I really hope that this doesn’t come across as just pandering to the time of year. In any case, have any of you heard of Jon Proudstar or Thunder Eagle?
Natives In Comics
Creator and IP holder Jon Proudstar, has a lot to say about representation. It’s an uncommon fact that Native/Indigenous/Aboriginal/Indian Americans don’t often show up in media. Sure, you can explain the logistics, but that doesn’t change an ongoing problem. In his time as a counselor for the reservations in Arizona, Proudstar found a lack of cultural awareness. You see, life in a lot of rez’s can get dour; sometimes oversimplified and dramatized by white folks. But for troubled youths with not a lot of hope or direction, this can be a problem. For kids like these, what’s the point of anything, especially the past? Looks like it’s a job for a superhero! But there aren’t a lot that bring up an authentic native POV.
When you share a name with a failed X-Man who couldn’t really find a direction, you might understand Jon’s problem. Sure Marvel’s got a few more indigenous characters like Mirage and American Eagle. That’s a few more notable than some of DC’s attempts since they tend to blend together. In fact, according to some nerds, the first comic appearance of Amerindians was in the bande dessinee Tintin. And unlike most American comics in the 1930s like Popeye, they looked like regular people. Although you can argue that the creator had a limited view on the Blackfeet Nation.
The Origin of Thunder Eagle
Which brings us to Thunder Eagle. This demi-god has his origins rewritten at different points. Some sources say he’s Lakota, but characters say he doesn’t reside with just one nation. Probably because his father is the “Great Mystery”. By all accounts, he’s meant to be a hero for the downtrodden, especially victims in the rezs. Whether that’s from abusers of their own nations hiding behind pride or government forces that prevent people from thriving.
But Thunder Eagle is at odds with both his humanity and his godly heritage. He is driven to help the mortal world with the evils done to the many nations. But he must also keep the balance on the word of his father’s other children. Meaning he has to fight world-shattering calamities as an equal not a superior, even as innocents pay the price.
It’s why in the fifth world of creation, Thunder Eagle must gather the Tribal Force so that he has a better chance. But first he needs to help a sexual abuse victim. Or this is just the rebooted story.
What Happened To Tribal Force?
That said Tribal Force had potential to offer up some fresh perspectives. A superhero coming to the aid of a sex abuse victim is always welcome. The problem came from different factors. Obviously the original publisher Mystic Comics went bankrupt with the speculator crash. But then there’s the fact that Proudstar needed to find people to work with. The original artist Ryan Huna Smith has long moved on taking one of the characters he created for Tribal Force with him. Also Proudstar refused to water down the content for other publishers, plus it wouldn’t be a stretch some of them would hoard the IP if something happened.
Thunder Eagle Perched On Proudstar’s Shoulder
In the meantime, Proudstar needed money. He found work as a chauffeur, a bodyguard, an actor, and even an indie producer. You might’ve seen him in Hulu’s Reservation Dogs a couple of times. Proudstar did just about everything he could to keep Tribal Force going. At one point, he and Smith tried to work together again but it didn’t pan out. So Proudstar bounced around a couple of publishers where he’d keep the rights. There was Rising Sun Comics but it didn’t seem to work out. Then there was Native Realities, a publisher dedicated to Native American stories. The issue for that release is still available in digital. Until even this isn’t stopped working out.
If the Kickstarter records mean anything, it probably had to do with funding.
According to the writer, Thunder Eagle practically haunted Proudstar to get back out. Proudstar did just about everything including a story in the Indigenous American anthology Moonshot. Slavekiller expanded Thunder Eagle’s character a bit where his sense of justice puts him at odds with the Great Mystery’s complexities.
Set For Return?
In 2021, Jon Proudstar entered a publishing agreement with Machine Comix as a business partner. Who? See Tribal Force’s production designer and colorist Gene Jimenez founded this company. So imagine being able to return to this title after decades. Proudstar definitely felt ready to get back into the swing of things with new artist Chris Williams.
It took a few years, missed deadlines, and Proudstar appearing at a few conventions like Tucson to promote Tribal Force. But a Kickstarter was successfully funded on March 2023 with the comic successfully distributed to the backers. Now it’s sold on Machine Comix’s web store. Hopefully this is the start of something bigger.
The ink’s not dry yet on Thunder Eagle, Tribal Force, or Jon Proudstar. The potential is there, now it just needs some help getting the word out. Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.