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Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection #3
Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection
MOONSHOT: The Indigenous Comics Collection brings together dozens of creators from North America to contribute comic book stories showcasing the rich heritage and identity of indigenous storytelling. From traditional stories to exciting new visions of the future, this collection presents some of the finest comic book and graphic novel work on the continent.
144 pages, Paperback
First published June 16, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 27, 2021
The theme of the volume is Indigenous Futurisms, which results in a lot of sci fi or fantasy tales that don't really have the space to fully develop their big ideas. Most of them are pretty dark or heavy, but an indigenous spin on Dr. Who at least tries for a lighter tone. Overall, the art is more engaging than the writing.
This is my least favorite of the three Moonshot volumes, maybe because a couple of my less favorite authors of the previous volumes have become co-editors? I was disappointed to find that three of the thirteen stories they chose to include are actually text pieces accompanied by one or three full-page illustrations, not really comics. I do like though that for the first time, almost all of the creative contributors are indigenous people.
This is my least favorite of the three Moonshot volumes, maybe because a couple of my less favorite authors of the previous volumes have become co-editors? I was disappointed to find that three of the thirteen stories they chose to include are actually text pieces accompanied by one or three full-page illustrations, not really comics. I do like though that for the first time, almost all of the creative contributors are indigenous people.
March 27, 2021
What kinds of keywords did this anthology bring to mind? Space, technology, relationships, future and past.
And flipping the volume over, it is officially described as "Explore realities unseen and unknown in this exciting follow-up to the award-winning Indigenous comics collection!In Indigenous storytelling, the concept of Indigenous Futurisms - a term coined by Anishinaabe scholar Grace L. Dillon - tells of the past, present, and future as being a nonlinear reality. Using the knowledge of the ancestors, it is possible to experiance history, be int he present, and witness the fturue all at once.
The stories in Moonshot volume 3 illustrate the Indigenous Futurisms concept in striking intriguing, dramatic, and dynamic ways. Space and time travel, parallel dimensions, advanced technology, post-apocalyptic settings, robots, aliens, and more. It's all here! But this is not fantasy, and time is not a straight line with a definitive beginning, middle and end..."
As a collection of short stories the wordiness and art does vary a lot. Although I would argue that they are all very good. It's a colour anthology, which did set it apart.As far as the intersections go, the variety does cover almost everything.
Race (understanding that that word is a settler social construct) is obviously central to the collection. Beyond just representation, these stories do illustrate a variety of ways of knowing and tells stories that richly communicate truths from distinct communities across so called North America.
Gender and Sexuality also saw a fair bit of diversity both in creators and story. There's also a couple stories that center community over individual in a way that was nice.Issues of class felt well respected throughout.
Ability vs disability representation went in some interesting directions. People's bodies are fairly central to a couple of stories and one story featured a protagonist in a wheel chair. Which was a refreshing change.
Wrapping things up, I will be rating this volume five out of five stars. Although I promise you I am very biased and have loved this anthology series since it first appeared on the scene. It really balances out a lot of the other Indigenous comics I read that are more nonfiction or nonfiction adjacent. It's not strait up genre fiction, but it plays with a lot of genre tropes in ways fun and interesting.
And flipping the volume over, it is officially described as "Explore realities unseen and unknown in this exciting follow-up to the award-winning Indigenous comics collection!In Indigenous storytelling, the concept of Indigenous Futurisms - a term coined by Anishinaabe scholar Grace L. Dillon - tells of the past, present, and future as being a nonlinear reality. Using the knowledge of the ancestors, it is possible to experiance history, be int he present, and witness the fturue all at once.
The stories in Moonshot volume 3 illustrate the Indigenous Futurisms concept in striking intriguing, dramatic, and dynamic ways. Space and time travel, parallel dimensions, advanced technology, post-apocalyptic settings, robots, aliens, and more. It's all here! But this is not fantasy, and time is not a straight line with a definitive beginning, middle and end..."
As a collection of short stories the wordiness and art does vary a lot. Although I would argue that they are all very good. It's a colour anthology, which did set it apart.As far as the intersections go, the variety does cover almost everything.
Race (understanding that that word is a settler social construct) is obviously central to the collection. Beyond just representation, these stories do illustrate a variety of ways of knowing and tells stories that richly communicate truths from distinct communities across so called North America.
Gender and Sexuality also saw a fair bit of diversity both in creators and story. There's also a couple stories that center community over individual in a way that was nice.Issues of class felt well respected throughout.
