Monday, December 28, 2009

More Panels at CNMCC

alterNative Media is pleased to announce that we have completed design and installation of 9 new exhibit panels at the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton, Oklahoma.

Check out a slide show of all the panels at CNMCC (embedded at the bottom of this article) or use the following link to go directly to the Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheyahshe/tags/cnmcc2/show/

Just like before, many thanks to Billy Skaggs for his assistance in delivery and installation; without his help, none of this would've been possible (especially due to an unexpected turn of events involving a table saw).

aNm looks forward to working with the Comanche Museum in the near future on many new and exciting projects. Be sure to visit CNMCC and check out the other exhibits and keep your eyes peeled for more projects from aNm.

Friday, November 20, 2009

aNm's CFO, Mary Skaggs, Published in New Plains

aNm would like to spotlight our very own Mary Skaggs who has recently been published in New Plains Review, "a collective presentation of a wide range of cultural perspectives and demonstrates the drive toward academic excellence upon which the University of Central Oklahoma is founded."

Her work, Whole - a beautiful and contemplative musing on having an Indigenous son - is featured in the magazine's "Special Section: Oklahoma American Indian Experience."

You can read more about Mary and her professional, academic, and writing experience at aNm's Our People page.

Once again: congratulations to Mary Skaggs on being selected for publication. You rock !

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Art Video Game Credits on IMDb

After a very long wait, I am very pleased to announce that you can now view the credits for the video game, Helix for Nintendo Wii.

You can view the credits for my artistic work on Helix here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1508668/fullcredits

This game is special to me, as it represents aNm's collaboration on a game with a local development studio here in the regional area (Ghostfire Games, located in Austin, TX) and further exemplifies our goal of supporting and providing viable artistic services to the the Austin game studios and any others in the regional area.

If you are a educational institution, local studio, or indie game developer, contact us today to see how we can help with your video game or simulation projects.

Monday, July 13, 2009

aNm 3D Art at Arts Festival Oklahoma 2009 !

Exciting news for aNm: we will be at the Arts Festival Oklahoma 2009 at OCCC in OKC. Check out the acceptance/invitation letter.
Category: Graphics

Michael Sheyahshe:

CONGRATULATIONS!

The Arts Festival Oklahoma 2009 jury has been completed. There were more applications received than available booth spaces. Arts Festival Oklahoma is pleased to inform you that your application has been ACCEPTED and you are INVITED to exhibit in the Arts Festival Oklahoma 2009. The 31st annual Festival will be held on the campus of Oklahoma City Community College at 74th and South May Avenue.
We are very excited, as aNm will showcase art from our "Organic Noise" series (see slide show below, to see some of the art pieces we will have on-hand at the Arts Festival Oklahoma). Come check out our booth, meet / greet us, and see our exciting new 3D art.


Tuesday, June 23, 2009

New Book Review from World Lit Today

The May/June 2009 edition of World Literature Today has offered a review of my book, Native Americans in Comic Books.

Please see the blog entry at http://nativecomicbooks.blogspot.com/2009/06/book-review-world-literature-today.html to read more.

Introducing the NEW Book Website

As my hosting service at the illustrious (ha-ha) GeoCities has decided to close its virtual doors, I have transferred the contents of my website for my book, "Native Americans in Comic Books" to its new home, here at blogger.com.

While you can still access the book's website by entering the domain name, http://www.nativecomicbooks.com, you will now be forwarded to the website's new location at http://nativecomicbooks.blogspot.com.

Check it out and be sure to leave any feedback to help me improve the site. Thanks and take care.

Friday, June 05, 2009

Art Sold at Red Cloud

I am pleased to announce that my art, "Bottle Cap Blues" (thumbnail version seen here, at left) has been sold at the Red Cloud Art Show. The Museum & Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School has been gracious enough to allow my artwork in its annual art show. This piece is part of the Organic Noise series, which can be seen here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheyahshe/tags/noise/show/

Beginning May 31, 2009, the exhibit, will feature "Native American and Lakota art from across the United States and Canada," and will run through August 9.

The 42nd Annual Red Cloud Indian Art Show is a great opportunity and I encourage anyone in the area (Pine Ridge, South Dakota) to attend and see all the great work from artists everywhere. You may even see work by friend, America Meredith, at the show, as well. (Thanks, Meredith, for encouraging me to apply to this show !)

Purchased by the Heritage Center, "Bottle Cap Blues" will now become a part of the Museum's permanent collection. Much thanks to everyone involved in the show and all the artists represented.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Update - CNMCC

aNm is pleased to announce that installation of the first set of panels at the Comanche Nation Museum and Cultural Center went off without a hitch (unless you count the ones we used to hitch the panels up on the wall !). Here are some initial images of the panels, taken just before supporting material was added:

Much thanks to Billy Skaggs for his much-needed assistance in delivering and installation, without whose help, none of this would've been possible. aNm will return to install remaining museum panels later this summer. Be sure to visit CNMCC and check out the panels and other exhibits and keep your eyes peeled for more

Friday, April 24, 2009

New aNm Client - CNMCC

 
As many of you know, alterNative Media is focused on providing services to enhance various Tribal communities in the Oklahoma and surrounding areas. With this in mind, aNm is proud to add the Comanche Nation Museum and Cultural Center (CNMCC), located in Lawton, OK, to our list of ever-growing client success stories. aNm will provide artistic and technical design services to CNMCC for various visual components that support the exhibits within the museum.

