For years, San Diego Comic-Con organizers and local Indigenous artists have been working to secure more Indigenous artists as presenters at the annual convention. Mervin “Chag” Lowry started presenting five years ago, and spent years with his friend and Kumeyaay artist, Johnny Bear Contreras, talking about putting something bigger together for their communities. It’s finally here.
The 2025 Indigi-Con kicks off its inaugural year July 25 and 27 at Park & Market in downtown San Diego, featuring two days of Native American comics and comic creators, in partnership with the Eyaay Ahuun Foundation and the University of California Humanities Research Institute.
“My own goal was to connect some of California’s Native artists by bringing them together at the con. As Native people, we had extensive networks built on thousands of years of travel, trade, and adventure. Our people from the north knew the people here in the south, as well as people from the east. Colonization disrupted those links, and we are bringing them back through comics and storytelling,” said Lowry, who is of Yurok, Maidu, and Achumawi ancestry from northern California, and enrolled with the Susanville Indian Rancheria. “Each of our presenters has deep ties to their homelands, and each is a very brave adventurer; you have to have courage to be an artist and put yourself out there. I wanted to honor these courageous Native artists and writers by bringing them together to re-forge those ancestral ties we had with each other’s Nations.”
As co-director of this new convention, he’s working with his colleague Katie Walkiewicz, who is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and a professor literature at UC San Diego. He describes himself and Walkiewicz as comic book enthusiasts and “nerds,” contacting the artists and writers they knew to participate in Indigi-Con, securing a grant to fund it, and also partnering with the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians to sponsor it.
Lowry, 50, is also executive director of the Indigenous Futures Institute at UC San Diego, and a comic book publisher, author, and educator. He lives in Poway with his wife, Rebecca, and their sons, Trey and Matteo. He took some time to talk about his long-time love of comics and the importance of Native communities owning and telling their own stories.
Q: You’ve personally led comics presentations since 2019, and you have an extensive background in art and history, including your creation and co-creation of graphic novels and comics. Can you talk about your own introduction to comics?
A: I read comic books from a very young age. I was fortunate that my parents always encouraged me to read, and that included comics. I read “Spiderman,” “Star Wars,” “Batman,” and “X-Men.” Then, I read “Spawn,” “Wildcats,” and other Image titles when that company formed. I also read a lot of “Dark Horse” comic books. I was very inspired when Image Comics formed because you had artists and writers taking ownership of their characters and stories and publishing their own work. I wanted to do that myself one day.
Q: What would you have liked to see more of, from comic books, when you were a kid?
A: I remember telling myself that I would have to write my own stories about my own people one day because no one else would. I did not really see any Native characters in comics. I would have liked to have been inspired by characters I saw and read; instead, I was inspired because I did not feel represented in comics. Now, my hope is that young Native readers look at my work and think to themselves “I can do that,” or “I can do better than that.”
What I love about Poway…
I enjoy being in Poway. The parks are the absolute best, and the schools have been great for my sons, too. It’s been an ideal place to raise the boys.
Q: What led to the creation of your Original Voices Imprint, in which you’ve written works that include “Soldiers Unknown,” a World War I story from the perspective of Yurok soldiers, and “My Sisters,” a comic about Native basketry?
A: I partnered with several tribes who funded two books that I wrote that featured over 70 interviews I conducted with Native American World War II and Korean War veterans. The process of creating those books is similar to my process for creating my comic books now. I strongly believe that Native people need to own every step of the publishing and creative process when we share our stories or images. My work is always vetted by Native communities and I remain in my community as a publisher and creator of Native stories. I chose to create an imprint and I get sponsorships or funding partners to keep creating new comic books.
Q: What have some of your presentations at comic conventions been about?
A: I’ve shared about my different comics and talked about my process to produce them. One year at San Diego Comic-Con, I brought a couple of Yurok kids and their families from up north to join me and my friend, Weshoyot Alvitre, on a panel. These young people had each created a pin-up for my special edition of “Soldiers Unknown,” and they shared about that and their cultural inspirations. Last year at Comic-Con, I partnered on a panel with the editors and some of the authors of the poetry anthology, “Yamaay,” published by Great Oak Press. We discussed the connections between poetry, photography, and comic panels as formats for storytelling. The audiences at all of my presentations have always been amazing, so I know people are interested in my writing experiences and they want to hear from the network of Native people I can partner with, and that feels good.
Q: Are there comics by other creators that revolve around Indigenous stories/characters, created by Indigenous artists, that you currently enjoy?
A: I have collaborated with several Native comic creators: Weshoyot and I have worked on three books together now, and she always amazes me with her talent and abilities. She just had a children’s book published called “Brave,” that’s an astonishing work. I’ve worked with artists Teddy Tso and with Jackie Fawn, who are both going to present at Indigi-Con. They have each created other comic work that’s really great.
Q: One of the events at Indigi-Con is a mixer for Indigenous futurists and Afrofuturists. Can you talk a bit about your own perspective and understanding of Indigenous futurism?
A: I wrote a comic book called “Reflections” that conveys what I think Indigenous futurism can be. I also think futurism can be linked to ancestry in that both words can mean “here is what is.” This is just my own interpretation. For example, we have thousands of years of basket weavers, ceremonial regalia makers, and storytellers in every Indigenous culture. I believe each of them is a futurist whose basket, regalia, or story represent knowledge and land relationships from cultures older than anything the western world can cite. Different baskets, regalia, or stories can be the time machine, the storage container, the religious fulcrum, the food carrier, the knowledge bearer, or the storyteller. To me, futurism is not an abstract movement, it’s an actual woven basket or piece of ceremonial regalia or story that’s told. Every Indigenous culture has these and that’s what connects us across time and space.
Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
A: I’ve had many World War II veterans who encouraged me to keep writing. Imagine having your living heroes be your biggest supporters! To me, it wasn’t just advice, it was confirmation of my calling in life.
Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?
A: I really like making sandcastles on the beach with my youngest son, Matteo. If you see us on the beach with our little shovels, say hi and we will build one for you!
Q: Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend.
A: Waking up to blue sky and bright sunshine is the absolute best. Then, going hiking or to the beach with the family. That is an ideal time for me.