Reviews 

“This Place: 150 Years Retold”

By | August 27th, 2019
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

North American history is often framed in such a way that it portrays white European colonizers as heroic bringers of civilization to vast empty lands ripe for the taking. In “This Place: 150 Years Retold,” twenty contributors – twelve writers, six illustrators, and two colorists – join forces to correct this false narrative and reframe Canadian history from an Indigenous and First Nations perspective.

Cover by Natasha Donovan
Foreword by Alicia Elliot

While there is sorrow and loss inextricably woven throughout these stories, the focus is instead on the future of Indigenous peoples. Readers are given an opportunity to see the victories of various tribal Nations in their successful efforts to retain their culture in the face of intentionally destructive actions taken against them. Hopeful in its defiance and unquestionable in its rejection of erasure, “This Place” is deeply informative and full of heart.

This ten story anthology begins, as the title suggests, 150 years ago, in the late 1860s, and each story advances the timeline one or two decades at a time until it reaches the tenth and final story. At this point, the creators make the decision to do what little other fiction is currently doing: they are looking toward a future where Indigenous people not only continue to exist, as they have all along, but are also the heroes of their own stories.

Each story begins with a brief introduction by the writer of the comic as well as a timeline placing their story into its wider historical context. The stories alternate between true events (fictionalized to some degree), while others serve as biographies or stories that are inspired by real events or practices.

Although the stories are told predominantly in English, numerous language consultants and translators were drawn upon. In places where a language other than English is used – Mi’gmaq, Ojibwe, Liq’wala/Kwak’wala – angle brackets are employed, and sometimes coupled with asterisks to redirect readers to translations.

As with any anthology, some stories are stronger than others, but in this collection, it is difficult to find weaknesses. Sonny Assu’s Tilted Ground (pg. 28), Jen Storm’s Red Clouds (pg. 54), David A. Robertson’s Peggy (pg. 82), and Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm’s Nimkii (pg. 138) all stand out as exceptional examples of storytelling.

In Tilted Ground, readers learn about Chief Billy Assu, who led his people during a time their ceremonial potlatches were outlawed by the Canadian government. Set during the 1890s and early 1900s, this story of their resiliency in the midst of brutal retaliation for following their beliefs, is depicted in a surprisingly complimentary 1980s neon palette featuring cool pinks, teals, purples, and greens. The vibrancy and youthfulness of these colors, along with the imprecise detail, fluid lines, a liberal use of hatching, and a lack of rigidity and restraint all speak to the strength, pride, defiance, and adaptability that Chief Billy Assu brought to his people. The story comes to a close with the message that this is “not the end.”

Taking a turn for the fearsome, Red Clouds introduces readers to the tradition of wendigoes, supernatural monsters that corrupt human spirits, and Jack Fiddler, the first Indigenous man charged as a serial killer for his role in killing wendigoes. But Jack Fiddler is not the central figure in this story. Instead, it centralizes a character who is a composite of many people believed to be wendigoes, including Wahsakapeequay, a woman killed by Jack Fiddler after she became delirious. In contrast to the bright but fluid depiction of the bold leader in Tilted Ground, here more attention to detail and a steadier art style are employed, alongside a muted selection of earth tone colors that hint at the desolate state of the earth in winter. A ribbon of red works its way in and out of the pages as the story progresses toward a surprisingly chilling ending, in which the interference of white Canadian government officials allows the curse of the wendigo to continue.

Jumping ahead to the time during and after World War I, Peggy tells the story of Francis “Peggy” Pegahmagabow, the most decorated Indigenous soldier in Canadian history. Despite his wartime accomplishments, Peggy was angered to learn that once he was back home in Canada, he was still considered a second class citizen denied of rights promised to him for his military service. Not one to allow exploitations to be leveled at himself, and subsequently at others in his position, Peggy inserted himself into the government, eventually becoming a Supreme Chief of the National Indian Government. Like Red Clouds, Peggy is centered on the earth and has a similar set of earth toned colors like khaki, representing the dirt of the war trenches and the soil of the earth Peggy tilled, and the blue-gray coloring of the water that provides life to Peggy and his Nation.

Continued below

Speaking to the tragic practice governments have of separating children from their families, Nimkii tells the story of a mother who was taken from her own parent as a young girl and the heartbreak she felt over her experience as well as the experience of others. Armed with weapons, determination, and the protective force of thunderbirds, the mother takes a stand with the other adults of their Nation to prevent the abduction of any additional children from their families. This triumphant scene is awash in the golden glow of the sun setting, literally on the town but also figuratively on the practice.

These stories provide an opportunity for the creators to share the stories of their Nations, as both a celebration of their continued existence and as a teaching tool for those who do not know the too little known history. The stories are rich with lore and don’t wallow in defeat. Instead, they offer current and future Indigenous people hope that they too can triumph and excel in a world that is constantly trying to erase them.

Back matter includes citation sources, a select bibliography, and brief contributor biographies, which indicate that many contributors are members of tribal nations.


//TAGS | Original Graphic Novel

Alea Perez

For ten years, Alea has been a librarian by day and a graphic novel reader by night. She is the current President-elect for the ALA GNCRT, has served on the American Library Association's YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens committee (as a member and chair), has moderated and paneled at SDCC, and generally advocates for graphic novels in library and school settings.

EMAIL | ARTICLES


  • Feature: The Night Eaters – Book 2: Her Little Reapers Reviews
    “The Night Eaters Book 2: Her Little Reapers”

    By | Mar 21, 2024 | Reviews

    Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda’s “The Night Eaters” trilogy continues with its second book, ‘Her Little Reapers.’ After the first book ended with the Ting twins discovering that they aren’t human, that they have supernatural powers, you might think that the horror element of the series would be somewhat dampened. You’d be wrong. Spoiler warning: […]

    MORE »
    The Jellyfish by Boum - featured Reviews
    “The Jellyfish”

    By | Mar 19, 2024 | Reviews

    The first full sentence of “The Jellyfish” goes like this: “You do in fact seem to have…a jellyfish in your left eye.” It is innocuous, but portentous. A line full of meaning and absurd all the same. It belies the depths the comic will plumb and highlights the journey along the way. You won’t read […]

    MORE »
    I Don't Want to be a Mom Featured Reviews
    “I Don’t Want To Be a Mom”

    By | Feb 27, 2024 | Reviews

    There is nothing more discussed, nothing more legislated (particularly in the United States) than the decisions a woman makes with her body.  The highly personal has become nothing short of impersonal, with the person at the heart of the matter – – the woman occupying that body – – left almost completely out of the […]

    MORE »

    -->