Rock art = first comics?

Comics, Capes & American IndiansComics and graphic novels can offer a starting point to ask questions about what makes a really great hero. A costume of red, white and blue, like Captain America? Or a tortured streak, a la Batman?

The comics in "Comic Art Indigène," a small touring exhibition of drawings, comic books and sculpture opening today at the National Museum of the American Indian, covers all the bases--with a Native American spin. There is Eva Mirabal's World War II strip featuring G.I. Gertie, along with Ryan Huna Smith's casino-fighting Frybread Man. There is also Martha Arquero's "Pueblo Spider-Man" figurine made of clay.

The show asserts that the tradition of comics in native culture goes back to the days of rock drawings, citing the famous image in a Utah national park that dates from 1290, looks as if it's colored in red, white and blue, and features a figure carrying a shield. It's known as "All-American Man."Comment:  What makes a really great hero is someone who embraces a range of Native values. And not just a Western-style warrior ethic.

For more on the subject, see Jason Garcia's Tewa Tales and Comic Books Featuring Indians.