Iron Circus Comics has been going like gangbusters the last few years, putting out quality, thought-provoking titles crafted by a stable of talented creators. And now, the company has just launched a BackerKit campaign to bring its newest anthology to the printed page, this one focusing Indigenous culture. In Indiginerds, editor Alina Pete has assembled a bevy of tales from Indigenous writers and artists to celebrate First Nations culture. Pete, who co-edited Iron Circus‘ Woman in the Woods anthology, wanted to take a different slant on the stories in Indiginerds than is sometimes taken in cultural tellings and retellings.
“Most stories about Indigenous people are focused on two things: current grief or the past tragedies of colonization,” says Pete. “But First Nations culture isn’t stuck in the past, and generations of Indigenous kids have grown up watching the same movies and tv shows that non-Indigenous folks have. This pop culture has crept inexorably into our lives, and we love video games, cosplay and other nerdy things just as much as everyone else! Indiginerds tells modern stories about modern Indigenous people, and celebrates our joys and passions.”
The stories and creators found in Indiginerds are wide and varied, with a wide range of topics:
Bvlbancha Forever by Ida Aronson and Tate Allen
Walk With The Earth Mother by Maija Plamondon and Milo Applejohn
Roll Your Own Way by Jordanna George
Digital Eden by Raven John and Asia Wisely
Amplification/Adaptation by Em Matson and Nipinet Landsem
Welei (I Am Fine) by Bianca “binkz17” and Rhael McGregor
Saving Throws by James Willier and Sam “Mushki” Medlock
Dorvan V by Alina Pete
Uncured Horror by Gillian Joseph and Wren Rios
Airwaves Pirates by Autumn Star and PJ Underwood
Missed Pow Wow Connection by Kameron White
As of press time, the BackerKit campaign for Indiginerds is almost halfway to its funding goal. Make sure to give it look! Check out the cover and pages from Pete‘s contribution to the anthology, “Dorvan V.” The full press release is also below.
INDIGINERDS cover
Dorvan V page 1
Dorvan V page 2
Dorvan V page 3
Dorvan V page 4
Dorvan V page 5
And the full press release:
Iron Circus Comics—the premiere publisher of award-winning, critically-acclaimed graphic novels in the American Midwest—presents INDIGINERDS, a brand-new comics anthology that aims to celebrate the ever evolving Indigenous culture. Organized by the ever talented editor Alina Pete, one of the co-editors on Iron Circus’s wildly successful and award-winning folklore anthology Woman in the Woods, this book collects work from several Indigenous artists and writers. From gaming to social media, pirate radio to garage bands, Star Trek to D&D, and missed connections at the pow wow, Indigenous culture is so much more than how it’s usually portrayed. Join this anthology as it examines balancing traditional ways of knowing and pop culture by supporting it on BackerKit.
“Most stories about Indigenous people are focused on two things: current grief or the past tragedies of colonization,” says editor Alina Pete. “But First Nations culture isn’t stuck in the past, and generations of Indigenous kids have grown up watching the same movies and tv shows that non-Indigenous folks have. This pop culture has crept inexorably into our lives, and we love video games, cosplay and other nerdy things just as much as everyone else! INDIGINERDS tells modern stories about modern Indigenous people, and celebrates our joys and passions.”
INDIGINERDS is a 6.625 inch by 10.25 inch full color comic anthology. Its 120 pages contain 11 exhilarating stories of Indigenous people balancing traditional ways of knowing and pop culture. The line up includes:
Bvlbancha Forever by Ida Aronson and Tate Allen
Walk With The Earth Mother by Maija Plamondon and Milo Applejohn
Roll Your Own Way by Jordanna George
Digital Eden by Raven John and Asia Wisely
Amplification/Adaptation by Em Matson and Nipinet Landsem
Welei (I Am Fine) by Bianca “binkz17” and Rhael McGregor
Saving Throws by James Willier and Sam “Mushki” Medlock
Dorvan V by Alina Pete
Uncured Horror by Gillian Joseph and Wren Rios
Airwaves Pirates by Autumn Star and PJ Underwood
Missed Pow Wow Connection by Kameron White
“The mainstream view of First Nations needs an update,” said publisher C. Spike Trotman. “INDIGINERDS is here to show the vibrant and evolving culture experienced today. This is sure to be another amazing addition to the comic collection of anyone interested in Indigenous culture!”
About the editor:
Alina Pete (they/them) – Alina Pete is a nehiyaw (Cree) artist and writer from Little Pine First Nation in western Saskatchewan. They grew up urban but spent summers wandering the Qu’Appelle valley with their cousin from Cowessess First Nation. Alina is best known for their award-winning comics, but they also write short stories, poems and ttrpg supplements, and specialize in compositing and VFX. Their work can be found at alina-pete.com.
About the creators:
Tate Allen (they/them) – Tate is an Indigenous two-spirit artist with ties to the Pomo and Choctaw nations, They’ve been an artist primarily on games like Coyote & Crow: The Roleplaying Game, Backroads: City of the Arch, and several other ttrpg projects. They currently live in the Bay Area with their beloved little fluffy tuxedo cat who many mistake for a living dust bunny.
