Joseph Bruchac and Will Davis's graphic novel Dawn Land (:01, 2010) is an adaptation from Bruchac's 1993 novel of the same name. The prose must be amazing if the sequential art narrative is any reflection of it.
In Dawn Land, Bruchac pulls from his own Native American heritage and mythos and the mythoi of other indigenous North Americans to craft an epic on par with any other age's classics: The Odyssey, The Iliad, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars (Sky Walker is a character in Bruchac's text and helps us see where Lucas' inspiration for the name may have originated), Bone -- you name it.
After the giant Stone People kill Young Hunter and Weasel Tail's parents, they embark of different paths. The older Weasel Tail, once his brother's protector and marked by one of the giants, becomes their herald and their hunter, leading them to villages where they can murder and eat the inhabitants. Young Hunter, always smaller than his peers, on the other hand, grows to embrace the noble warrior role, the champion of humanity (which includes all elements of nature in the lore of this text).
Weasel Tail, lusty, murderous, and mentally ill, and his brother meet again shortly after a cave painting has shown Young Hunter the climax of his current journey. Weasel Tail, now named Holds of the Stone, redeems himself in the final battle with the giants, sacrificing himself to save his brother, who through new technology (a bow), innovation (which he tips with stone arrow heads), and the support of his ancestors, defeats the last of the imposing man-eaters.
As such, Dawn Land appears to be a tale set in an in-between, a liminal space. Young Hunter is told as such by his mentors. It is easy to read the tale as an allegory about progress and technology and even to see the giants as imposing Europeans set on changing the customs and cultures of the land, but it should be made clear that the giants are as much a part of the landscape as every other natural element in the text. They're not the white marauders from a foreign land; they're ancient beings whose time has passed, like the other ancient ones -- giant bears and sabretoothed cats -- that Young Hunter and his trusty dog companions -- Agwedjiman, Pabetciman, and Danowa -- must vanquish to their place in history.
There are some prose pages after the comics narrative that work to inform readers about Bruchac's culture, his process as a writer, and how they intersect. There are also several resources mentioned where one can learn more about the Wabanaiak people of Ndakinna/New England.
This graphic novel is rich in heritage and mythology, and, simply-put, is a must-read and one of First Second's best graphic novels to date.
In Dawn Land, Bruchac pulls from his own Native American heritage and mythos and the mythoi of other indigenous North Americans to craft an epic on par with any other age's classics: The Odyssey, The Iliad, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars (Sky Walker is a character in Bruchac's text and helps us see where Lucas' inspiration for the name may have originated), Bone -- you name it.
After the giant Stone People kill Young Hunter and Weasel Tail's parents, they embark of different paths. The older Weasel Tail, once his brother's protector and marked by one of the giants, becomes their herald and their hunter, leading them to villages where they can murder and eat the inhabitants. Young Hunter, always smaller than his peers, on the other hand, grows to embrace the noble warrior role, the champion of humanity (which includes all elements of nature in the lore of this text).
Weasel Tail, lusty, murderous, and mentally ill, and his brother meet again shortly after a cave painting has shown Young Hunter the climax of his current journey. Weasel Tail, now named Holds of the Stone, redeems himself in the final battle with the giants, sacrificing himself to save his brother, who through new technology (a bow), innovation (which he tips with stone arrow heads), and the support of his ancestors, defeats the last of the imposing man-eaters.
As such, Dawn Land appears to be a tale set in an in-between, a liminal space. Young Hunter is told as such by his mentors. It is easy to read the tale as an allegory about progress and technology and even to see the giants as imposing Europeans set on changing the customs and cultures of the land, but it should be made clear that the giants are as much a part of the landscape as every other natural element in the text. They're not the white marauders from a foreign land; they're ancient beings whose time has passed, like the other ancient ones -- giant bears and sabretoothed cats -- that Young Hunter and his trusty dog companions -- Agwedjiman, Pabetciman, and Danowa -- must vanquish to their place in history.
There are some prose pages after the comics narrative that work to inform readers about Bruchac's culture, his process as a writer, and how they intersect. There are also several resources mentioned where one can learn more about the Wabanaiak people of Ndakinna/New England.
This graphic novel is rich in heritage and mythology, and, simply-put, is a must-read and one of First Second's best graphic novels to date.
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