Ability vs disability representation went in some interesting directions. People's bodies are fairly central to a couple of stories and one story featured a protagonist in a wheel chair. Which was a refreshing change.
Wrapping things up, I will be rating this volume five out of five stars. Although I promise you I am very biased and have loved this anthology series since it first appeared on the scene. It really balances out a lot of the other Indigenous comics I read that are more nonfiction or nonfiction adjacent. It's not strait up genre fiction, but it plays with a lot of genre tropes in ways fun and interesting.
November 13, 2021
This is the futurist issue, which I was looking forward to the most, I think. But I actually loved the second one more so. This is hit-and-miss. Sci-fi, spec fiction is difficult in comics, I find, because it so often goes to a gonzo place, which I personally don’t love. A middling collection. But the export issues aren’t present either, so the art hasn’t looked any better.
June 21, 2020
An excellent collection of short comic/stories in which the quality holds up to what the first two volumes provided. It is refreshing to see indigenous people in roles where we don't usually see them in media, such as heroes, scientists or space travelers. The stories are insightful and provide a window into cultures that we are exposed to not often enough. Special mention to the Waterward story which was my favorite.
December 28, 2022
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 it was heavy on science-fiction stories and i prefer other genres
but overall was a great collection with great artwork
the only reason i didn't like this one as much as the first volume was that it was heavy on science-fiction stories and i prefer other genres
but overall was a great collection with great artwork
January 29, 2021
The latest in this series of comic anthologies written and illustrated by indigenous creators drawing upon their cultures to create SF/F short pieces.
As with any anthology, some entries resonate more than others, but this is a good selection, and I really enjoy reading storytelling from backgrounds other than my own.
As with any anthology, some entries resonate more than others, but this is a good selection, and I really enjoy reading storytelling from backgrounds other than my own.
July 4, 2021
One of my favorites is "Xenesi: The Traveler"... as in time and space traveler.
"I knew I should have taken that left turn in Albuquerque."
Bugs Bunny reference!
"Well, it's not a tree. It's a fantastic spaceship that travels through space-time and space. Plus... someone already got that Blue Box model before I got there..."
Doctor Who reference!
"I knew I should have taken that left turn in Albuquerque."
Bugs Bunny reference!
"Well, it's not a tree. It's a fantastic spaceship that travels through space-time and space. Plus... someone already got that Blue Box model before I got there..."
Doctor Who reference!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2023
Very interesting. I just requested the first two collections.
October 1, 2023
4.5 stars
This collection focused on Indigenous Futurisms, playing with the connections between past, present, and future and non-linear time.
I really enjoyed the exploration of different possible futures. Often there was the post/apocalyptic element, and always threads of hope and survival woven throughout.
My favourite stories were:
Future World by Jennifer Storm, Kyle Charles
Emmie and the Starweb by Lee Francis IV, Dale Ray Deforest
They Come for Water by Elizabeth LaPensée, Weshoyot Alvitre
In Our Blood by Jay Odjick, David Cutler
Litmus Flowers by Darcie Little Badger, Jerry Thistle
Waterward, Sean & Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley, Sadekaronhes Esquivel
Xenesi: The Traveler, Michael Sheyahshe, Roy Boney Jr.
[story, writer, illustrator]
There's some excellent quotes introducing various stories that I think encapsulate the intent of the anthology better than I could:
"[Popular media] offers this idea of Indigenous people as existing only in historical times. The opposite is true: Indigenous people have survived to modern times and they are not just legendary people of days gone by." - Michael Sheyahshe
"Storymakers look back in time, but also forward many generations ahead. We are part of the ancestors' web of imagined futures." - Jamie Folsom
"Indigenous Futurisms includes an awareness and embrace of Indigenous science, which is only radical because Western colonial culture discounts our cultures as primitive." - Rebecca Roanhorse
This collection focused on Indigenous Futurisms, playing with the connections between past, present, and future and non-linear time.
I really enjoyed the exploration of different possible futures. Often there was the post/apocalyptic element, and always threads of hope and survival woven throughout.
My favourite stories were:
Future World by Jennifer Storm, Kyle Charles
Emmie and the Starweb by Lee Francis IV, Dale Ray Deforest
They Come for Water by Elizabeth LaPensée, Weshoyot Alvitre
In Our Blood by Jay Odjick, David Cutler
Litmus Flowers by Darcie Little Badger, Jerry Thistle
Waterward, Sean & Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley, Sadekaronhes Esquivel
Xenesi: The Traveler, Michael Sheyahshe, Roy Boney Jr.