Milo Applejohn (he/they) – Milo Ira Applejohn (He/They) is a professional illustrator and graphic novelist based in Lhukw’lhukw’ayten (Burnaby Mountain). A speaker and an active member of the comic arts community, he supports and advocates for health, disability and transgender representation in the arts.
Ida Aronson (they/them) – Ida Aronson is a citizen of the United Houma Nation (UHN) of southeastern “Louisiana”, a member of the Houma Language Project and the Okla Hina Ikhish Holo gardening network, and a founding member of the Bvlbancha Collective and Bvlbancha Public Access. Aronson is a multimedia artist working across visual arts fields, writing, lighting/theatrical design, event production, & cultural crafts and lifeways. Past writing credits include the story “Búk Nasúba’” in A Howl: An Indigenous Anthology of Wolves, Werewolves, and Rougarou, from Native Realities Publishing. Find out more at rynufe.carrd.co
Jordanna George (they/them) – Jordanna George hails from the T’Sou-ke Nation in Sooke, BC. They hold a BFA in visual art from the University of Victoria, and now live in Coquitlam, BC on the unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Kwikwetlem nations. As a queer biracial illustrator and comics artist/writer, they love exploring themes of identity, belonging, and hope, especially pertaining to LGBT+ and Indigenous narratives, and combining these themes with their love of fantasy and sci-fi. They have had comic work published in A Howl: An Indigenous Anthology of Wolves, Werewolves, and Rougarou, as well as illustration work published with Douglas & McIntyre and Penguin Random House. They can be found online at jordannageorge.com and as @raebirdart.
Raven John (they/she/him) – Raven John, artist, comedian and two-spirit activist, is of Coast Salish and Stolo Nation descent. This two-spirit Trickster is a BFA graduate from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, with a major in visual art and minor in social practice and community engagement, as well as a graduate of the North West Coast Jewelry Arts program at the Native Education College. Raven is a visual artist, cultural consultant, mediator, storyteller, photographer and sculptor. A jack-of-all-trades (and master of a few), their practice covers a wide array of mediums from provocation and humor, puppet making, ceramics, dressmaking, interactive electronics and Indigenous technologies.
Gillian Joseph (they/them) – Gillian Joseph is a queer, 2-Spirit Ihaŋktoŋwaŋ and Mdewakaŋtoŋ Dakota storyteller who grew up as a guest on Waxhaw and Catawba lands. They are the author of Protector of the Beads: a Dakhota Poem (forthcoming from Wíyouŋkihipi Productions) and can be found online at gillian-joseph.com. Gillian loves spending time near mní, consuming Indigenous horror in all its forms, trying to figure out what their dreams mean, and hanging out with their cats, Smudge and Solstice.
Nipinet Landsem (they/them) – Nipinet Landsem is Anishinaabe and Michif, a descendant of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and a citizen of the Manitoba Metis Federation. Their art has previously been published in A Howl: An Indigenous Anthology of Werewolves and Rougarou and Coyote & Crow: Stories of the Free Lands. They currently work as a tattoo artist at Red Clover Tattoo Collective in Madison, WI and as a concept artist for Metawe in Edmonton, Alberta. When not working, they can be found playing Final Fantasy, driving their Subaru across the continent, or buried under a pile of cats.
Bianca “binkz17” (she/her) – Bianca, or as she is known online binkz17, is a Mi’gmaw woman from so-called Canada. Passionate about language revitalization, culture and the arts, she has always been a creative type. Bianca has won the Mi’gmaq Writers Award 2020, and was shortlisted for the Indigenous Voices Awards in 2022. Her work often includes short stories and poetry that incorporate her language throughout her stories (don’t worry, she includes footnotes for translations). More recently, Bianca started a streaming hobby on twitch to share her language and culture, but also help her study Mi’gmaq, her native language.
Em Matson (they/she/he) – Em Matson (they/she/he) is a two spirit, Sault Ste Marie Ojibwe creative based in Minneapolis. They have a degree in English and a degree in Advertising from Iowa State University, and have spent their career working to build community. Their professional work spans the tabletop roleplaying space, having edited the core rulebook of Coyote and Crow and written for an adventure as a part of the Stories from the Freelands anthology. Em is also a writer for an upcoming Cloud Empress setting story. In addition to their creative pursuits, they also have served as a community organizer for the Minneapolis Two Spirit Powwow, and created the powwow’s first zine, featuring art, writing, and love from fellow two spirit creatives in the Upper Midwest.
In their spare time, Em enjoys reading, hiking, gaming, spending time outside with their loved ones, walking the dog, and attending local concerts, especially metal shows from their Indigenous friends’ bands.
