Native Readers are gonna be PSYCHED to know Arigon Starr has a new SUPER INDIAN book for us all!

One of my most-dear memories is when I was working with a group of elementary-aged Native children in New Mexico and told them about Arigon Starr's Super Indian. At lunch time, one girl looked for me and asked if she could read it. Of course, I handed it to her and she was riveted! She laughed, and smiled, and I knew that book was gonna be a hit with our communities. 

As other Native people read Super Indian, the joy in what Arigon Starr created was palpable. There was so much in there -- for readers of all ages -- that it quickly became a favorite of many Native readers. The second volume did, too. 

And today I am PSYCHED to tell you the third volume is is finished and at the printers! Here's the cover:

Here's the description:

When an ordinary reservation boy eats tainted commodity cheese and gains superpowers, hilarity ensues! The third volume in the Super Indian graphic novel series includes two new adventures, plus a bonus issue featuring Laguna Woman. Rounding out the edition are profiles of two real-life super Indians, MLB Baseball All-Star Allie Reynolds and formidable American Indian Movement activist Fern Eastman Mathias. Arigon Starr returns as writer/artist, with Janet Miner as the editor. 64 full-color pages of action, adventure and laughs for all ages.
 
ISBN: 978-0-9859-5354-6
Trade Paperback
Wholesale price per book:    $17.00
Retail Price per book:               $24.99

And here's the full announcement: 

ARIGON STARR RELEASES THE LONG-AWAITED GRAPHIC NOVEL

“SUPER INDIAN VOLUME THREE”

When An Ordinary Reservation Boy Eats Tainted Commodity Cheese, Hilarity Ensues.

The Native American Superhero Returns With New Adventures For All Ages.

March 14, 2024 – Los Angeles, CA – Wacky Productions Unlimited and Rezium Studios are excited to announce the release of SUPER INDIAN VOLUME THREE, the latest collection of comic tales of the reservation sensation Super Indian. The 64 page full color graphic novel features words and art from multiple American Indian Youth Literature award-winner Arigon Starr and is edited by Janet Miner.

Super Indian Volume One and Super Indian Volume Two have both found enthusiastic audiences within the Native American community, educational institutions and libraries across the US and Canada. Volume One is on its tenth printing, with Volume Two on its seventh printing. Super Indian has been featured in World Literature Today and First American Art print magazines and online via PBS Books online. Arigon’s comic art has been recognized and included in major art exhibitions including the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ; the Gilcrease Museum, Philbrook Museum, First American Museum and Oklahoma Contemporary, all in Oklahoma, and at the KHM – Musuemsverband in Vienna, Austria.

Super Indian was introduced as a comedy audio theater broadcast in 2006. Native Voices at the Autry, a Los Angeles theater company dedicated to producing new works by Native Americans, commissioned an audio theater series based on the initial ten-minute radio play. The program debuted on college, independent and Native radio stations in 2007.

Arigon Starr developed her radio scripts into a comic book. “I wanted the art of the comic to have a timeless look, a homage to my favorite 1980s and 90s comics,” she enthused.

Wacky Productions Unlimited, an independent publisher, released the first Super Indian graphic novel in 2012. The graphic novel gained attention with Native American readers and was championed by librarians, teachers and college educators. Arigon and her work on Super Indian has been featured in online and print media, with appearances in books such as Dreaming In Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices and The Routledge Companion to Native American Literature. Starr’s comic work garnered awards in 2018 from the American Indian Library Association's Youth Literature Award for her anthology Tales of the Mighty Code Talkers and in 2023 for her illustrations for Contenders: Two Native Americans, One World Series. Arigon’s artwork has also been featured online via The Nib, Vox Media’s Polygon and Colorado’s Pop Culture Classroom series Colorful History.

Starr’s work as a multimedia artist brought her to the attention of Providence Pictures, the producers of the PBS series Native America. She was profiled in the episode Women Rule, alongside three other trail blazers. Arigon showcased her musical talents, humor, wisdom and work on Super Indian. The program aired nationally in 2023, bringing attention to the diversity of Native American contributions to contemporary culture.

Super Indian Volume Three includes:

Super Indian Issue #8, “Old School,” A tale of revenge featuring a new-age guru who uses an evil scented gel to take over the Leaning Oak Reservation and the aged avenger who helps Super Indian regain himself.

Super Indian Issue #9, “Call of the Wild,” A thrilling adventure featuring a sentient Mother Bear, a world-renowned Native American scientist and the twisted rock star who hunts to kill on the Leaning Oak Reservation.

Laguna Woman Issue #1, “Lo, The Poor Laguna Woman,” features female superhero Phoebe Francis/Laguna Woman, who has the worst day ever on her homelands in New Mexico.

Real Super Indians: Real life profiles of Major League Baseball All-Star Allie Reynolds and fiery American Indian Movement Activist Fern Eastman Mathias.

“Super Indian’s adventures provide a glimpse into the contemporary world of Native Americans. The fun, edgy humor can be experienced on many levels by a wide variety of readers,” said CEO/Publisher/Editor Janet Miner. Arigon Starr beams, 

“It has been the highlight of my life to bring these comics to life. I am creating the Native themed comics I dreamed about as a kid.”

The book is available for purchase from the Super Indian Comics website and Amazon.com.

Wacky Productions Unlimited is a female led, Native co-owned company based in Los Angeles, CA. Wacky has released four music CD projects from Arigon Starr, co-produced her stage and audio theater productions and is the publisher of the Super Indian catalog.

Contact: Janet Miner

info@superindiancomics.com

Website: https://superindiancomics.com

Facts in WE ARE STILL HERE: NATIVE AMERICAN TRUTHS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW are characterized as being a "negative slant on white people"

Today (March 13, 2024) I read an article in The Gothamist that starts with this image:

What you're looking at is a stack of twelve copies of Sorell and Lessac's We Are Still Here: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know with a sticky note that says "Not Approved 3rd." 

Reading on, I see that someone determined that the book has a "negative slant on white people." The subtitle of the book is Native American Truths Everyone Should Know. Here's the cover. See those stickers on the right side of the cover? Those tell teachers that people who study children's books think We Are Still Here! is exceptional and that it should be used in classrooms.

Traci Sorell (the author) is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. I'm tribally enrolled at Nambé Owingeh. Both are tribal nations. The "We" in the title is Native people. We are among the hundreds of tribal nations in the United States. This book affirms our existence because of the truths Sorell gives us in this book!

What is the "negative slant" in the book? Is it the content on page 4, where Sorell writes that "Our ways of life changed when white people arrived from Europe." Or where she writes that the federal government did not always keep its promises to tribes, and that federal laws and policies have been devastating? 

Is it page six, where Sorell wrote that some US leaders did not respect our ways and thought it would be better for us to adopt their beliefs and practices? 

Is it page eight, where she wrote that white people wanted to control and sell tribal lands?

Page after page, Sorell presents solid information in straightforward ways. What she wrote is true. A "slant" implies an unfair bias. There's nothing unfair or biased in the factual presentation of information. 

In fact, Sorell's book corrects negative depictions of Native people and omissions of our existence that you can easily find in children's books, textbooks, and educational materials. I hope your school has multiple copies, and that you'll ask for it at your local library. I hope you'll bring it into your home and read it with your children.