Bayou Arcana: Songs of Loss and Redemption is a graphic novel anthology of 11 stories created by a team of male writers and female artists, [1] first published in 2012. It draws heavily on the United States’ ‘ Southern Gothic ‘ tradition of mysticism in both the storytelling themes and visual art. [2] Much of the stories’ content is also related to cultural issues of oppression and retribution in the context of the history of Southern United States
Stories
- The Tale of Ol ‘Mercy – story: Jimmy Pearson, art: Valia Kapadai (10 pages)
- Comfort and Joy – story: Darren Ellis, art: Davina Unwin (11 pages)
- Irons in the Fire – story: Corey Brotherson, art: Jennie Gyllblad (11 pages)
- True Reflections – story: Steve Tanner, art: Alex Thompson (10 pages)
- Tohopoka – story: Alexi Conman, art: Vicky Stonebridge (12 pages)
- Promises – story: Matt Gibbs, art: Sara Dunkerton (6 pages)
- Small World – story: Matthew Craig, art: Dani Abram (14 pages)
- Grinder Blues – story: Jimmy Pearson, art: Lynsey Hutchinson (11 pages)
- Swamp Pussy and the Hanged Man – story: Cy Dethan, art: Nic Wilkinson (12 pages)
- Six Bullets – story: Jimmy Pearson, art: Patricia Echavarri-Riego (12 pages)
- The ‘Skeeter – story: Jimmy Pearson, art: Jenny Clements (12 pages)
Themes
Bayou Arcana is an attempt to increase gender equality in the comic industry. According to The Guardian , “The anthology is the product of an experiment that brings together an all-female team of artists with an all-male team of writers and is an illustration of how a new generation of female artists and readers is radically changing the face of comics. ” [3]
5 of the artists, and 3 of the writers will be attending the Kapow 2012 comic convention as members of an interview panel [4] which has been commented on by the press as another positive step for women in the comic industry. [5]
References
- Jump up^ “Archived copy” . Archived from the original on 2012-02-03 . Retrieved 2012-02-26 .
- Jump up^ “Archived copy” . Archived from the original on 2011-09-08 . Retrieved 2012-02-26 .
- Jump up^ https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/dec/28/women-comic-book-sexism
- Jump up^ http://kapowcomicconvention.com/gueststars/bayouarcana
- Jump up^ https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/dec/28/women-comic-book-sexism