Canadian publisher Conundrum Press’s commitment to giving a voice to Indigenous creators has been notable in recent years. You can read more about Conundrum publisher Andy Brown’s feelings about that in our major 2022 interview with him here at Broken Frontier, or alternatively check out our review of Cole Paul’s Kwändǖr earlier this year here. Christopher Twin is a member of the Swan River First Nation, part of the Cree community, whose graphic short horror story collection Bad Medicine allows him to draw from both that heritage and from some of the more pop cultural traditions of the genre.
In that latter respect Bad Medicine revisits a number of the standards associated with horror storytelling. A mock-up back cover in the style of an EC comic of yesteryear underlines this and, indeed, of the four stories included here three of them do have a certain EC-type twist to them (two in particular taking us to signposted “comeuppance” denouements). Where they digress from that format is that Twin’s stories eschew the heavy narration of their predecessors entirely. In fact visually it’s his silent storytelling skills that are his strongest asset here, frequently allowing us to observe events on a more intimate level rather than having them overtly explained to us.
The framing sequence falls back on the campfire ghost story trope as a group of teens attempt to scare each other by recounting supposedly true tales of supernatural events. This is, of course, a familiar device but a portmanteau approach with a tried and tested history. Bad Education comes from Conundrum’s Emanata YA imprint so while the horror/violence is hardly hidden it’s not as extreme as the subject matter here might imply.
The stories the kids tell involve mischievous spirits, a ghost, and lycanthropy. The first detailing the problems a fisherman faces when he encounters and angers the childlike, troublemaking Mimiskiwaw is the most interesting in that it taps into Indigenous legend. The other two give us a suitably satisfying tale of revenge from beyond the grave and an unlikely lupine love story. There’s nothing especially new here but then horror stories often revolve around touching upon the same themes and there’s always an escapist comfort in that.
What elevates Bad Medicine beyond another creepy anthology offering though is the final story which Twin spins out of the framing sequence. It’s a very real horror story and, when juxtaposed with the offerings that preceded it, becomes all the more terrifying for the evils it finds in the real world around us. Conundrum Press continue to provide an eclectic catalogue of books and are undoubtedly one of the most underappreciated publishers out there. But equally important is their dedication to discovering and spotlighting new voices on the scene. I’ll be interested in seeing what comes next from Christopher Twin.
Christopher Twin (W/A) • Conundrum Press/Emanata, $20.00
Review by Andy Oliver
