Saving the earth from evil pioneers and cyborg sasquatches
As a young person growing up in Haines Junction YT, artist Cole Pauls performed in a traditional song and dance group called the Dakwäkãda Dancers. During that time, Pauls encountered the ancestral language of Southern Tutchone. Driven by a desire to help revitalize the language, he created Dakwäkãda Warriors, a bilingual comic about two earth protectors saving the world from evil pioneers and cyborg sasquatches.
Pauls’ Elders supported him throughout the creation process by offering consultation and translation. The resulting work is a whimsical young adult graphic novel that offers an accessible allegory of colonialism. Dakwäkãda Warriors also includes a behind-the-scenes view into the making of the comic and guest pin-ups by artists Blake Sháa’koon Lepine, Gord Hill, Teresa Vander Meer-Chasse and Whess Harman.
Originally a self-published 3 issue risograph comic printed by Moniker Press between 2016 – 2018.
Graphic Novel published by Conundrum Press
ISBN: 978-1-77262-041-2
120 pages, 6.5×10, Red & Black Duotone
$20
October 2019
Dakwäkãda Warriors Artist Talk from the One Book University of Winnipeg Guest Speaker series:
tundrawizard.com 