Native American folklore is the spotlight in the next Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales comic

The Woman and the Woods and Other North American Stories — (Image credit: Iron Circus Comics)

Some of the oldest stories in North America are inspiring some of the newest in a new comics anthology from Iron Circus Comics. The Woman and the Woods and Other North American Stories is a 100-plus page anthology of Native American, First Nations, and Indigenous fables told by artists and writers raised in these traditions.

The Woman and the Woods and Other North American Stories is the fifth volume in the series Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales series, which has been organized by Kel McDonald and Kate Ashwin. The four previous volumes of Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales are: The Girl Who Married a Skull and Other African Stories, Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories, The Nixie of the Mill-Pond and Other European Stories, and The Night Marchers and Other Oceanian Tales. This fifth volume is the first published with Iron Circus Comics.

The Woman and the Woods and Other North American Stories is edited/organized by McDonald and Ashwin, along with artist/writer Alina Pete, who is Nehiyaw (Cree).

"We're always excited to have the opportunity to showcase the work of incredible independent artists with Cautionary Fables, and this volume is really something special!" says Ashwin in the announcement. "Everyone has worked hard to bring together a book that will delight both returning readers to the series and new readers alike, and we can't wait to share it with all."

Stories in The Woman and the Woods and Other North American Stories include:

'As It Was Told to Me' by Elijah Forbes, a transgender Odawa writer/artist
'Cokfi' by trans Chickasaw writer Jordaan Arledge and Chicana artist Mekala Nava
'White Horse Plains' a non-binary/two-spirit Métis writer/artist
'Rougarou' by Métis writer Maija Ambrose Plamondon and Métis-based artist Milo Applejohn
'Agonjin in the Water' by non-binary Ojibawe writer/artist Alice RL
'Woman in the Woods' by Cuban Taíno writer/artist Mercedes Acosta
'Into Darkness' by writer/artist Izzy Roberts, a member of the Navajo Nation and Kinyaa’áanii clan

The Woman and the Woods and Other North American Stories is currently raising funds on Kickstarter now, with an anticipated April 2022 debut.

Make sure you're aware of the best digital comics readers out there.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)