CNMCC is committed to "Preserving and expanding the knowledge of local communities about Indian Arts and Culture with an emphasis on Comanche History and Culture" and aNm is eager to assist the Museum in this endeavor.

You can check out the Museum's website at http://www.comanchemuseum.com/ for more info and directions to CNMCC.

What can aNm do for you and/or your Tribal community or business? We offer a vast multitude of services, ranging from traditional/digital artistic design to high-end 3D modeling and simulation work. Check out our website at http://www.alternativemedia.biz to find out more about how aNm can help you with numerous projects that can potentially strengthen and enhance your Tribal community and/or business.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Report From OEGE

The Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo was a most excellent event for aNm. It was great to see all the individuals in the local OKC metro area come out for an event focusing on video games and electronic media. The staff and crew deserve many thanks and kudos for their accommodating attitudes and due to the fact that everything ran smoothly.

There were many vendors and sponsors and all the booths were busy with people interested in one aspect of video games or another. Indeed, aNm's booth received many visitors and friendly faces wanting to know more and talk about video games and electronic media.

At alterNative Media's booth, we displayed images from the digital gallery (which can also be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheyahshe/sets/72157603892304375/show/), were able to pass out many information flyers - about my book, Native Americans in Comic Books, the studio itelf, and our outreach to other '3D people' in the local community - as well as exchange business cards and do some good-natured networking within the 3D community.

Friend, David Downs came in for the "assist" in manning the booth, distributing flyers, and fielding questions from our booth's visitors. Many thanks to him for his efforts and professionalism at the expo.

We appreciate all the good people that came out and talked with us at OEGE and look forward to hearing from all of you that have 3D skills and to those that had potential projects to collaborate with aNm. Feel free to use our contact page for any communications about potential projects or collaborations. Look for alterNative Media at next year's OEGE event.

Monday, April 06, 2009

AbTeC Interview

Beth Aileen Lameman - an Indigenous friend and creator of The West Was Lost and Fala comics, as winner of the APTN Comic Creation Nation contest from Zeros2Heroes - recently interviewed me for the Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace ("AbTeC") blog, "The blog of the Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace research network."

Here's a little info about AbTeC, from their website:

About

Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace (AbTeC) is a series of projects investigating innovative methods for First Nations to participate in networked culture to tell our stories while populating and shaping cyberspace itself.

Main

The main objective of AbTeC is to discover, define and implement methods by which Aboriginal people can use networked communication technology to strengthen our cultures. AbTeC’s Skins project will bring Aboriginal community organizations together with academic institutions to conduct research into the means by which the power of digital and networked technology can be put to use in producing and preserving our knowledge, culture and language. We will work with elder who have stories to tell, bands who have histories to preserve, and Aboriginal language speakers who want to share their knowledge. The goal is to provide conceptual and practical tools that will allow us to create new, Aboriginally-determined territories within the collection of web-pages, online games, chat rooms, bulletin boards and virtual environments that we call cyberspace.

Beth asks questions about alterNative Media, my opinions on fine art, and the future of video games for Indigenous people. My responses also came with a small peppering of nostalgia for some video-games-of-yester-year some of you might well recall.

Check out the interview here: http://www.abtec.org/blog/?p=118.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Look for aNm's Booth at OEGE 2009

alterNative Media is proud to both sponsor and participate as an exhibitor for the Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo and Multimedia Conference - April 11, 2009, at OCCC in OKC. aNm will have booth space along with many other local business and services in the metro area. Click the link below to see the list of exhibitors at OEGE:

http://oege.catblog.occc.edu/wordpress/exhibitors-info/

aNm will showcase our many services and make exciting new networking connections within the local gaming industry. One of our main goals is to cultivate, support, and collaborate with Oklahoma's video game community and to foster growth towards creating a viable 3D game studio resources and talents to which regional studios (say, in Austin, TX) can outsource.

In addition, we will also have information about my book, Native Americans in Comic Books, from McFarland, available everywhere online.

Daily Oklahoman featured an article on OEGE. The article highlights the many events that will be at the expo including speaking presentations and the game tournament. You can access the store on the web at: http://newsok.com/occc-to-host-video-game-expo/article/3357567

Come by our booth, see what we can offer your projects, and say hello.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Sheyahshe Serves as Chair on NCU Accreditation Committee

 
Northern California University ("NCU"), www.ncalu.us is developing an Accreditation Committee to receive accreditation through the DETC (Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council), a national accreditation body. Michael Sheyahshe - CIO, alterNative Media - has been appointed to this committee and will serve as Chair for Divisions III, IV, and V, providing oversight in the following areas:

Standard III - The institution and program provide educational services that meet the needs of students. The institution ensures that distance educational services are designed to optimize interaction between the student and the institution in order to encourage and facilitate learning.
Standard IV - The institution provides student services that encourage and assist the student to attain institutional and program objectives, intended course learning outcomes, and his/her educational goals.
Standard V - The institution verifies/demonstrates student success and satisfaction using valid and reliable assessment techniques.
The mission of the Northern California University School of Law and Business is to bring a traditional legal education to students with an online setting. NCU offers an alternative to the classroom by allowing our students live online lectures in the comfort of their home rather than a classroom setting.
...
Our instructional mission includes undergraduate, graduate, and continuing and distance education informed by scholarship and research. Research and other creative endeavors comprise an essential component of Northern California University‘s mission. All faculty members contribute to the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge. These efforts, supported by public and private resources, are conducted in an atmosphere of open inquiry and academic freedom.
The NCU Accreditation Committee facilitates assessment and accreditation activities within Northern California University; to encourage effective and fair assessment practices throughout NCU programs; and to support the accreditation needs of NCU. The primary purpose of the Accreditation Committee is to study program accreditation; development standards for the accreditation of NCU programs; and prepare for accreditation. The NCU Accreditation Committee will steer the university in the direction for DETC accreditation.

