Marvel celebrates Native American Heritage Month
Marvel Comics will celebrate November as Native American History month with a new release on Nov. 18, as well as variant covers throughout the month.
“Marvel's Voices: Indigenous Voices” #1 is a special written and drawn by Indigenous talent, including writer/artist Jeffrey Veregge. The special is drawn by Indigenous and Native American creators and focuses on characters of Native American and Indigenous background.
Hugo, Nebula and Locusaward winning Black/Ohkay Owingeh writer Rebecca Roanhorse and Tongva artist Weshoyot Alvitre have created a new story starring Echo, aka Maya Lopez, previously both an opponent and an ally to Daredevil.
Dani Moonstar, formerly of the New Mutants, takes the spotlight in a story by geoscientist and Lipan Apache writer Darcie Little Badger and Whitefish Lake First Nation artist Kyle Charles in a story that Marvel says has her facing the crucial question of what her Indigenous heritage means in the new era of mutantkind.
Also contributing with a story in the “X-Men” world is Bram Stoker-winning horror writer Stephen Graham Jones, of the Blackfeet Nation, who teams up with Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation artist David Cutler.
Veregge's 2018 exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, called “Jeffrey Veregge: Of Gods and Monsters,” was the spark for this special and for a series of variant covers by Veregge on several November-shipping Marvel Comics.
"This is an opportunity to share the cultural influences that we as Native artists and writers grew up with that will add more depth and dimension
to the Native Heroes in the Marvel Universe," Veregge said in a news release.
The Native American Heritage Tribute Variant Covers will showcase Dani Moonstar, Black Panther, Spider-Man, Black Widow, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk and Thor depicted in Veregge's style.
“The story of the hero is an ancient one,” Veregge said in a news release. “Starting with the very first cave drawings, artists and writers from across the globe have both captured and shared the fateful acts of their people's heroes. Being from the Pacific Northwest, my own people, the S'Klallam
Tribe, have used the art style known as Formline to record and share the stories of our people since time immemorial. The art style I use in my own work today is an extension of the same shapes and forms used for hundreds of years by Native artists from and around the very same region.”
Veregge said modern comics storytelling can explore similar themes.
“As a lifelong comic fan, artist and Native American, I am truly honored to work with Marvel Comics today,” Veregge said. “Not only to create pieces that represent a voice for Indigenous People in honor of Native American Heritage month, but also for the opportunity to share the same storytelling spirit of my ancestors by sharing the tales of some of today's heroes.”
The following eight comics will have variant covers released for Native American Heritage Month in 2020: “Marvel's Voices: Indigenous Voices” #1; “Avengers” #38; “Amazing Spider-Man” #52; “Widowmakers: Red Guardian and Yelena Belova” #1; “Iron Man” #3; “Captain America” #25; “Immortal Hulk” #40; and “Thor” #9.