• Recent reviews of
Native American Classics

• from Comic Book Resources, March 2013,
review by Greg Hatcher
“Native American Classics is another terrific collection from Tom Pomplun and the folks over at Graphic Classics. This one’s definitely breaking new ground, as I don’t believe anyone’s ever given these stories the Classics Illustrated treatment before. The art, as always, is a splendid array of talent, featuring well-known comics artists like Tim Truman and Terry Laban alongside newer folks like Weshoyot Alvitre and Jay Odjick. Every effort has been made to see to it that it’s actual Native American folks working on the stories wherever possible – both writers and artists. That’s a nice touch.”

• from Comic Book Bin,
March 2013, review by Andy Frisk
“The most beautiful collection of Native American religious myths, stories, and illustrated poetry ever collected in sequential art form.”

• from The Jersey Journal,
March 2013,
review by William Kulesa
“It is important that stories like these, which may make later generations look with greater compassion and understanding on history and possibly their own actions, are kept alive. Contained with 'Native American Classics' are stories that condemn and celebrate the history of the various people that lived on this continent and they are all stories worth reading. Regardless of how they may make you feel.”

• from Ragazine, March 2013,
review by Alan Britt
“One of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a long time, Native American Classics, is already on my gift list, along with several other books in the unique Graphics Classics series. Suffice it to say that the reproduction of texts and illustrations in this book are vibrant and colorful. This beautifully printed and bound book is highly recommended for personal pleasure as well as gifts for adults, plus sons, daughters, nephews and nieces who love to be educated and entertained at the same time.”

• from Booklist, March 2013, review by Jesse Karp
“Collecting stories by Native American writers from the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth centuries, this is a fine plunge into a culture that’s been shamefully underrepresented in the format. Not surprisingly, many of the poems and stories focus on the tense relationship with the White Man and the fading of the Native American way of life, and a tone of melancholy pervades much of the book. Toward the middle, though, humorous stories pop up, including an encounter between a coyote god and a wild potato, and hope also springs up, as in the poem ‘Changing Is Not Vanishing.’ Much care has been taken to match the appropriate art style to each adaptation, and each story—from the tragic to the funny—slips gracefully into its visuals.”

• from Coffee Spew,
Feb 2013, review by Bob Wake
“A good deal of the excitement readers will undoubtedly share upon cracking open Native American Classics is the sense of experiencing early writers at the front lines of what was and remains literally a clash of civilizations. For example, ‘The Soft-Hearted Sioux’, by Zitkala-Sa, tells of a young man with Bible in hand returning to his tribe after graduating from a missionary school. His naive attempt at proselytizing to save the soul of his dying father leads to a rite of passage that turns the biblical tale of the Prodigal Son on its head and ends with the kind of multicultural ambiguity that would do even the most hardened postmodernist proud. It’s one of the highlights of an anthology chockablock with highlights both literary and artistic.”

• from Comics Alternative,
Dec 2012, review by Derek Royal
“Once again Graphic Classics demonstrates the art of comics adaptation with its new collection, Native American Classics.  Pulling from a rich tradition of fiction, poetry, and oral narrative, and illustrated by a who’s who of Native American creators, this twenty-fourth volume of the series sets the standard for comics and its engagement with American ethnic identity.”

• from Tony O’seland, Lecturer in Composition and Literature at Northeastern State Universtity (OK), Jan 2013
“Having the exceptional privilege of previewing this volume, I have to say that the frontispiece alone is worth the price of the excellent book. If it doesn't bring a tear to your eye, there is something wrong. Well written pieces, incredible artwork, all the hallmark qualities we have come to expect from the Graphic Classics lines. If you are involved in indigenous studies or just have an interest in Native American literature, this is an exceptionally approachable book at an outstanding price.”