See http://www.detc.org/index.html for more information on the DETC

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Another Critique of My Book

A contributor to livejournal had the following to say about my book, Native Americans in Comic Books:

"The book annoyed me a bit with its critique of Native American comic book characters whose stories are set in the past. Sheyahshe commented that these characters reinforce the notion that Native Americans disappeared in the Old West days. It's a completely legitimate complaint--so the complaint itself I have no problem with...What annoyed me was the fact Sheyahshe brought this up each time he discussed one of these characters. It was very redundant. A few paragraphs at the beginning of the book, to comment on the problem and mention its applicability to all "historical" characters, would have made for a better reading experience."
*****
"Thankfully there are plenty of modern-day Native American comic book characters, so I didn't have to suffer through his redundant complaint too much."
****
"One omission that surprised me was the lack of commentary on the names that so many Native American comic characters have. The only name Sheyahshe commented on was Tonto's (Spanish for "stupid")."
*****
"Overall, though, I did enjoy reading the book. It made for a nice, nostalgic trip, and it sparked my interest in a comic book called Tribal Force, the creative work of a Tucsonan."

I can certainly see how someone might see parts of the book as repetitive: as an examination of many stereotypes and many comic books, there's bound to be a certain recurring element. Add to this, my use of a very specific set of criteria to evaluate the level of stereotype in each study and you can well imagine how a reader might feel this way, initially.

To certain extent, I agree that a short foreword / blanket statement about the problem inherent to all historic-only characters might have sufficed in some respects; however, given the sheer amount of continual stories that appear in comics, movies, and any other stories about Indigenous people, the event of portraying characters as historical artifacts only is exponentially more repetitive than I could ever be in simply documenting its existence. Yet, I can see how a reader might tire of reading about this tragic phenomenon - just as I tire of seemingly only seeing Native people with fringe, feathers, and on horseback.

But, as mentioned above, there are some modern-day Indigenous heroes in comics and we should celebrate them when we can.

This reader is correct about naming conventions for Native comic book characters: they certainly do seem formulaic and stereotypical, by nature. While the reader mentions the fine line between homage and misrepresentation, I would lean towards the latter, as I have seen far to few character names that seem realistic for Native people. Good call.

Also, I'm happy this reader was introduced to Proudstar's Tribal Force comic. My hope is that many readers will also have similar experiences of discovery and interest. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment.

Check out the full commentary here: http://footnotefetish.livejournal.com/458721.html

aNm Sponsors Local 3D Event

alterNative Media is dedicated to encouraging, supporting, and cultivating 3D talent in the local Oklahoma City metro and surrounding areas. With that in mind, aNm is happy to be one of the sponsors for the Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo and Multimedia Conference ("OEGE") - April 11, 2009, at the Oklahoma City Community College campus.

Check out our banner, as well as the other sponsors at the OEGE website:

http://oege.catblog.occc.edu/wordpress/sponsors/

Look for us at this exciting event and be on the look-out for many other opportunities to promote 3D modeling/animation/simulation/video games in Oklahoma !

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Late Entry to SF Art Show

Thanks to artist friend, America Merideth, and show Curator, Wendee Key, some of artwork was again showcased at the 14th Annual Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair, March 14th and 15th, 2009, SF County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park.

Here are some details about myself and the other artists that contributed to the art show:
http://sfbookfair.wordpress.com/art-show/

You can also see a slideshow of the images I submitted to this show here:
All this, despite a (horrendously) late entry, on my behalf...

...and America spending time printing out my images...

...as well as her FedEx-ing them to the show for me.

Wow. Ouch.

To America and Wendee: much thanks and please accept my continued apologies and thanks for letting me be a part of this show again.

See http://sfbookfair.wordpress.com/ for more details about the event. Be sure to check out the "A Bit of History" link, as it's immensely interesting.

Friday, March 13, 2009

The New E-Face of aNm

 
I'm pleased to announce alterNative Media's website has received a much-needed face lift.

Click the link below to head over to the website and kick the virtual tires. Let me know what you think !

http://www.alternativemedia.biz/

header-photo_003

As always, keep aNm in mind for all your technical and artistic needs. As Oklahoma's "indie" film and video game community continue to grow, alterNative Media is happy to offer such specialized services as 2D Animation, Concept Art, and even 3D Modeling / Animation / Simulations to this burgeoning artist community. Contact us today and put our expertise and creativity to work for you !

Monday, March 09, 2009

aNm Listing at OFC Production Guide

A quick look at some recent activity at the Oklahoma Film Commission, suggests there are many big things on Oklahoma's film-industry horizon.

(See the link here for more info.)

As a gentle reminder - especially to all of you about to undertake a film or production project here in Oklahoma - aNm has many artistic and technical services to offer filmmakers and TV production studios, including (but never limited to):

  • Traditional illustration / concept art
  • 2D animation
  • 3D models, animation, & simulation
...and many more.

alterNative Media is listed under "Animation - Computer" at the Oklahoma Film Commission's online Production Guide database at http://www.oklahomaproductionguide.com/listDisplay.php?id=10575. Of course, you can always see examples our work at aNm's online Gallery or with the slideshows here at the aNm blog.

