Graphic Novel review: Earthdivers Vol.1 Kill Columbus by Stephen Graham Jones and art by Davide Gianfelice

 

Earthdivers Vol.1 Kill Columbus by Stephen Graham Jones and art by Davide Gianfelice

176 pages, Paperback
Published September, 2023 by IDW Publishing

Earthdivers is one of the reads of this year I was most looking forward to this year. Stephen Graham Jones is one of the most exciting writers in the horror genre. The idea of SGJ writing a science fiction story of any kind is exciting enough but this concept is just beyond cool.

The concept is simple and beautiful, the telling is complex and thoughtful. Stephen Graham Jones is the author of one of the bone-fide masterpieces of the decade so far in The Only Good Indian. While I enjoy his slasher fiction, I don’t love it like I did Mongrels or high-concept stuff like Mapping the Interior. I would argue that despite being straight horror The Only Good Indian, and the use of the time-slipping around the fan is very Phil Dickian. That said It is exciting to see SGJ go full Science Fiction.  

 Native American man goes back in time to kill Columbus. We open on the dead future earth, and a group of friends finds a cave that will send the multilingual Tad of the Lakota nation back in time. Tad is the one who can speak the native tongue of Columbus. He has committed to memory the details of the trip.

The narrative is divided between 2112 and 1492. The story in the past has more horrific elements and plays with history, I really loved how SGJ was able to work in details of the real history. The story in the future is a little harder to follow but what it does is set up future volumes. The characters left in the future include his wife Sosh, transgender character Emily, and the Blackfoot Yellow Kidney. Sosh is the one who sacrificed her husband but Yellow Kidney who discovered the cave has secrets.

I am trying not to give away too much, although the execution of the art by Davide Gianfelice is so fantastic that I think it is impossible to ruin the experience. The story is driven by a sense that history itself is trying to prevent change and the very last frame shows this series is more than going after one historical figure.