美国国家公共电台 NPR With This Publisher, Native American Superheroes Fly High

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Let's talk comics now. They've gotten new life in recent years as new creators have added fresh characters and perspectives. But some Native Americans say they still find it hard to see themselves reflected in these characters. A new publisher is trying to change that by focusing exclusively on Native writers and artists. The company just released a reboot of the first all-Native superhero comic. Megan Kamerick from member station KUNM in Albuquerque has this report.

MEGAN KAMERICK, BYLINE¹: Jon Proudstar remembers the first time he saw a Native American character in a comic. It was Thunderbird in the "X-Men," and he was quickly killed off. Proudstar was 8 years old, and he was not happy.

JON PROUDSTAR: And for years, I just lamented² about it and said, you know, one day I'll bring him back.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "X-MEN")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As Thunderbird) I'll catch you, you blue devil. And when I do...

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD ACTOR: (As character) Thunderbird, wait.

KAMERICK: Proudstar, who is Yaqui and Mexican went one better. He created the first comic book to feature a whole team of Native American superheroes. "Tribal³ Force" debuted⁴ in 1996, but the publisher went out of business after just one issue.

PROUDSTAR: For years, I kept trying to get another publisher, and nobody would touch us.

KAMERICK: One reason - his main character was a sexual abuse survivor⁵, not unlike an elementary school student he met working at a school in Tucson who eventually took her own life.

PROUDSTAR: You know, it broke my heart because nobody - I mean, I thought something big was going to happen from her death and nothing did. And they swept it under the carpet.

KAMERICK: And he found this problem was persistent⁶ in many Native communities.

PROUDSTAR: I wanted to do something, you know, as a young man, as a warrior⁷. I just felt like I should be doing something. Like, how can I combat this?

KAMERICK: Over the years, various publishers approached him about "Tribal Force."

PROUDSTAR: They would always ask me, can you tone that down? Can you not talk about it? And I was like, no, that's why I'm doing what I'm doing.

KAMERICK: Then he found Lee Francis and Native Realities Press, which focuses on Native writers, artists and game designers. Francis, from Laguna Pueblo⁸ in New Mexico, calls himself an indiginerd, and he wasn't put off by Proudstar's subject matter.

LEE FRANCIS: These are things that we face in our community, and we still need superheroes for this stuff. We need people that are going to be there to protect us, that are going to be there to help us out.

KAMERICK: Native Realities also published "Tales Of The Mighty⁹ Code Talkers." That was edited by Kickapoo author Arigon Starr, best known for her comic book "Super Indian" and created with a slew¹⁰ of other Native writers and artists. I caught up with her at the first indigenous¹¹ Comic-Con¹². Native Realities produced the con last fall in Albuquerque.

ARIGON STARR: Because we all knew that there were other tribes that were involved in the codetalking project besides the Navajo.

KAMERICK: The book is designed like a graphic¹³ novel and is made up of historical vignettes.

STARR: Like, say, here's the story of two Korean soldiers in Sitka, Alaska, versus¹⁴ the Japanese. We're trying to do this on multi-levels, A, to get the stories out there, but also to show language and culture.

KAMERICK: Native realities founder¹⁵ Lee Francis is working on the second indigenous Comic-Con slated¹⁶ for this fall. He'll publish more comics and games this year as well. Those will be available online in schools and at Native American community centers. Proudstar is working on more chapters of "Tribal Force," happy he found an outlet¹⁷ that understands Native storytellers.

PROUDSTAR: It's amazing because it's never existed before at this level, at the creative level and the support level. And Lee is so enthusiastic.

KAMERICK: Ultimately, he hopes his work will prompt more people and tribal councils to address sexual abuse and suicide.

PROUDSTAR: You know, it needs to happen. It has to happen, so hopefully "Tribal Force" is the first step in that.

KAMERICK: The next chapter of "Tribal Force" is due out this summer. For NPR News in Albuquerque, I'm Megan Kamerick.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 lamented   

adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
• We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

4 debuted   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• In late 2003 a full-size SUV, the Pathfinder Armada, debuted. 2003年末，全尺寸SUV的探路者无敌舰队，推出。
• The album debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. 专辑一亮相就荣登排行榜第二名，很快就取得了白金销量。

5 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

6 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

7 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

8 pueblo   

n.（美国西南部或墨西哥等）印第安人的村庄

参考例句：

• For over 2,000 years,Pueblo peoples occupied a vast region of the south-western United States.在长达2，000多年的时间里，印第安人统治着现在美国西南部的大片土地。
• The cross memorializes the Spanish victims of the 1680 revolt,when the region's Pueblo Indians rose up in violent protest against their mistreatment and burned the cit

9 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

10 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

11 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

12 con   

n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的

参考例句：

• We must be fair and consider the reason pro and con.我们必须公平考虑赞成和反对的理由。
• The motion is adopted non con.因无人投反对票，协议被通过。

13 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

14 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

15 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

16 slated   

用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Yuki is working up an in-home phonics program slated for Thursdays, and I'm drilling her on English conversation at dinnertime. Yuki每周四还有一次家庭语音课。我在晚餐时训练她的英语口语。
• Bromfield was slated to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 布罗姆菲尔德被提名为美国农业部长。

17 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。