Keep alterNative Media in mind as you begin production and put our creativity to work for you (remember: work smarter, not harder). Contact us today for initial consultation, quote, and milestone schedule.

Radio Interview

Rob Schmidt, creator of the Peace Party comic book, and I were recently interviewed for a radio program out of Florida about Indigenous people in comic books and comic book mythology, in general. The show is called, "Beyond the Grassy Knoll," and while I'm not entirely sure what their website is all about, they certainly have a lot of theories...about everything.

However, the host was very polite and seemed to be genuinely interested in how Native people are portrayed in comics - plus, it was good to have a dialogue between Schmidt and myself.

Click the link below for the radio interview (running time - 59:10):
http://beyondthegrassyknoll.com/audio/sheyahshe-schmidt.mp3

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Reaganomics and Watchmen

A buddy of mine - Jeff Johncox, a journalist at a nearby newspaper - popped a few email questions my way about the upcoming Watchmen flick, which he assumed would be used as background filler for a larger article...one that doesn't look like it will see the printer's ink.

Rather than let this little dialogue go to waste, I thought I would post it here, in case any of you have comments about this topic, as well...



JJ: What did Watchmen mean to you?

MS: I'd 'heard' about the Watchmen for years before I finally got around to reading it. For many years there, it was splashed everywhere; I especially noticed its mention and reference in the advertisement sections of the comic books themselves. I seem to recall many specialty (comic) suppliers referenced the Watchmen visually and textually, at times.

Being isolated on a rural farm, I wasn't afforded the opportunity that many other comic book fans were: the local comic book shop connection. Sure, I made it to the local comic shops as much as I could, but I never just 'hung out' there, like many other (city) kids got to do. Thus, I was never privy to the 'inside-track' of what was cool and new in the comic du jour. Yet, as I mentioned, I was still aware of the Watchmen - and to a lesser extent, the hype surrounding it - but, I wasn't sure what the big deal was, so I didn't bother with it for a long while.

As it turns out, not reading it immediately was most likely for the best (more on why, in a moment).

JJ: When did you first read it?

MS: It was the late 1990s, in my early adulthood, before I actually read the Watchmen.

JJ: Did you immediately "get" it?

MS: As with way too many things in my life, I did not grasp the Watchmen's full meaning at first read. What can I say? I am a man - a dull-witted one, at that - and we men aren't exactly known for catching subtleties. Yet, even on the first reading, even without catching all the finer points, I knew that there was something very special about this story.

Don't get me wrong: I didn't fall in love with the Watchmen, especially not in the first read. Indeed, to this day, I'm not in love with the Watchmen. However, you don't have to absolutely love something to understand, on some level, its gravity and importance to the genre as a whole. One may not love "Moby Dick" or "A Catcher in the Rye," (Buddha knows I don't care for these), but one cannot deny the level of importance of these to works to literature itself.

The same can be said of Watchmen; its contribution to the comic book milieu is incomparable.

JJ: Was it something you realized, over time, was extraordinary?

MS: Indeed; the Watchmen storyline and characters have stayed with me - have played over and over in my mind - for years. Reading the Watchmen is like being introduced to the Greek Pantheon for the first time: you may not remember all the little details, but ideas and the ideals of the players and parts stays with you over time. Unlike many other comics that fill pages with fluff and filler (which is great, sometimes, if you're in the mood for it), the Watchmen is well executed and intensely intricate in the way its characters are handled.

Of course, upon my initial reading, one element that left a sour taste in my mouth was the story's delivery of a specific time period: the 1980s. This distaste came close to overpowering a more substantial element of the Watchmen: the use of propaganda.

JJ: How did the book capture the second "red scare" of the mid 80s

MS: I am not a political creature; in fact, I don't discuss - or even THINK about - politics. Much this is most likely due to my fervent attention to the political scene in the 1980s (Reaganomics, anyone?). The shame of being so astute during this time - a time of Cold War, Red Scare, and blind conservatism - most likely affects my current outlook; and prompts me to shun anything politically charged.

The Watchmen, its story and characters, are children of the 1980s, much like me. It is most likely this affinity that came close to turning me off of the storyline, initially. However, given that I did not read the Watchmen until years after that sad decade, the temporal distance allowed me to see the inherent rhetoric and nuclear propaganda that I would have most likely missed, had I read this work within the 1980s. It is this proclamation - the fact that the book so eagerly allows its story to be rooted in the confines of a specific time - that empowers its metaphors and allusions.

In short, the Watchmen is pivotal for the genre of comic books and sequential art. While the flavor of the 1980s always makes me want to brush my tongue, I still recommend the Watchmen as a good 'read' to anyone wanting to consume something of substance, in comic book form. As mentioned, the ideology and themes stay with me in my mind, which says much of the Watchmen's substance (it sticks to one's mental 'ribs,' as it were).

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Article in Journal Record

Upon discovering my lecture on Native Americans in pop culture at the University of Central Oklahoma, a reporter for the Journal Record, "Oklahoma's leading resource for Oklahoma business news and legal information," contacted me for an interview to find out more about my book, Native Americans in Comic Books and my business, alterNative Media.

Despite warnings of my true physical appearance, they even sent out a photographer (poor thing) to catch me 'in the act' at my studio.

Here is an image of the article that appeared in the Journal Record, Tues. FEB 10, 2009 (avert your eyes, children...!).