[story, writer, illustrator]
There's some excellent quotes introducing various stories that I think encapsulate the intent of the anthology better than I could:
"[Popular media] offers this idea of Indigenous people as existing only in historical times. The opposite is true: Indigenous people have survived to modern times and they are not just legendary people of days gone by." - Michael Sheyahshe
"Storymakers look back in time, but also forward many generations ahead. We are part of the ancestors' web of imagined futures." - Jamie Folsom
"Indigenous Futurisms includes an awareness and embrace of Indigenous science, which is only radical because Western colonial culture discounts our cultures as primitive." - Rebecca Roanhorse
July 2, 2024
Comics anthologies are such a difficult medium, I think. Comics take a lot more space to tell a story than prose, so the stories need to be smaller, and the balance can be hard to get right. Every one of these stories was interesting and creative - but a lot of them, especially "Future World," "Litmus Flowers" and "Emmie and the Starweb" I wished had another page or two to flesh out the story a little more, give it a little more breathing space. These are sci-fi of the type I really like, and what I really like about it is that it sets up an interesting idea (cyberpunk VR time-sliding, genetic engineering plants that can tell you what soil has been corrupted and unsafe, string-theory based FTL...) The ideas there are SO neat and I wished they were just a little bit longer. And for "In Our Blood," it set up a really fascinating sci-fi premise that I wanted to see an exploration of the aftermath!
"Sisters," "Slave Killer," and "Xenesi: The Traveller" I thought made perfect use of the amount of space they had, though "Sisters" was a slice-of-life vignette more than a story that felt like it existed to play with shape and color and and the vibrant personality infused by the art. A valid artistic choice. "Slave Killer" was operating in a more traditional superhero-comic-esque space, and "Xenesi" was a Doctor Who-like adventure pastiche. Those worked well. And, interestingly, there were three short stories in prose with associated full-page illustrations, which were also neat.
Overall I really did enjoy this even as I wished some pieces were longer or got more space. They were interesting and creative and I love to see Indigenous sci-fi and the integration of Native American and First Nations ideas, characters, values, and styles into sci-fi stories. It's refreshing, and creative, and challenges a lot of traditional sci-fi logics even while playing with the fun and interesting traditional tropes.
Also Darcie Little Badger wrote one of them and I'll read whatever she writes.
"Sisters," "Slave Killer," and "Xenesi: The Traveller" I thought made perfect use of the amount of space they had, though "Sisters" was a slice-of-life vignette more than a story that felt like it existed to play with shape and color and and the vibrant personality infused by the art. A valid artistic choice. "Slave Killer" was operating in a more traditional superhero-comic-esque space, and "Xenesi" was a Doctor Who-like adventure pastiche. Those worked well. And, interestingly, there were three short stories in prose with associated full-page illustrations, which were also neat.
Overall I really did enjoy this even as I wished some pieces were longer or got more space. They were interesting and creative and I love to see Indigenous sci-fi and the integration of Native American and First Nations ideas, characters, values, and styles into sci-fi stories. It's refreshing, and creative, and challenges a lot of traditional sci-fi logics even while playing with the fun and interesting traditional tropes.
Also Darcie Little Badger wrote one of them and I'll read whatever she writes.
May 9, 2025
Bumping the rating down to 4 stars because of the often unsatisfying (at least to my White, Western, settler view of looking at storytelling) conclusions to the stories, but some of the stories did end on interesting, fascinating notes. A memorable one was one which name I forget but involves a woman appearing to sacrifice her children to a spirit, who then raises her children themselves when it turns out the woman committed suicide out of not wanting to kill her children. The belief of life as sacred because the child is connected to the mother and the father and the mother and father before them is an interesting way of looking at things, and is something that I've never really thought of before as a reason why some people would be pro-life, though I don't think this story was an anti abortion message as much as a tragedy about a woman who's freedom was stolen from her and got married way too young by force. The final story was also interesting, with a Two-Spirit activist being aided by a trickster god in her revolution to destroy a blood quantum imposed dystopia. I also enjoyed the Xenesi story, as it was similar in tone and humor to Doctor Who.
Overall, interesting collection with a few standout stories, but a lot that ended abruptly for my taste.
