What would you do if you found yourself living a legend? In The Search for Gluscap, Mali, a young Mi’kmaw girl, and her companion Puug are on an urgent mission to save the Serpent Guardian before all the salmon disappear from the river. The only one who can help is the legendary Gluscap, the protector of all living things.
From the community of Listuguj, Quebec, Brandon Mitchell has been creating comics and telling Indigenous stories for decades. The Search for Gluscap is the second book in the Adventures of the Pugulatmu’j graphic novel series. This bright, kid-friendly series does more than entertain; it introduces young readers to traditional stories older than they can imagine.
I had the chance to ask Brandon about writing The Search for Gluscap and introducing legendary figures to a new generation of readers.
You started publishing comics back in the early 2000s (before graphic novels took off in popularity). What motivates you to continue creating comics for young readers?
This is a great question, and I don’t know how to answer it. I don’t feel like I’m writing for young readers. I feel like I’m writing for myself. I grew up on 80’s cartoons like He-Man, Transformers and Ninja Turtles and with my parents reading to me at a young age. Those types of stories stayed with me. I never lost that sense of adventure and wonder with the types of characters and worlds I was exposed to. I always had it in the back of my mind, ‘if I ever get the chance to write and create my own world, I want to include a sense of fun, adventure and a little bit of danger.’
It also brings me back to the first comic I developed, Sacred Circles. I didn’t know if it would work or if it had legs. I shared it with my students, and they were excited about the story and where it was going. Their enthusiasm fueled my writing.
Throughout the series, Mali encounters legendary figures from traditional stories. How do you approach writing these (sometimes literally) giant figures like Gluscap into the series?
I’ve always been fascinated with stories; this goes back to being read to a lot as a child. Stories get passed down from one generation to the next, and there are always slight changes, but the message stays the same. I wanted to share that with my readers. I remember being told stories of Gluscap and pugulatmu’j. As I got older and visited other Mi’gmaq communities, I would hear different versions of them. I thought it would be cool to share those different perspectives in this story. The big question I’ve asked myself has always been ‘what if…?’
This series is full of adventure! Each time you turn the page, there’s something fun and exciting going on. How do you capture that feeling of adventure when creating comics aimed at 6-8 year-olds?
This goes back to my early childhood. I was always drawn to adventure; stories, movies, toys, and comic books. If I wasn’t watching He-Man or Indiana Jones, I was making my own adventures with my action figures. I was always creating, even at a young age. When I discovered drawing, I would try to fill in the holes of the cartoons I was consuming. I never lost that sense of wonder, I hope I never do.
The Search for Gluscap has a strong environmental focus with Mali’s mission to protect the river near her home. What do you hope young readers take away from this book?
The big takeaway for all readers is how interconnected we are with our surroundings. What inspired this story was the stories my dad told me when we went fishing when I was a kid. We would get up early (before sunrise) to go fishing. The bugs would be out, and they would drive me crazy. I remember telling my dad that I wished bugs didn’t exist. He simply replied that we needed them to survive. He would point out to the river and show how the salmon would be out there nipping at the bugs close to the surface of the water. The mosquitoes might be a pain for us, but they are a food source for something else. If we remove them then it impacts another creature in nature.
Will Mali and Puug be back for another adventure?
I hope so!! I have an idea in the works for another adventure.
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Interview by Spencer Miller