Steve Judd to Speak at OU


Here is a flyer about an upcoming at the University of Oklahoma with Steve Judd, a Native buddy of mine working the in the film industry out in LA. Check him out, if you can...

Thursday, February 26, 2009

IPI: Indigenous Peeps in the Industry - 06


Shoot-outs! Deadlines! Ash-can comics! Priests with hidden torture chambers! Mounties! Bush! McCain! Hitler! Eight-year-olds 'packing'! Bold & Indented Text with Exclamation Points!! Algonquin comic creator, Joy Odjick, shares these elements and other stories with Michael Sheyahshe in this episode of IPI.

Jay and I first met when we were both interviewed for an article at Comic Book Resources, dealing with Indigenous characters in comic books. I feel a certain affinity to Jay as we are close in age and he seems just about as busy as me (WAAAY too many projects on the 'burners'). Jay was also gracious enough to allow me to interview him for my book, Native Americans in Comic Books - to be able to include the viewpoint from a Native creative source in comics (of which, there were too few) really rocked(!). Since then, Jay and I have kept in contact and updated each other on our busy lives.

Jay sits down and hammers out some thoughtful responses to my irritating questions and, somehow, makes them exciting (no help from me!). Of course, just to tease Jay mercilessly, making the interview this spicey took him quite some time. Heh.

Additionally, please see Jay's important notice at the bottom of the interview about some missing kids. Please spread the word and help in any way you can.


MS: Background info: what is your tribal affiliation and where are you from?

JO: I am a status Algonquin from the Kitigan Zibi community (band) in Quebec, Canada. I was born in the States, because my father was working there at the time, but he was born and raised in Kitigan Zibi (KZ).

MS: Did you have a lot of cultural interaction growing up? (Family gatherings, dances, ceremonies, etc.?)

JO: We moved back to KZ when I was a kid, and I lived on the reservation till I was about 16, when I left to go to college.

MS: When did you first get into comics?

JO: I got into comics while we were still living in the states. We lived in an Italian neighborhood in Rochester, New York that had a comic shop down the street from where we lived. We didn’t have a lot of money, but this was one of those shops where they took the books that didn’t sell, and ripped the covers off and sold ‘em for a dime or whatever, so we were way into that.

My mother also had a good friend who had a ton of comics and wanted to get rid of them, so he gave them to me and my brother...and, I mean, that was incredible. We had, like, Marvel comics from the 60s in that collection.

MS: Do you have a favorite comic; title or type?

JO: I don't know that I have a favorite all time comic (The Watchmen and Preacher are close to that though) but I suppose my favorite comics character of all time is the Punisher. I got bit by that particular bug when I was really, really young; in that stack of comics I [mentioned], we had the second appearance of the character, and it was just really cool and different from other comic book characters; the black suit, the skull on the shirt...and, y'know, he killed people.

I wasn't home at the time, but once, my brother was playing in front of the window of our apartment in Rochester, and this guy comes hauling ass down the street. This other dude is chasing him, yelling and whatnot, with a pistol. He opens fire, and literally, just takes this guy out, right in front of where we lived; my brother watching this whole scene. I get home later with my mother to a literal homicide scene; blood splatter dude, chalk outline, yellow tape, all that fun stuff.

So I think that's why that character appealed to us both; we didn't live in a world where a dude in spandex swung in and saved your ass, but people got shot. I think we could identify with a more edgy hero.

MS: Tell us more about the comic you've been working on; how did it all start / come about?

JO: Right now, I’m working on a comic for Bluewater Productions called The Odyssey Presents: Judo Girl / Venus. And I mean, not literally right now, but when I finish typing, I'm going right back to the drawing board; so it's pretty close.

MS: When can we expect it and where can we buy it? (...and will there be an NDN discount?)

JO: The book I'm working on now is slated for early '09. I can't say an exact date for sure, because of the way distribution works, but I think February is the month Bluewater is looking at. This will be the first comic I've had published by Diamond, so it’ll be available at basically ANY comics shop; and I’m going to talk specifics here, to make sure that anyone interested in getting a-hold of one of these (or ten. Buy like, ten, and I'll give Michael a big discount on his copy.).

Comics shops and retailers have to buy the books they stock their shelves with outright, from the distributor, in this case, a company called Diamond. Diamond receives the comics from publishers, then takes orders from retailers from their catalog, called Previews. Why am I boring you with this crap?

It's because odds are, if you walk into a shop when the book comes out, they may not have it; what you would need to do is ask the retailer, or a super helpful comic shop employee to order the book for you, and they will set it aside for ya when it comes in. You may need a Diamond order code, which is basically like a serial number that the retailer can use to order the book; I'll make that available at http://www.jayodjick.deviantart.com/, and my myspace page: www.myspace.com/jayodjick.

I will maybe even put together a nifty little graphic or banner that you can print out and just hand to the retailer with the order code right on it.

If you don't have a comics shop near you, hit me up at myspace, or email me at Jayodjick@yahoo.com, and I'll try to hook you up. Remember, if you buy a bunch of these, I will give Michael an awesome deal on his copy, and then I will, in turn, get a discount on his book he wrote. Ha!

(By the time the interview got done, we're now IN the month of February, and as far as I know, the book is shipping next week. Not Michael’s fault whatsoever, I just got very swamped. Check out Bluewaterprod.com tho!)

MS: Keeping in mind your other talents, what is your specialty?

