A Toon Graphic
Set in Minnesota circa 1914, this humorous graphic novel follows W. B. Laughead, who crafts the legendary Paul Bunyan tall tales while addressing the consequences of clear-cutting old-growth forests. The narrative is enriched by contributions from Native authors and features historical maps, photos, and a bibliography, providing a deeper context to the folklore and environmental themes explored in the story.
Did you know that a mainstay of American folk culture was in fact created as an advertising ploy? Few people realize that Paul Bunyan, the legendary lumberjack, and his blue ox are the product of corporate marketing by a highly industrialized commercial enterprise. Cartoonist NOAH VAN SCIVER shows us the myth creation as real life marketing man extraordinaire W.B. Laughead spins ever more wondrous tall tales. Van Sciver's story is bracketed by rich contributions from contemporary Native artists and storytellers with a very different connection to the land that the Bunyan myths often conceal. Readers will see how a lumberjack hero, a quintessential American fantasy, captures the imagination but also serves to paper over the seizure of homeland from First Peoples and the laying bare of America's northern forests. It’s a tall tale with deep roots . . . in profit-making!