Indigenous illustrator Kyle Charles says hundreds of people have reached out to congratulate and thank him for his creations in a new Marvel anthology that tells the story of an Aboriginal mutant.

Marvel Entertainment, the biggest comic book publisher in the world, hired the 34-year-old from Edmonton to be one of the artists for Marvel Voice: Indigenous Voices #1.

Since its launch last week, people from around the world, including many Indigenous youth, have contacted him about how much they appreciate the content he has brought to a mainstream platform, Charles says.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e even had young people reach out for advice,B次元官网网址� Charles, surrounded by Marvel memorabilia and old comics, says in an interview in his home studio northwest of the city.

B次元官网网址淭hey tell me theyB次元官网网址檙e working to get sober and B次元官网网址� I just tell them, B次元官网网址楬ey, like, we all deal with the same thing, so I want you to just trust yourself and know your own past and remain strong in that pursuit.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

Needing to remain strong is something the member of the Whitefish Lake First Nation understands well. He had a difficult childhood, got caught up with the wrong crowd in his late teens, and spent almost a decade homeless.

The lessons he has learned help him understand the struggles Indigenous youth go through. He hopes the Aboriginal characters in the anthology will help create an understanding that anyone can be a hero despite human flaws.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 important for anybody living in Canada or the U.S. to have proper cultural representation. For a long time, native people didnB次元官网网址檛 have that, because theyB次元官网网址檙e not in any kind of spotlight or on any kind of platform. TheyB次元官网网址檙e just in the background. I think something like this pushes us forward.B次元官网网址�

Charles illustrates a story in the anthology featuring Dani Moonstar, who possesses the psychic ability to telepathically create illusions of her opponentsB次元官网网址� fears or wishes.

Moonstar of the Cheyenne Nation B次元官网网址渇aces the crucial question of what her Indigenous heritage means in the new era of mutant-kind,B次元官网网址� says MarvelB次元官网网址檚 official description.

Charles says the strong and resilient Indigenous women in his life, including his girlfriend, his mother, and his B次元官网网址楤次元官网网址淐oco,B次元官网网址� or grandmother, remind him of Moonstar.

B次元官网网址淢y Coco is dying of cancer right now but sheB次元官网网址檚 the strongest person I know,B次元官网网址� he says.

B次元官网网址淒octors say she should be in palliative care, but they canB次元官网网址檛 figure out why she has no pain B次元官网网址� She should be struggling, and sheB次元官网网址檚 not. SheB次元官网网址檚 still going to dinner with my mom and showing up for bingo night,B次元官网网址� he laughs.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 just how Indigenous women are B次元官网网址� calm and capable of overcoming any obstacle B次元官网网址� Charles says, and thatB次元官网网址檚 what he hopes young women reading the story and looking at his illustrations take away from MoonstarB次元官网网址檚 tale.

B次元官网网址淓ntertainment and creative fields have that power to inspire people, to maybe change the way they think about themselves, or help them understand the world around them.

B次元官网网址淚 hope (women) get inspired or they feel empowered. I hope they get whatever they need out of it, even if itB次元官网网址檚 just to escape.

B次元官网网址淭he most important thing to me is (them) B次元官网网址� seeing this and saying, B次元官网网址楾hatB次元官网网址檚 me. I am that character.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

__

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press B次元官网网址 Fellowship.

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press

Like us on and follow us on .

Want to support local journalism during the pandemic? Make a donation