JO: I don't know that I have a real specialty, art wise, but I think my favorite things to draw are superheroes and horror based stuff. It's funny, because although I've worked on about a half dozen small press books, this will be the first work for hire gig I’ve done for an actual publisher, and it’s a book with two female leads; I would’ve said before that drawing women wasn’t one of my specialties, or that I never thought I’d be doing this kind of book, but it just goes to show; you never know.

JO: I just try to create exciting pages, to do things that will catch a reader’s eye, or capture the imagination, and to be as dynamic as possible. That’s what I appreciate about comics – bold layouts, exciting composition – the energy of art.

So that’s what I try to get across in my own work. Whether or not I am successful, I leave up to everyone else to decide – but I’ve never done any less than my absolute best.

MS: Did you get special training and/or education for the comic book work?

JO: I started reading comics when I was like, four, and my mother says I was writing original stories when I was around five. Now, notice I didn’t say she said I was writing GOOD stories, but I was writing.

Other than that, special training or education...just a lifetime of reading comics, and being kind of obsessed with the idea of telling stories, verbally, visually, thru dirty jokes, all the classy stuff.

But if that answer doesn't work...yes, watching horror movies, wrestling, crappy sci-fi; very serious training, for hours and hours!

MS: Have you worked on any other comics?

JO: I've worked on my own self published series "The Raven"; I self published three issues and was working on the fourth when I met Arcana Studio honcho Sean O'Reilly at a convention; my company and Arcana had booths next to each other, the year Arcana won the Shuster for best Canadian publisher.

We talked about bringing the Raven to Arcana that weekend, and I mean...you've got to try to picture this: This was my FIRST ever con, my first booth at a con, and I had a chance to bring my own series to the company that won the award for best comic book publisher on the country.

I signed on; and from there we kicked around ideas for how to continue that series, and went kind of back and forth as to the nature of the Raven comic there; I changed the title to Kagagi, the Algonquin word for Raven, and decided to revamp the series in a double sized one shot.

So there’s that, which was one of my two babies; the other actually reached a much, much larger audience than the Raven did - and I actually sold over 2000 copies of the first issue of the Raven!

I created, wrote, and penciled a comic for Kevin Smith’s MoviePoopShoot.com website called Power Hour, which was a kind of parody about a team of superpowered people; not so much HEROES, maybe, but people who wanted to be, or wanted to be perceived as such.

I really, really have a soft spot for that comic; we did some really strong numbers on it, because of Kevin, and the fact he has an awesome fanbase. Overall, it was an awesome experience, working on the comic was great, Chris Ryall who runs IDW now was the webmaster, EIC there, so I got to hang my hat at a great site and work with some great people.

After Poop Shoot closed down, I had talked with a few print magazines about picking up the strip, but nothing ever came of it for a variety of reasons.

Other than that, some work for a few other small press books and some contract work my company had taken on.

MS: What are some comics with Native American characters in them that stand out to you?

JO: This is a tough question to answer, not for political reasons, just because I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but there haven’t really been as many as you might hope.

I really enjoyed David Mack’s Echo character in Daredevil, and when I met him, we talked about the character, and his own Native blood – he said he tried to do something non-stereotypical with the character, and the fact that she now plays a bigger role in the Marvel Universe can be a pretty good thing – depending on where they go with it. David is a great and sincere guy, and I really thought that was a solid take on a Native character in a non-token role.

I also enjoyed the portrayal of several of the Natives in Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Grey’s Hex – in any Western, you never know what youre going to get, but Jimmy is a great guy too, and I thought the portrayal of Native people in the Hex comics I’ve read was respectful and well handled.

MS: What is your opinion about Indigenous characters in comics? Do you feel we portrayed properly?

JO: I don't want to single-out comics, but I feel that Native people tend to be portrayed stereotypically in the media more often than not. That's not to say it's always like that, but more often than we should be, definitely.

I don't want to rehash things I've said in the past for fear of lapsing into broken record syndrome – but here’s some food for thought.

In addition to Native people being portrayed inaccurately or unfairly in entertainment, we also, all too infrequently, see inaccurate or untruthful portrayals of our mistreatment at the hands of government.

If you're doing a comic involving the reservation system, for example, take the time to read up on the history of reservations, the residential school system, the failed genocide attempted by governments and churches. I say "failed genocide," because that’s exactly what it is.

Did you know that there were "schools" in Canada that had medieval style torture racks in their basements? That some priests threw babies, newborns into ovens, and that even Adolf Hitler himself admired America's treatment of Native peoples?

Look into George H.W. Bush's sterilization of Native women, John McCain's history as the Chairman of Indian Affairs Committee and the eugenics programs that have been thrust upon us. All too often, writers tend to examine the effect but not the cause, and I think if they're going to try to use reservations as settings for fiction, they need to look at a lot of the reasons things may be the way they are.

I'm going to tell a story about an act of what I consider heroism now, that I think was kind of lost over the years. When the Indian Agent, the Priest and the RCMP came to my grandfather's house to collect my father, who was about 8 at the time, and his siblings, my grandfather boarded up his home, the windows and doors. He told them to get off his land, and there was a bit of what you would call a standoff.

My father, unbeknownst to the government agents, was actually a few metres away, in the bush laying down with a rifle trained on the men who had been sent. He said if they had tried to take his father away, he was going to open up on them.

Can you imagine that, just for a moment - being ready to take a man’s life, at that age? Our people have a history of standing up to oppression, standing up for one another, and even, in large numbers, standing up for the countries who have oppressed and tried to eradicate us in various wars, even in the present day.

