Marginalia: Calla Cthulhu Proves Brown Girls Belong in the H.P. Lovecraft Mythos

It’s more than fitting that Calla Cthulhu, the tale of one brown girl’s struggle to piece together her identity by fighting her monstrous inheritance, should be the first installment of Marginalia. If you skim any of the lists I’ve published in the past (Five Queer AF Comics or Five of the Blackest Manga, for instance) it’s clear I have a enduring soft spot for lesser established media that center on women of color and QPOC. Unfortunately, it’s often tempting as a pop culture writer to focus on more popular (and often less intersectional) creations for a variety of reasons including that sometimes the product is really just that good. That’s why I’ve decided to commit myself to dedicating this monthly column to creative works I feel are pushing the boundaries of story, character, and style, and Calla could not be more at home. Equal parts teen action thriller and dark fantasy, Calla Cthulhu acts as a powerful metaphor for the question all of us who’ve ever fought against misogyny and racism know: How do you cope when your wits and a weapon are all that stand between you and a cursed existence? How do you learn to value your own life when there are so many people (including your own family) who either want to exploit, abuse, or outright kill you just for who you are? Who do you trust when you feel like there’s so few people who understand you? Calla also grapples with recognizable issues of respectability politics, trying to stave off violence from both her immensely powerful …