Stone. (7 Generations, v. 1). David Alexander Robertson. Illustrated by Scott B. Henderson. Winnipeg, MB: Highwater Press/Portage & Main Press, 2010. 30 pp., stapled, $12.95. ISBN 978-1-55379-227-7. Subject Heading: Indians of North America - Comic books, streps, etc. Juvenile fiction. Grades 10 and up / Ages 15 and up. Review by Joanne Peters. *** /4

Scars. (7 Generations). David Alexander Robertson. Illustrated by Scott B. Henderson. Winnipeg, MB: Highwater Press/Portage & Main Press, 2010. 30 pp., stapled, $12.95. ISBN 978-1-55379-228-4. Subject Headings: Orphans-Comic books, strips, etc.-Juvenile literature. Smallpox-Comic books, strips, etc.-Juvenile literature. Epidemics-Comic books, strips, etc.-Juvenile literature. Grades 10 and up / Ages 15 and up. Review by Joanne Peters. *** /4

Stone and Scars are Books 1 & 2, respectively, of a four-part graphic novel series entitled “7 Generations.” Each 30-page volume combines two simultaneous storylines, one which takes place in the present, and one which is set in the 19th century. On the cover of Stone, a Plains Cree warrior strides purposefully across a stream, while in the foreground, a young man in jeans and t-shirt crouches in despair, the contents of a pill bottle spilled in front of him.

     Stone opens with Edwin’s suicide attempt; he has overdosed, and the note that he left for his mother is full of pain. At the hospital, she reminds him that he has a future for which to live, but she also realizes that his pain comes from a past that “has shaped us all, you, me, . . . all of us.” And then, the story from the past, the story of Stone (a named that is translated from the Cree language) begins. Stone, Edwin’s 19th century ancestor, is on the vision quest that is part of the road to manhood, and in the course of his solitary quest, he trips on a rock. That rock - a stone, like his name - is made into an amulet which reminds him of his destiny. After the vision quest, Stone is now a man; he takes a wife, and his life as an adult begins.

      The story shifts back to the present, and Edwin wakes up alone in his hospital room; then, the story returns to the past, and Stone finds that his brother, Bear, has been killed by enemy warriors. Stone undertakes a “thirst dance,” finds the mental and physical strength to revenge his brother’s death, and returns to his home, fulfilled. Edwin’s mother has told him the story of Stone for a reason: to remind him that “we all have someone to fight for and this gives us hope, drives us, even when sometimes it’s hard to keep going. But in taking this journey, maybe you will know that someone is fighting for you, too.” She then tells him of a poem she has found under his bed, a poem in which he has written of his pain, of a loss that becomes clear at the beginning of this next volume.

      Scar opens with a series of frames in which Edwin looks at a shattered framed photo of his father who had left the family when Edwin was a child. Edwin hates his father, and although Edwin’s mother understands the reasons for his feelings, she explains that “sometimes . . . we love something so much . . we have to let it go . . no matter how much it hurts.” So begins Scar, the story of Stone’s son, White Cloud. The date is 1870, and smallpox has made its way north, decimating a people who have no immunity against this or many other diseases brought to North America by the “newcomers.”

      Stone and two of is children are dying of smallpox. White Cloud, his mother, older brother, and infant sister move away from their camp, but, of course, the disease stays with them, and soon White Cloud is the sole survivor of his family. Wandering across the plains for days, by chance, White Cloud encounters his uncle and two other men. They take him along, and then they come across a camp, “a place of ghosts,” with another sole survivor - a young girl who pleads for their help. Faced with a terrible choice, the adults decide they cannot risk taking her as she is obviously infected. Moved by the girl’s plight, White Cloud returns in the night to the girl’s encampment, but it is too late: she has hanged herself. Worse still, upon returning to his uncle’s camp, he finds that he is facing his worst fear: they have left him, and he is now truly alone.

      Wandering through the forest, White Cloud falls asleep by a riverbank and dreams of his father who enjoins him to “find your strength, son.” White Cloud fastens Stone’s amulet around his neck, and, as the story returns to the present, Edwin’s mother gives her son the same advice: “face your fears with bravery.” The stone amulet which has been in the family for seven generations is then fastened around Edwin’s neck as the story of White Cloud’s survival concludes. Smallpox left physical scars and cultural pain; now, Edwin must learn to live with his own emotional scars if he is to heal and live as a whole human being.

      It is challenging to combine two storylines in such brief works, but Scott Henderson’s strong visuals enable David Robertson to tell both past and present stories successfully. Reconciling and understanding events of the past, in order to live in the present, is central to these books. And both Stone and Scars provide a strong sense of Plains Cree culture and tradition, prior to the decimation of the buffalo herds and the creation of government reserves. The story of the “infected blankets” and the devastation of smallpox is particularly effective, providing insight into an historical event not always studied in high school history classes.

      Stone and Scars may be short graphic novels, but the content is probably best for a high school audience, likely starting at the Grade 10 level. And because each book ends with a segue into the next volume, it is advisable to purchase the series; one really needs to have read Stone in order to understand the context of Edwin’s story in Scars..

Recommended.

Joanne Peters is a recently retired high school teacher-librarian who lives in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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