It's time those stories came to be told as well.

MS: Do you know of any other Natives in the "biz" (comic industry and/or video game industry)?

JO: Not as many as I'd like to, but I’m hoping that in the years to come we'll start seeing more and more of our people not only in comics, but in all forms of media. Or, if you are a Native person in the comics business and I’ve never heard of you, give me a shout! Let me know that it's my fault I haven't yet.

MS: Any words of wisdom for others (Native or non) looking to do what you do?

JO: Run. Screaming.

Seriously, if you really, really are serious about doing it, and want to do it, you should neither care what I say, or really even listen to it; you should already BE doing it. Screw the hacks and bitter losers who anoint themselves critics and whatnot, if you want to create comics, just create them. Whether that be online, self published, or even Xeroxed ashcan type comics, if it’s a passion, start creating some comics. The industry can be tough, but if you like the act of creating comics, just go for it! I’d love to have more to read.

Speaking directly to Native aspiring comics creators for a moment - don't be put off by the fact that there haven't been many of us in prominent roles in the industry as of yet. Our generation has opportunities that the ones before us did not and we can do anything we put our minds to.

Often, the toughest criticism of our work will come from other Native people, or those calling themselves that. I've had people harshly criticize my artwork, often on a personal level, and some of them have even worked for the Canadian government or organizations funded by the government.

Always take a moment to consider the motivation of those who would seek to belittle or demean you or your work, and concentrate on pleasing the person who should be your toughest critic by far - yourself.

MS: Anything I've missed here? Anything you'd like to 'plug'?

JO: It's way too early to plug, but here is a big part of the reason I haven’t been doing more comics stuff of late - I'm working on a TV show for APTN up here in Canada. It's a show called Pirouette, aimed at children aged, I believe 4-6, and will feature animated segments titled "Anoki."

I'm doing character designs and providing artwork for the Anoki segments, which will help kids learn some words in three separate languages, including Algonquin. I’m excited to be involved in the project, because it is a dynamic, engaging way of reaching kids, and also falls in line with something I believe very strongly in; using media to help our kids learn some words in their Native languages.

I am doing a set of three children's books with the Algonquin Anishinabeg National Tribal Council that we will be distributing to every Algonquin community in Quebec, absolutely free of charge that will also help kids to learn words. Each book has a simple theme, Animals and Places, for example, so on each page, the kids learn two new words.

Pirouette is underway now, unfortunately, I have no launch date for the series; but if you like my art, check out the Anoki segments - for more on the show, or to learn when it will be on television, check out the studio, Nish Media's website at http://www.nishmedia.tv/, or drop by my gallery, which I update with info at http://www.jayodjick.deviantart.com/. Also, look for me at any of the usual social networking sites!

There is one thing I'd like to take a moment to talk about before we wrap this up, and this is more important than me and my opinions. Two Native Youths, girls from my reserve, one of whom is a cousin of mine, Maisy Odjick and Shannon Alexander went missing this past September 5th, 2008.

Please visit the website http://www.findmaisyandshannon.com/and help spread the word across Indian Country, which knows no borders.

Migwetch! Thank you!

Friday, February 06, 2009

Link on UCO Lecture

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Book Review

Wow. Somebody read the book and actually liked it? Somebody not related to me?
Joking aside, reading a review like the one Rita Kohn wrote (link below) is very touching and provides ample reward for authoring the book. Her review is not only flattering (which I enjoy, of course) but there is an undertone of deep sincerity in her review.

I had the great fortune to meet Rita during my time at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indiana and we must have talked for an hour or so, sharing, swapping, and comparing stories. Turns out, Kohn has published with McFarland (my publisher), as well.

From one former farm-boy to a former farm-girl: Thanks, Rita; much appreciated.

Read the full article on the Nuvo ("Indy's alternative voice") blog:
http://www.nuvo.net/blog/michael-sheyahshe/rita-kohn-75-years-comics

Monday, January 12, 2009

Who's Buying My Book?

It's interesting (for ME, at least) to see who has been buying my book, Native Americans in Comic Books. At this point, it seems academic libraries are the main customers - and that's just fine with me. Check out the results of this simple Google search.

NMAI Libraryhttp://www.sil.si.edu/Libraries/nmai/files/2008-09_RecentAcquisitions.pdf
Winona State University, Darrell W. Krueger Libraryhttp://www.winona.edu/library/accessions/2008_september.html
Minnesota State University, Livingston Lord Libraryhttp://www.mnstate.edu/schwartz/newbooks091508.htm
University of New Hampshire Libraryhttp://www.library.unh.edu/news/newbooks/newbooks.php?feed=26&per=2
Nevada State Library & Archiveshttp://nevadaculture.org/nsla/dmdocuments/NSLA_New_Books_08_2008.pdf
Monroe Community College, LeRoy V. Good Library, Rochester, NYwww.monroecc.edu/depts/library/lvglist.htm
Hamburg University libraryhttps://kataloge.uni-hamburg.de/DB=1.24/LNG=EN/LRSET=14/SET=14/SID=527f75ba-0/TTL=1/MAT=/NOMAT=T/REL?PPN=106415689
University of California Riverside Librarieshttp://lib.ucr.edu/newbooks/index.php?type=Books&table=August_11_2008&call=
Ashland University Library (OH)http://aulibrarynews.blogspot.com/2008/09/library-spotlight-new-books.html

Friday, January 02, 2009

IPI: Indigenous Peeps in the Industry - 05


In this portion of IPI, we are fortunate to hear from Jon Proudstar, creator of Tribal Force, a comic book featuring Native American superheroes and a historic first for a Native-created comic books, as he shoots the bull with Michael Sheyahshe (me!). In addition to his comic book milestone, Jon is a community leader and Indie filmmaker, working with such Indigenous artists as, Sterlin Harjo (a former classmate of mine, during our time at the University of Oklahoma) and others.

