Book review: “Chickaloonies 2” brings traditional legends into the modern world and is a huge step forward

“Chickaloonies 2: Irrigation Paths”

Dimi Macheras and Casey Silver; 80% Studios, 2024; 268 pages; $39.99

“You’ve locked away your stories,” says Drasco, a bear warrior who is a central character in “Chickaloonies 2: Watering Ways,” to the mayor and citizens of a post-apocalyptic Palmer, Alaska. “You’ve locked away your language, you’ve locked away your culture. You’ve cut off the source of your strength.”

Drasco points to the exhibits in the closed Ahtna Cultural Center and continues: “These objects are not meant to be locked away. They are alive!”

It’s the central scene in a story about restoring culture as a means of overcoming challenges. In this action-packed fantasy story set in a Palmer ravaged by giant flying creatures called moosequitoes, the challenge is to get to the source of the plague of monstrous insects and find a way to stop them, using the accumulated knowledge of the Ahtna to do so.

Chickaloonies, a graphic novel series with roots in Alaska, is the brainchild of Dimi Macheras and Casey Silver. Growing up in Chickaloon, Macheras was fascinated by the traditional stories told to him by his late grandmother, revered Elder Katherine Wade, and his late mother Patricia Wade, both followers of Ahtna culture. As a child, he helped his mother with her work by illustrating the legends she preserved. Silver, originally from Rhode Island, is a talented artist and storyteller in his own right. Macheras and Silver run a comics partnership called 80% Studios, and Chickaloonies is their flagship work.

The first volume of the series, “First Frost,” was published in 2021 and introduced the main characters. Sasquatch E. Moji is a 13-year-old giant who speaks exclusively with emojis. Mister Yelly, a year younger and significantly smaller, is a little rascal who relies on his older buddy in an emergency, but is not lacking in courage himself.

The opening story, which was fairly short, was set in Chickaloon Village at a time when light had disappeared from the sky. It ended with Moji and Yelly, advised by their grandmother, setting off to search for their missing cousin Vally on a berry-powered snow machine called Boba. It was a short and entertaining little fantasy, well-conceived with expressive and colorful manga-inspired art, but it merely set the stage.

Watering Ways is a massive step forward for Macheras and Silver. It is significantly longer and far more challenging than its predecessor. The story begins with Moji and Yelly traversing a snow-covered landscape under dark skies, only to encounter ice creatures standing rigidly in a valley, with human forms within them. Terrified by the sight, they rush to Palmer, where they find the town almost shut down. They quickly learn of the moose-quitos – giant, flying moose-mosquito hybrids that are spreading an unknown disease among the residents – and are drawn into the mystery of where the creatures come from and how to combat them.

After encountering a storyteller named Baca, they seek out Drasco for help in finding their cousin. Hesitant at first, but not for long, Drasco sends them on their way instead and they return to the besieged Palmer. There, these four and other key players meet, and the story takes shape as Moji and Yelly embark on a quest to defeat the Elk Quitoes.

“Watering Ways” is a standalone episode within the larger story arc of the series. It’s a fast-paced adventure that weaves Ahtna legends into an action-packed mission to save Palmer from the insect plague that has overrun the town. It’s a story full of suspense, humor, entertaining characters, conflict, camaraderie, and a welcoming atmosphere that will appeal not only to the young readers who make up its primary audience, but also adults looking for a good story to immerse themselves in.

Macheras and Silver share both writing and art duties, resulting in a strong fusion of images and words. Often, and especially toward the end, the artwork alone tells the story. As artists, the duo uses manga as a starting point, but their style goes far beyond the form. Their use of deep colors creates a mood that perfectly matches the events on the page. Echoes of famed Marvel and DC artist Jack Kirby’s groundbreaking work from the 1960s and ’70s also subtly appear in some panels, tastefully rather than as an imitation, connecting the duo’s work to the long, storied history of American comics.

Chickaloonies is a lot of fun and educational. Macheras and Silver draw on Ahtna lore to create their own Alaska Native epic. Stories passed down through generations appear throughout the two books, offering important insights at key points in the story. This knowledge is central to the narrative, and by incorporating it, Macheras continues the work of his mother and grandmother, updating and expanding a tradition of oral literature and bringing it alive for modern readers.

The duo work as part of a collective of Alaskan comic book producers known as Luk’ae Tse’ Taas Comics (Fish Head Soup Comics), which focuses on bringing both Alaskan themes and indigenous cultures into the world of the graphic novel. As a work aimed at younger readers, the “Chickaloonies” series is the most accessible of the works produced, offering an easy entry point for readers just getting to know the shared universe the creators are contributing to. It’s a new direction for Alaskan art and literature, and as this book makes clear, its potential is only just beginning to be explored.

(With the Luk’ae Tse’ Taas Comics Collective, Alaskan visual artists are helping to build a broader universe)

“As you embark on a journey to rediscover the knowledge of your culture, listen to the voices of the ancestors,” Macheras and Silver write in a short afterword to the book. “And remember the waterways, for they are a beacon to help you find your way back home.” It’s the perfect ending to “Chickaloonies 2,” which brings traditional legends into the modern world, creating something that is at once deeply rooted and fascinatingly new.