Rhael McGregor (they/them) – Rhael McGregor is a Métis comic artist and animator from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Their previous works include ‘White Horse Plains’ from Iron Circus’ ‘The Woman in the Woods’ Anthology, ‘Mixed Feelings’ an auto-bio about growing up Métis, and their queer romance short comic ‘Tinder’. They hope to bring more stories into the world that inspire people with kindness and bring joy in difficult times.
Sam “Mushki” Medlock (they/them) – Sam has been making comics since childhood. Both self-taught and with a comics degree under their belt, they self-published four graphic novels at over 200 pages each. One of which is an ongoing web manga called Peripety! They also make hand-made experimental zines about heavy and personal topics like queerness, mental illness, abuse, etc.
Alina Pete (they/them) – Alina Pete is a nehiyaw (Cree) artist and writer from Little Pine First Nation in western Saskatchewan. They grew up urban but spent summers wandering the Qu’Appelle valley with their cousin from Cowessess First Nation. Alina is best known for their award-winning comics, but they also write short stories, poems and ttrpg supplements, and specialize in compositing and VFX. Their work can be found at alina-pete.com.
Maija Plamondon (they/them) – Maija is a Métis writer currently living on treaty 6 territory in Canada. Their works includes “The Rougarou” featured in Iron Circus’ “The Woman in the Woods and Other North American Stories” anthology, as well as webcomics “Mystery Solving Lesbians” and “Coming of Age.” While not writing comics, you can find them playing guitar, being the assistant to the host of America’s Next Top Podcast Co-Host podcast, or watching too much anime.
Wren Rios (she/her) – A trans-femme, queer, afro-latine author/illustrator, colorist and flatter from New Jersey. Wren has had her start in 2011 through graphic design, using her skills to design merch and marketing materials for bands, musicians and local events. After finding herself loving storytelling and narrative, Wren began chasing a career in MG to YA comics and has since worked with Chispa Comics, ABRAMS, several smaller studios and zines. Wren has a passion for cozy and inviting color, magic, mythical creatures and empathetic stories.
Autumn Star (she/her) – Autumn Star is a Navajo/Chicana multimedia artist and activist whose career spans the last two decades. Autumn has been published as a political theorist and advocate for decorporatized media. Autumn’s activism work has been in pursuit of communication and media justice, environmental justice and economic justice. Today Autumn’s work reflects an imagined online future where Indigenous thought and practice dominate the internet and online culture, reflected by the hashtag #LANback.
PJ Underwood (he/him) – Keetoowah artist PJ Underwood received his PhD from the Center for Writers, where his creative honors included Glimmer Train’s Best New Voices and multiple Pushcart Prize nominations. Since then, he’s taught at the college level, published numerous short stories and essays, worked as a translation analyst, and spent a lot of time honing his doodles. His writing and art can be found and enjoyed for free on Substack at I Cover the Waterfront. He also likes turtles.
James Willier (he/him) – James Raymond Willier is from Sucker Creek Reserve in Treaty 8 territory. Part of the Cree Nation, great great grandson to Headman Moostoos, one of the signers of Treaty 8. Storytelling has always been part of James life, from his childhood watching cartoons like He-Man, and learning to read through comics like Conan the Barbarian. His father would tell stories that taught James much of his culture and values. The love for storytelling allowed tabletop role playing to become a haven for him, as storytelling helps him understand the world around him and the games help give a structure to it.
Asia Wiseley (they/them) – Asia Wiseley, commonly known as “extinct inks”, is a freelance illustrator and comic artist who has been working as an artist-for-hire for about two decades. They are of the Indigenous Pomo and Konkow Maidu peoples of Northern California, as well as Japanese-American. They are two-spirit and identify as agender nonbinary. Outside of illustration, they are an accomplished knitter and crocheter, and dabble in 3D sculpting. They also have a fascination with paleontology and mortuary sciences.
Kameron White (he/him) – Kameron White is a Black, Choctaw, and Cherokee comic artist and illustrator residing in Minneapolis, MN. His favorite things to create are original characters and worlds, fashion designs, and fun, eccentric stories. He has worked on a number of horror anthologies as well as LGBTQ+ anthologies and Indie comics, and the anthologies he’s worked on has won an Ignatz award and a Visionary Honor Award. Starting in 2022, he was chosen as one of the participants for the DC Comics Milestone Initiative program. Kameron lives with his partner, their three cats, and tons of squishmallows.
About the publisher:
C. Spike Trotman (she/her) – C. Spike Trotman was born in DC, raised in MD, and lives in IL. An artist and writer, she founded Iron Circus Comics in 2007, which has since grown to become the region’s largest comics publisher. Her notable work includes the webcomic “Templar, Arizona,” the Smut Peddler series of erotic comic anthologies, and Poorcraft, a graphic novel guide to frugal living. A Kickstarter early adopter, she pioneered the widely-adopted bonus model that’s since completely reshaped the pay system of the small press, jump-starting the current renaissance of alt-comics anthologies. Iron Circus is also the first comics publisher of note to fully incorporate crowdfunding into its business model, inventing one of the single most effective uses of new media in comics publishing today.