By Ariel Baska — Marvel, and mainstream comics in general, have not been known historically for the greatest representations of native characters. Michael Sheyashe categorizes and discusses these problematic portrayals and tropes with insight in his book, Native Americans in Comic Books: A Critical Study. Among these are certain widely-accepted images of one “fringe and feather” look to represent all the thousands of cultures that once thrived in North America. Among these are also assumptions about the characteristics of any indigenous figures, who must be connected to the earth - so that they can be a shaman or a tracker, whichever is most narratively useful. 

All of the Marvel characters Sheyahshe mentions in his book are illustrated with short bios in the preamble to Marvel’s Indigenous Voices, in a stunningly abstract spread of glyphs laid out like a solar chart by Jeffrey Veregge. The point of this pantheon is not, it seems, to boast about inclusion done well, but rather to demonstrate the variety and richness of the tribes previously represented within the Marvel Universe. These, Uatu says, are the voices of multi-faceted heroes whose tales must speak to the next generation. 

Dani Moonstar of the X-Men drives this idea of indigenous multipotentiality home in the second story of this anthology, as she says “We can be many things...and have many families.” This anthology demonstrates just that, by highlighting three very different indigenous characters and contexts: Maya Lopez aka Echo, a half-Cheyenne and half-Latina warrior who has bested Daredevil; Dani Moonstar aka Mirage, a Cheyenne mutant from the X-Men who can create illusions; and Silver Fox of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the quick-to-heal but slow-to-age mutant from the Weapon X program. These three women are our guides through a vast timeline that has much to show about how the past and the future are bound together. 

The opening, “Echo: Hitting Back” features an off-world story of deception and destiny, written by Rebecca Roanhorse. The themes of the story work in concert with the anthology and will likely please a few MCU fans out there (for spoiler-y reasons that I won’t disclose here). The humor didn’t work for me in this segment, but I very much enjoyed the omens and intimations of a reckoning with the past set in the future. Weshoyot Alvitré’s artwork here is best appreciated in her close-up frames that demonstrate the righteous anger of Echo or the force of her blows, or the curl of her lip as she decides to face her fate.

The second story, “Mirage: Multifaceted”, reflects what I believe is the central tenet of the book - that every generation of heroes should have the power to define themselves - the power to be something else, something other. This comes through in the portrayal of Dani Moonstar’s indigenous identity as she seeks to solve a crime on a reservation in Arizona. This idea of claiming your family and your otherness comes through in her queer-coded relationship with Rahne Sinclair aka Wolfsbane, and the writing from Darcie Little Badger and art from Kyle Charles match each other with a sweetness and a warmth I rarely look for in my comics, but really appreciated here. 

The last story really knocks it out of the park. To be fair, “Silver Fox: Blue Moon” has the largest array of artists working together of the three, and it really shows in the work. The theme of the interconnection of past and future plays out in Stephen Graham Jones’s story of a father and daughter, caught between morality and mortality, knowledge and time. The evocative linework by David Cutler and inks by Robert Poggi and colors by Cris Peter all shine. The writing, however, is like nothing I’ve read before, a speculative fiction about pre-emptive change. This piece closes out the book by uniting Marvel timelines and characters and dialogue, even those called out by Sheyahshe. 

And the wheel turns. Marvel is putting indigenous creators up front and center, and taking some ownership of past missteps, albeit codedly. Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable offering from voices we need to hear, and voices I’m downright proud to support. 

Overall: A delightful trio of indigenous superhero stories designed to continue and extend the Marvel lore through artfully crafted storytelling, at once wrapping you in warmth, dangling you in suspense, or hurling you into space. 9.5/10

REVIEW: Marvel’s Voices - Indigenous Voices #1

Marvel’s Voices - Indigenous Voies #1
Writers: Jeffrey Veregge, Rebecca Roanhorse, Darcie Little Badger, Stephen Graham Jones
Artists & Colorists: Jeffrey Veregge, Weshoyot Alvitre, Lee Loughridge, Kyle Charles, Felipe Sobreiro, David Cutter, Robert Poggi, Cris Peter
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Today’s hottest Native American and Indigenous talent make their Marvel Comics debuts with a collection of super-charged stories as Marvel celebrates National Native American Heritage Month! Celebrated writer and artist Jeffrey Veregge explores the legacy of Marvel’s incredible cast of Indigenous characters! Hugo, Nebula, and Locus-award winning Black/Ohkay Owingeh writer Rebecca Roanhorse and Tongva artist Weshoyot Alvitre tell an Echo tale like none you’ve heard before. Geoscientist and Lipan Apache writer Darcie Little Badger joins acclaimed Whitefish Lake First Nation artist Kyle Charles for a Dani Moonstar story that’s out of this world! And Bram Stoker-winning horror writer Stephen Graham Jones of the Blackfeet Nation teams up with Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation artist David Cutler to revisit one of the darkest spots of X-Men history!
Release Date: November 18, 2020
Buy It Digitally: Marvel’s Voices - Indigenous Voices #1

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Ariel Baska pretends to know many things. And yeah, she has a pop culture podcast, Ride the Omnibus. Which may or may not be exactly as pretentious as you think.