I first became acquainted with Jon when he agreed to do an interview about Tribal Force for my book, Native Americans in Comic Books. Since then, Jon and I have continued communicating and sharing ideas about Native American portrayal, both in comic books and in mainstream pop-culture, in general.

Here, Jon shares some wisdom and insight from his life experiences about how we Indigenous people can begin telling our own stories (which, if you've read my book, is one of my personal 'soap boxes,' as well). Enjoy.

MS: Background info: what is your tribal affiliation and where are you from?

JP: I am Yaqui, Jewish, and Mexican

MS: Did you have a lot of cultural interaction growing up? (Family gatherings, dances, ceremonies, etc.?)

JP: It wasn't till I was a teenager that I started to experience Pow Wows and ceremonies. I'm pretty much a City Indian.

MS: When did you first get into comics?
JP: I was about five years old.

MS: Do you have a favorite comic; title or type?

JP: Batman was my first real hero that I was into. Then came Spider-Man! Now, I mainly buy for art! I'm a huge fan of Cave Woman.

MS: Tell us more about the comics you've been working on; how did it all start / come about?

JP: My book is Tribal Force! It's the first all-Indian super hero comic in the history of the United States! I had always wanted to do an Indian comic book since I was a kid. I grew up in a heavily ethnic neighborhood. It wasn't till I was older that I realized all the heroes in comics where white. I began to contemplate what would happen if the heroes where Indian, Latino, or Black.

The actual story for Tribal Force came about when I was in my early thirties. My book first saw print in 96! (Wow, that was a long time ago.)

Since then, I have been trying to find an Artist with no luck. I have decided to draw the book myself. Sooooo, who knows if my new incarnation of Tribal Force will see the light of day. I'm such a slow Artist! I really don't consider myself an Artist. I'm a writer.

MS: When can we expect to see it?
JP: I hope sometime this year you will see the new book.

MS: Keeping in mind any of your other talents, what is your specialty?

JP: I am an Independent Film Director. My first film DUDE VISION won three awards. I am currently editing my first feature length film THE CHAOS EFFECT, a comedy about dating. Also have another project titled BARKING WATER which will open up at the Sundance Film Festival. This project was Directed by Sterlin Harjo and Chad Burris. Both Natives, yay!

MS: Did you get special training and/or education for the comic book work?
JP: No. But, I had collected and read since the age of five. I had also done mountains of research on Violent Youth Offenders and Survivors Of Child Molestation. That was a huge reason I wanted to put the book out. I always knew our people needed heroes which confronted issues that are important to us.

I can definitely say my screen writing helped me out a lot! The story is the strongest part of any book or movie. With out a good story, it's just a visual thing. Those [type of] projects tend to have short lives.

MS: Have you worked on any other comics?

JP: That's a negative, Ghost Rider.

MS: What are some comics with Native American characters in them that stand out to you?

JP: Obviously the X-Men! When I first saw Thunderbird I thought, "It's about damn time!" [Also,] Scout!


MS: What is your opinion about Indigenous characters in comics? Do you feel we portrayed properly?
JP: Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I have always felt that Tim Truman's Scout has been one of the best portrayals of a Native [character]. Apache, to be more specific. The thing about portraying Native Americans when your not Native is: it's an Indian thing. Most people in America have never met a Native, much less know one. It's like the Golden Rule of writing: "Write What You Know!" Duuuuhhh!

I feel most people who attempt to write about us are confined to what Hollywood has doled out about us. Hollywood tends to keep us in a historical, romanticized view. There are very few films that portray moderns Natives in a realistic light. And even those portrayals are confined to a region. Most people think that all Indians are the same.

Guess what? We're not. We differ from Rez to Rez and Tribe to Tribe. There are 753 Independent Tribes in America...holy cow! I think most comic book creators are just to lazy to do the proper homework on us.

So what's the answer? From me, my opinion. Don't write about us. Let us handle the job. I am tired of being portrayed incorrectly by non-Natives. I am tired of seeing my peoples' ways and beliefs prostituted for the benefit of dramatic license.

What's the difference between Natives creating Native heroes and non-Natives [doing so]? It belongs to us. We finally have a voice, after 500 hundred-plus-years of being suppressed and almost killed off. So let me be the first to say "BACK OFF! !" We are here and we will tell our own stories!

This doesn't mean we are beyond help. Of course we need help and guidance in navigating publishing, business and money. But the stories and images must remain ours.

MS: Do you know of any other Natives in the "biz" (comic industry and/or video game industry)?

JP: You.

MS: Any words of wisdom for others (Native or non) looking to do what you do?

JP: Wow! Hmmmmmmmm. Have faith in your ability, learn to accept criticism, be open to new ideas. And if your doing this for the money or fame, good luck! Can't pay the bills with either of those. Be a hard worker. Say what you do and do what you say. The biggest thing in the publishing world is reliability. I know tons of talented Artists and Writers who are not working because they are not reliable.

Oh, and don't talk crap about other comic book people. This business is hard enough!

MS: Thanks, Jon. Always a pleasure...let us know when we can buy the new Tribal Force!