people as dirty hoodlums. Microsoft remastered Age of Empires then remove the mission where you fight American Indians as they of course could not be the bad guys in any media. So there are degrees to this I guess. This is not extremely noble savages. We do see them drawn as muscular models. But this is typical comic book style.
The main issue here is the lack of color. Man, this is terrible. So much desert, greenery, animals, American Indian war paint, cowboys, settlements. And zero color. It's a crime and with color this could easily be a best-seller. This is such an issue I feel like it's not really complete. This is an amazing book here it just needs to appear. The text is also a tad small. I'll read all his books for sure. The history is here you just need to know his pro American Indian bias and get past it.
February 17, 2018
This book was an absolute delight. Its amazing to see something from this era -- this really was one of the first graphic novels, and the debt to 70s underground comics and R. Crumb is everywhere.
It's also obvious that one of the major inspirations of this comic is that Jack Jackson thought Cynthia Ann Parker was pretty hot.
The Parker family must be one of the most interesting American families ever. Elder Parker ran with Daniel Boone and his great-grandson Quantah Parker was the last great war chief of the Comanche who brought peyote rituals to America. Wonder what the family is up to these days.
It's also obvious that one of the major inspirations of this comic is that Jack Jackson thought Cynthia Ann Parker was pretty hot.
The Parker family must be one of the most interesting American families ever. Elder Parker ran with Daniel Boone and his great-grandson Quantah Parker was the last great war chief of the Comanche who brought peyote rituals to America. Wonder what the family is up to these days.
August 4, 2018
Texans know the story of Cynthia Parker and her son Quanah, but this book gives new insight into their story and that of the young Texas. They became more than just footnotes of history or names of places in Texas. A must read for all Texans, those who love Texas but are not fortunate enough to rest their books here and any lover of all things of the historic Western frontier.
January 18, 2016
Reflexive of his authorship, Jack Jackson took pains to write the story of unheard voices. This took bravery. Unlike his comrade 'underground' artists, Jackson took his skill to depict the life of Cynthia Ann and her son Quannah Parker: both were members of two worlds. Cynthia Ann was captured from her family by the Commanche, and her son Quannah, was a fierce chief who finally had to surrender to United States forces. Jackson's novel is filled with empathetic characters and beautiful 'Southwestern style' art that captures the reader. Though some things may draw them out of the world, it is an engrossing tale.
Jackson went into incredible detail in almost every aspect of this graphic novel. Almost every panel is reflexive of this love, for each was the outcome of tremendous skill, research, and consideration. He even took the time to hand print each panel in his unique lettering. While at times some of the language and dialects that his characters 'speak' in may seem curious, it must be remembered that we are looking at a book that was originally published in 1979, and Jackson was spending talent to tell a story that none had considered telling before.
Jackson went into incredible detail in almost every aspect of this graphic novel. Almost every panel is reflexive of this love, for each was the outcome of tremendous skill, research, and consideration. He even took the time to hand print each panel in his unique lettering. While at times some of the language and dialects that his characters 'speak' in may seem curious, it must be remembered that we are looking at a book that was originally published in 1979, and Jackson was spending talent to tell a story that none had considered telling before.
September 13, 2010
The drawing is reminiscent of Crumb's less caricaturish work, e.g. the early country and blues portraits. Very thorough and balanced, especially considering that this was done in the seventies. Tons of fun throwaway details for cognoscenti. As an example, in one of the panels depicting the second battle of Adobe Walls, one of the besieged buffalo hunters is addressed by another as 'Bat.' As I just learned in Summer Moon, this would be Bat Masterson. It's weird how a handful of people just keep popping up. Six Degrees of Kit Carson. At any rate, tight little comic book. Apparently, Jack Jackson, a contemporary of the hippy-dippy first wave of alternative cartoonists like Crumb and Shelton, cranked out a bunch of Texas-centered "graphic history." I would definitely read another.
January 22, 2016
This is another graphic novel that was discussed at our Brown Bag Lunch discussion and I decided to give it a try. The book was described to me as the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, the young daughter of white settlers in Texas who was kidnapped by the Comanche and then raised by them. And, if fact, the first part of the book did describe that. She grew to love and then marry a Comanche warrior and gave birth to a son, Quanah (Parker). Cynthia is eventually "rescued" and returned to her people and from there, the rest of the novel covers the life of Quanah. His story is interesting too as he became chief of the Comanches and led their last battles against the whites. However, I would have preferred to have a more in depth story of what Cynthia went through.
January 4, 2016
A very interesting account of Cynthia Ann Parker, a white settler child who was kidnapped by Comanches in the mid-1830's, and her son, Quanah, who eventually became the last chief of the Comanches.
This "story" is set in the Texas Plains. There is a map at the beginning of the book that showcases the various Indian tribes in that area of the country, back in the early to mid-1800's. Also, the graphics part of this biography are very detailed pencil drawings. There are photographs at the beginning and the end of the book that show what Cynthia Ann & Quanah actually looked like during their time.
This "story" is set in the Texas Plains. There is a map at the beginning of the book that showcases the various Indian tribes in that area of the country, back in the early to mid-1800's. Also, the graphics part of this biography are very detailed pencil drawings. There are photographs at the beginning and the end of the book that show what Cynthia Ann & Quanah actually looked like during their time.
August 12, 2013
The story of the last days of the Comanche as a free people in Texas. Artwork and story are solid, I can't speak to the historical accuracy as this is the first I've read on the topic. It has at least inspired me to read more though, several books on the Comanche now on tap.
September 28, 2013
A graphic telling of the story of the end of the Comanche empire, as well as the epic tale of Cynthia Ann Parker, a Texas girl kidnapped by the Comanche who becomes the woman of a Comanche chief, and then the mother of the greatest Comanche chief ever, Quanah Parker. Very nicely done.
December 28, 2013
Updating the 1978 version apparently did not include removing the racist overtones or correcting the vernacular of any of the characters. I seriously doubt anyone said they were going to "crack these wise guys heads" in 1865.
September 18, 2008
Thanks to Tamara Sebelgio for loaning this book to me.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews