Trickster: Native American Tales (Anthology)

First, a word from the publisher: “The first graphic anthology of Native American trickster tales, Trickster brings together Native American folklore and the world of comics. In Trickster, 24 Native storytellers were paired with 24 comic artists, telling cultural tales from across America. Ranging from serious and dramatic to funny and sometimes downright fiendish, these tales bring tricksters back into popular culture.“

What Worked For Me:

Like Djeliya: A West African Fantasy Epic, Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection offered a look into cultures I am not familiar with.
The work is an anthology, meaning tales from a variety of Native American tribes are represented. This includes tribes from Hawaii to South America (even if the tribes in question aren’t explicitly named in each story).
I appreciate that this work was produced in collaboration with Native storytellers. According to the editor, said storytellers were able to pick artists from a talent pool that they felt best matched the story they wanted to tell.
A few stories include native words and translations; this added to my experience of the work.
Though these stories come from different peoples and places, it was interesting to see the connections and recurring themes. A number of stories involved playing dead, for example, or offered an explanation for a natural phenomenon (e.g. why the coyote has yellow eyes, why the vulture’s head is bald, etc).

What Didn’t Work For Me:

I understand that “Trickster” is an anthology and that there’s bound to be differences in style and tone from work to work. With that being said, the art swings wildly between “American Comic” to “Ren and Stimpy” to “painterly realism” to “Political Cartoonist.” To be frank, I just didn’t vibe with a lot of the art on offer.
[nit-pick] The work includes a brief bio of its contributors, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, they are presented in alphabetical order and not obviously tied to the stories or art they contributed. In other words, it requires returning to the story itself to see the storyteller and artist. This is more of a minor inconvenience than anything, but it could’ve been easily addressed.
[nit-pick] In the “Meet the Trickster” section of the book, Joseph Bruchac discusses why trickster stories are both ubiquitous and long-lasting: “…we needed them in the past, and, in a world filled with new lessons to learn, we need them even more today.” Bruchac also points out, “Rather than being locked in the past, trickster is very much alive in Native communities, turning up in new stories and poems…” I would’ve loved to read some of those (modern) stories, too. I’m listing this as a nit-pick rather than a full on complaint because though I what Bruchac described would be interesting, it’s not what “Trickster” set out to do.

Conclusion:

If you’re interested in Native American stories, this one is worth a look. I didn’t always enjoy the art, but I did like getting a peek into cultures different than my own. I don’t know that I would add this work to my personal collection (mostly due to difficulties with the art on offer), but as a free rental from my local library it was a great way to spend an hour or two.

Check it out here.