<\/p>\n
The legend of the Monster Slayer Twins is an important part of the Navajo creation story. And soon, an adaptation of the story will be gracing the shelves of comic book stores around the Four Corners.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Heroes\u201d is the work of Moab, Utah-based writer and artist Keith Jim. It is his first published comic book, and the official launch of the title will take place Oct. 27 at Farmington\u2019s Tales of Tomorrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as I can remember as a kid, I had a comic book with me, and that\u2019s led me all the way to here,\u201d Jim said.<\/p>\n
Adapting the legend into a comic book is Jim\u2019s way of passing it on, he said. Jim was raised in Rock Point, Arizona, and his grandfather would tell him the story, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy main goal is to actually get it out there and let the younger generation get a hold of this story,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a really awesome story. I love it. My grandfather, he told me this story every night, and I loved it so much that I think it\u2019s something we should keep and keep passing it down.\u201d<\/p>\n
The comic, which is being co-written by Michael Fromm, is an origin story, Jim said. It starts long before colonizers came, during a time when the world was inhabited by monsters that killed people. Changing Woman lived among them and had two boys: Monster Slayer and Born for Water. They got tired of the way things were and visited their father, the Sun, who gave them weapons with which to slay the monsters.<\/p>\n
Tales of Tomorrow owner Steve Clark compares Jim\u2019s art to that of Michael Turner, an artist known for creating comics such as \u201cWitchblade\u201d and \u201cFathom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI like the way he draws women \u2013 really strong and realistic,\u201d said Ren Harris, who also runs the comic book shop.<\/p>\n
The launch for \u201cThe Heroes\u201d is the first such event that Tales of Tomorrow has hosted. The store is always looking to nurture local artists and writers, Clark said. The launch will coincide with Halloween ComicFest, an event during which free comics will be given out and costumed fans can win prizes.<\/p>\n
After the launch, the next stop for \u201cThe Heroes\u201d is Indigenous Comic Con, which will take place Nov. 2-4 in Albuquerque, Jim said. He then hopes to get the comic into shops in places such as Santa Fe and Flagstaff, Arizona. They can also be found through his Facebook page.<\/p>\n