THIS PLACE

Indigenous authors share tales from Canada’s past in this compendium.

Dystopian visions have become increasingly common in mainstream culture, but as Tuscarora writer Alicia Elliott asserts in her foreword to this graphic novel anthology, “as Indigenous people, we all live in a post-apocalyptic world.” Survival against all odds is a common thread in these intriguing stories, as are resistance, self-determination, and respect for traditional ways of life. Métis author Katherena Vermette tells the tale of Annie Bannatyne, a Métis entrepreneur who, in 1868, reacted to a newspaper article disparaging Métis women by treating its author to some frontier justice. Cree writer David A. Robertson explores the life of legendary World War I sniper—and later chief of the Wasauksing Nation—Francis “Peggy” Pegahmagabow, who earned a level of respect from whites in the military he could not have hoped for in civilian life. Anishinaabe author Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair recounts the experiences of an Indigenous youth coming-of-age during the Indigenous resistance to the Meech Lake Accord and the subsequent Oka Crisis—an armed standoff between the Canadian government and Mohawk activists—in 1990. Standout pieces include “Rosie” by Inuit-Cree writer Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley and Scottish-Mohawk author Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley (with stunning images by GMB Chomichuk) and “Red Clouds” by Ojibway writer Jen Storm (illustrations and color by Métis artist Natasha Donovan). The “Red Clouds” images feature thin lines and flat, broad patches of orange, white, and gray, lending the tale a picture-book quality that perfectly fits its ghost-story plot. The anthology hops around in time, geography, and narrative style. But the repetition of certain illustrators and colorists gives it a cohesive, though not overly uniform, look. For those interested in the sparsely covered history of Indigenous Canada—and the contemporary Indigenous graphic novel scene—this should be a must-have book.

An illuminating, self-assured graphic novel anthology in which every panel reads like a radical act.