The twenty-first century has seen an explosion of comic books and graphic novels created by Indigenous artists and writers. This seminar will survey the field of contemporary North American Indigenous comics, including examples from the Newberry's large collection of comics by and about Indigenous peoples. We will see historical examples of stereotypical representation in mainstream comics, and Indigenous comics creators' interrogation of those depictions; look at the development of Indigenous superheroes, from Danielle Moonstar and Thunderbird to Kagagi and Super Indian; examine how Indigenous creators confront issues of importance to their communities, including language revitalization, environmental justice, land rights, public health, and other issues; and discuss exercises to bring Indigenous-created comics into your classroom.
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