THE NIGHT MARCHERS AND OTHER OCEANIAN TALES

Seventeen traditional Oceanian tales are reimagined in this graphic anthology.

Iole Marie Rabor opens the volume with a Filipino story centered around the consequences of ignoring the tradition of “Tabi po,” or politely excusing yourself in order to show respect to the spirits and supernatural beings. DJ Keawekane and Kel McDonald tell the Hawaiian legend of the intense Papa Holua sledding race and resulting rivalry between Pele, goddess of fire, and Poliahu, goddess of snow. Even after hearing the warnings about not looking at the spirits of the honored dead, a child goes out in search of her father’s ghost, who is said to be among their number in Jonah Cabudol-Chalker and Kate Ashwin’s “The Night Marchers.” Paolo Chikiamco and Tintin Pantoja add a science-fiction twist to the Filipino folktale about the pineapple fruit’s origin in “Thousand Eyes.” The remaining stories are from Hawaii and the Philippines, with one from Fiji, but there is no representation of other Pacific Islander groups. Nevertheless, this is a captivating and important collection. All the artwork is black and white, and with a wide variety of artistic styles, each story has its own feel, providing a varied and enriching reading experience. The contributors are primarily Filipino and Pacific Islander creators.

An enthralling, spooky, diverse collection of Oceanian legends in comic form.