Overall, interesting collection with a few standout stories, but a lot that ended abruptly for my taste.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2025
After having been invited out to a green corn festival I was browsing to see what I would like from the vendors. It was there that I discovered that the host of the assembly (shoutout to IAIS) was selling books and I was recommended this collection of comics by Native American authors. This ended up being a very interesting read as the authors tackled environmentalism (a subject that was far more integral to Native American communities than I initially realized), generational trauma, and the interesting web of Native American mythology. I don’t know much of anything about the vast tapestry that make up all the different Native American mythologies but learning more and more about it made this a very worthwhile read.
I don’t typically like anthologies (I find that I lose interest as the stories and characters keep changing) and this sadly didn’t change my mind on them. However, this was a solid addition to the genre and I would love to see a “Love, Death, and Robots” style series made based on these comics. Can recommend.
I don’t typically like anthologies (I find that I lose interest as the stories and characters keep changing) and this sadly didn’t change my mind on them. However, this was a solid addition to the genre and I would love to see a “Love, Death, and Robots” style series made based on these comics. Can recommend.
April 13, 2020
This is the third volume of indigenous comics, written and illustrated by dozens of Native writes and artists, from an equal number of nations. The art work is varied and often stunning, the stories memorable--and often too short. The high quality of the work leaves the reader craving more. There's an interesting introduction by Anishinaabe scholar Grace L. Dillon on the concept of Indigenous Futurisms, and the creators of these comics take that idea and run with it.Whether it is clam hunting on a distant planet, or travelling through time in a tree-shaped space craft; fighting a zombie horde or learning a traditional value like generosity, these stories will leave you wanting more.
March 20, 2022
ehhhh. i liked "emmie and the starweb" and "they come for water." "in our blood" was decent and had a really interesting premise (what if there was a cure for generational trauma) but the writing and the art were competing. the writing definitely needed to be edited down--there were so many speech bubbles that it was crowding out the pictures. there was one panel of a single person that had six speech bubbles in it, crowding around the character's face. :// anyway, "sisters" had incredible art, but the story was like. nothing. no narrative, just the characters chatting. which is fine, i guess, i just didn't find it super engaging.
kind of an uneven anthology.
kind of an uneven anthology.
January 29, 2023
A worthy follow-up to the previous volumes, with some excellent stories. The standout for me was Sean & Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley's unsettling tale, "Waterward". It's a tragic and deeply affecting tale of desperation and loss.
Every volume in this series is worth checking out, not only for the great storytelling but also to be introduced to so many artists you can follow up on later.
February 12, 2021
A wonderful community member sent me this to thank me for the Decolonizing work we are attempting in BSD. It had some amazing stories and wildly beautiful art. Some amazing tidbits of wisdom shared through the stories as well. Also, Indigenous Futurism is a new genre for me and I totally dig it!
April 23, 2020
Like most anthologies, some stories are stronger than others. But this might be the best Moonshot anthology for me to read. I rather enjoyed it.
January 13, 2021
Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2021 Task #10: Read an SFF anthology edited by a person of color
June 27, 2021
Yes this is good, all I can say.
August 8, 2021
Phenomenal comic collection. A must-read for all graphic novel fans!
April 21, 2022
Not as strong as the second volume but there are still great stories in here and Jay Odjick's In Our Blood was possibly my favorite story of the entire series.
November 6, 2022
I don't usually comment on anthologies, but I absolutely LOVED Xenesi: The Traveller. A Doctor Who reference and a Coyote origin story all in one, it was delightful!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2022
The theme of indigenous futurisms was interesting, I just wanted the stories to be longer so we could get a bit more depth in them or let us see into those storylines further.
December 20, 2024
what i love about this series/collection is the range of styles and stories and graphics that are represented.
July 17, 2025
I liked the story about the woman and triplets. The rest of the stories were okay, but not to my taste because they were sci-fi-like.
December 10, 2023
Another great collection of comics and stories!
Personal favorites of mine: "Waterward" by Sean & Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley & Sadekaronhes Esquivel, "Sky People" by Richard Van Camp & Kyle Charles, and "Future World" by Jennifer Storm & Kyle Charles.
Personal favorites of mine: "Waterward" by Sean & Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley & Sadekaronhes Esquivel, "Sky People" by Richard Van Camp & Kyle Charles, and "Future World" by Jennifer Storm & Kyle Charles.
December 11, 2020
“Future World” and “In Our Blood” were especially powerful pieces to me. I think this may be my favourite Moonshot anthology yet!
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