Jay Odjick facts for kids

Jay Odjick (pronounced OH-jik) is a talented writer, artist, and TV producer. He comes from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg community in Québec, Canada. Jay is famous for creating Kagagi, a superhero character. Kagagi is special because he is one of many superheroes created by Indigenous (Native American or First Nations) writers and artists. In 2015, Kagagi became a 13-episode animated TV show. It was shown on APTN.

Early Life and Interests

Jay Odjick was born in Rochester, New York. When he was a child, he moved to the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg community. This community is near Maniwaki, Quebec, and it is where his father grew up.

From a young age, Jay loved heroes and comic books. He started writing his own stories when he was only five years old. By the time he was ten, he had already sent his work to a comic publisher. He even received a rejection letter from Marvel Comics!

Creative Career

Jay Odjick started his career in comics by publishing his own work. In 2004, he created a three-issue black and white comic series called The Raven. He wrote and illustrated this series himself.

Kagagi: From Comics to TV

Jay is also the author and artist of the graphic novel Kagagi: The Raven. Arcana Studio published this book in 2011. The main character, Kagagi, is a hero inspired by the "Raven" character from the Anishinabe stories. The Anishinabe are an Indigenous group.

In the comic series, a young man named Matthew Carver gets special powers. He uses these powers to fight an ancient evil called Windigo. A TV show based on the graphic novel, also called Kagagi, started airing in Canada. It premiered on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) on October 5, 2014. Later, it was shown in the United States on FNX.

The Kagagi TV series is a half-hour animated show. Jay Odjick produced it along with Sean Patrick O'Reilly from Arcana. Kagagi is part of a new trend. Native American writers and artists are creating heroes that are modern and exciting. These heroes are not based on old, outdated ideas. Jay uses Kagagi to entertain people and to teach about Anishinaabe culture and language.

Jay's artwork and the Kagagi graphic novel are very important. They are the main focus of Mazinbiige, The Indigenous Graphic Novel Collection. This is a permanent collection at the Elizabeth Dafoe library at the University of Manitoba.

Other Notable Works

In 2014, Jay was a special guest at Can-Con. This is a conference about Canadian fantasy and science fiction.

His story "First Hunt" is in a book called MOONSHOT. This book was named Best Book of 2015 for young adults by the School Library Journal. "First Hunt" is now part of the curriculum at Queen's University. It is taught in their Comics and Graphic Novels Course. The MOONSHOT collection is also taught at the University of Ottawa in a similar course.

In 2015, Jay's art was shown in an exhibit. It was called "Super Heroes: Art! Action! Adventure!" at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.

In 2017, Jay illustrated a children's book called Blackflies. The famous children's author Robert Munsch wrote this book. In the story, a girl named Helen must save her little sister. Her sister is carried away by blackflies!

Odjick and Munsch worked together again in 2019. They created another children's book called Bear for Breakfast. In this tale, a boy named Donovan wants to catch a bear for breakfast. His grandfather used to do this. Besides illustrating, Jay also translated parts of the story into English-Algonquin and French-Algonquin.

Television Work

Jay Odjick is the lead writer and executive producer for the Kagagi TV series. He is also the lead designer for the show. In addition to Kagagi, Jay has worked on another APTN series called Mouki. He helped as a designer and provided illustrations for that show.

Jay and his production company made three audio versions of Kagagi. One version is in English, one is in Algonquin, and a third is a mix. The mixed version is mostly English, but about 20 percent of the talking is in Algonquin.

Jay's main goal was to help First Nations children learn the Algonquin language. He believes it gives them "an entryway into the (Algonquin) language." This is important because the language is slowly disappearing.

It's not just children who watch the show. Older people watch it too. Jay shared a story about an elderly man. The man told him he watches Kagagi every week. He said, "it’s the only chance I get to hear my language." Jay said this made him feel sad. It also made him think about what more he could do to help.

Language Activism

Jay Odjick is recognized for using graphic novels and television. He uses these modern ways to help keep the Anishinaabe language alive. His work helps people learn and remember their language and culture.