A Blanket of Butterflies
Comics are an excellent way to get readers reading, especially those for whom traditional novels are intimidating and not particularly interesting. Richard Van Camp’s new comic series The Spirit of Denendeh is a beautiful celebration of Dene culture. In Volume 1: A Blanket of Butterflies he combines Dene laws with Japanese culture to create a story that is enthralling and beautiful.
Richard Van Camp writes a beautiful introduction to the story that is not to be missed. He talks about how this story came to be through a series of “What ifs…” It sets the tone for the story and adds anticipation. A Blanket of Butterflies is a story of a man from Japan who arrives in Fort Smith, NWT to retrieve his family’s suit of armour, currently in display in the local museum. How it got there is a mystery. When he discovers the sword is missing, he must retrieve it from some pretty shady characters. When he is injured in a fight, Sonny’s Ehtsi nurses him back to health and helps to heal the trauma of the past so he can continue back home to start his new life in a good way.
Richard Van Camp’s storytelling is chilling and goosebump inducing. There are full circle moments that feel freeing and very authentic. It’s not a superhero or supernatural story, it's a story of a man looking for redemption and looking to bring honour to his family. By merging the stories of Japanese culture and stories of the Dene people, Richard Van Camp shows readers how our fates are tied together as people of the world. We are all connected through some thread that flows all over the world.
This story may also inspire an interest in the events of World War II, specifically The Manhattan Project as well as how the conflict over the Pacific played out. Many of the stories available to young readers set in this time focus on Europe and the fight with the Germans. The fight over the Pacific is not as heavily written about so it’s nice to have another perspective for young readers.
The visual storytelling is just as compelling as the text. The panels are stunning. Drawn by Scott B. Henderson and coloured by Donovan Yaciuk, the action leaps off the pages and grabs the readers by the eyeballs. The colour is simple, muted, brooding colours matching the time and the tone of the story. The big spread of page 7 is just incredible.
