August 03, 2010

APAMA's Native origin

A new superhero arrives in ClevelandThe comic book "Apama: The Undiscovered Animal" is a realization of David's dream that imagines what David would have created had he succeeded in his comic book creating career.

So what is an Apama? With so many great super-heroes based on creatures from nature (Spider-Man, Bat-Man, Wolverine) the creators asked themselves, "What if there was another creature that was so powerful and stealth that is was still undiscovered by modern man?" That creature is the Apama. In the comic book, Hungarian ice cream truck driver Ilyia Zjarsky goes hiking one day and finds the ancient Native American scroll that reveals the key to enabling the Apama's spirit in a human. Says Sikora, "This isn't just some adaptation of a movie Milo and I felt that we truly had something new to say in the genre. This book will stand on its own two feet without any knowledge of our film."
Comment:  Native cultures, at least north of Mesoamerica, basically didn't have scrolls. And this origin sounds like a typical (mis)use of Native religion to allow supernatural "magic."

Other than that, this comic sounds interesting. I may have to check it out.

For more on the subject, see Comic Books Featuring Indians.

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