GUEST WRITER JULIA WRIGHT RECOMMENDS BAD MEDICINE BY CHRISTOPHER TWAIN
Historically, popular horror stories in books and films have drawn from Indigenous legends, such as curses and old burial grounds, without much attention to their origins. That makes it extra-refreshing to see so many young, Indigenous horror creators now reclaiming those legends and telling them in authentic, chilling ways.
Bad Medicine (Conundrum Press, 2023), the debut young-adult horror graphic novel by self-taught Cree writer and illustrator Christopher Twin, is an excellent example of this phenomenon. Long-listed for Canada Reads in 2024, Bad Medicine features a colorful retro art style, concise, accessible writing, and thought-provoking themes that make it an ideal introduction to horror for young adult readers.
A group of Cree teens have gathered around a bonfire on the banks of Loon River to swap scary stories. Each unfolds four separate tales that range from spirits that play pranks on fishermen, to shape-shifters, to real-life monsters on deserted highways and quiet-seeming homes. While the book is suitable for young adult readers, it contains depictions of violence, drug and alcohol use, and deals with missing and murdered Indigenous women. Both spooky and serious, the collection reflects broader themes about the value of life, and the importance of connecting with the land.
On the lighter side is the first tale in which a fisherman named Carl, who goes to visit his girlfriend in Cold Lake and encounters the mimiskiwa – tiny, childlike spirits who live by the river and demand an offering to keep them from playing tricks. Carl’s offering, however, doesn’t quite work the way he hopes.
More poignant and disturbing is Shawna’s story of Tracy Aloomse, a Cree girl who goes missing in a snowstorm while walking down the highway, after being stopped by a mysterious stranger in a truck. When she’s stolen away she meets another woman who appears as trapped as her – but what is she, really?
While the brightly-illustrated cover promising “Shapeshifters, Demons and Legends!” is intended to resemble retro comics like Tales from the Crypt or Vault of Horror, Twin takes horror seriously, and wants to impart a serious message about friendships, fishing, hunting, and spending time in community. This is most apparent in the final story about Derrick, who wanders off from his friends to protect his sister against demons who have taken hold of his family. In the end, he has to decide what his own path will be. (“Someday, he will find himself in a very similar position ….and he’ll have to choose …. He can keep the cycle going, or break it.”)
The final image of the teenagers walking each other home along the train tracks is a beautiful illustration of the risk inherent to being a young Indigenous person in Canada – and the perseverance, and resilience all teens have inside themselves. This is memorably summed up in the quote “still going…still going.”
Horror graphic novels can be more than just silly, spine-tingling entertainment: they can also be a vehicle to explore the things that teenagers might find scary in their own lives, and provide a controlled place to work through these anxieties. As Halloween approaches, Bad Medicine couldn’t be a better bet for teen horror fans seeking a smart, sensitive scare.
Julia Wright is a writer, teacher-in-training, and lifelong fan of spooky stories & films. She was born and raised on the foggy, haunted shores of the Bay of Fundy.