Indiginerds: Tales of Modern Indigenous Life

Most of the comics about Indigenous people are all focused on two things: current grief and the tragedies of the past. It’s time for something that’s not just disaster-porn – it’s time to celebrate modern Indigenous people!

First Nations culture is living, vibrant and evolving, and generations of Indigenous kids have grown up watching the same movies and tv shows that non-Indigenous folks have. This pop culture has crept inexorably into our lives. From Native aunties beading Transformers logos for their robot-obsessed nieces, to kids mixing their own hip hop songs on the computers at the rez community center, and even apps for coordinating travel along the pow wow trail; there’s endless fusions between traditional and modern culture.

The Indiginerds Anthology will celebrate these stories. We’re looking for stories that feature Indigenous people living their lives against a backdrop of modern pop culture. These comics can be based on true stories or works of fiction, but they should all explore the ways Indigenous folks interact with media, technology or nerd culture in a modern setting. (Though, given the cyclical nature of Indigenous storytelling, contrasting a modern teen’s lifestyle with that one of his ancestors would be allowable.)

This anthology will feature an all-Indigenous team of writers and artists, and we will be looking for story submissions from Indigenous people around the globe. This would include the Maori and Aboriginal people of Australia, the Indigenous groups of South and Central America, and African Indigenous groups such as the Sengwar and Maasai.

 

Samples of the sort of stories we’re looking for:

  • A group of tech-savvy protestors have to contend with police drones jamming the cellular signal at their camp, and come up with a way to sneak SSD cards full of photos and video out to the media
  • Snagging (hooking up) on the pow wow trail gets more complicated for a young playboy when all his exes all get together in a group chat to compare notes. Then, things spiral out of control when his nosy Aunties get involved and threaten to tell Deer Woman about him…
  • An international NGO’s efforts to deter poaching of endangered parrots in the Amazon goes slightly sideways when one of the Indigenous teens hired to set up the cameras becomes an overnight tiktok star!
  • …And so much more!

Submit your story here!

 

All submissions must be received by NOVEMBER 15.

All applicants must be 18 years of age or older, and must identify as Indigenous.

  • Pitches for short comics (between 2-16 pages) that celebrate modern Indigenous life and technology.
  • Writers and writer/artist teams may submit up to three pitches. We’re looking for your strongest ideas.
  • Submissions open SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
  • Deadline for pitches is NOVEMBER 15, 2022

 

Preference will be given to established teams of a writer and artist(s). However, solo artists are welcome to submit samples, and may be invited to work together with a solo writer whose pitch we would love to see included in the anthology.

 Established Teams: Send us up to 3 pitch ideas and a portfolio of the artist’s work (which must include at least one sample of their sequential art)

Artists: A portfolio of your recent work, which includes at least two samples of your sequential art.

Writers: Pitch must include a short elevator pitch of your concept and a sample of a comics script you’ve written. Please link to some examples of your other work as well.

 

Please send any questions to [email protected].

 

Indiginerds will pay contributing teams a starting base page rate of $75, and there will also be a bonus to page rates for all contributors if the campaign meets stretch goals. For every $5,000 the campaign makes over goal, all contributors will receive a $5.00 page rate increase! Please see our past campaigns for an idea of the pay raises. There’s no cap on the artist bonuses, so the more we fund, the better it is for everyone!

Contributors will also receive ten contributor's copies per creator and the perpetual right to buy copies of the anthology for 50% off the cover price for as long as the comic is in print. 

This project will be launched via Iron Circus’ crowdfunding in early 2024. Contributors to the anthology will be paid at the end of the crowd-funding period.

Creators submit stories to Indiginerds with the understanding that, if accepted, they are ceding exclusive first worldwide rights to the story for a full calendar year from the date of publication, and non-exclusive worldwide reprint rights in perpetuity. Intellectual property rights will remain in the hands of the creator.

We don't want your characters or concepts, just your comics.