Geek Syndicate Issue 9 March 2014 | Page 40

Geek Syndicate A cryptid is a creature or plant that’s existence has been suggested, but not proven by evidence or recognized by scientific consensus. Few cryptids are as famous as Bigfoot. Bigfoot, the large ape-man of urban legend, has existed in some form or another in stories that go back centuries. Stories were told of “wildmen” amongst the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest for generations, but the name “Bigfoot” was first used in the 1950s to describe the mysterious ape-man. With the naming of Bigfoot came Bigfoot Hunters, hoaxes, tabloid stories and the propulsion of Bigfoot from a mere character of folklore to a cultural icon that has endured more than fifty years in the spotlight. And with Bigfoot’s status of icon, he’s popped up in a number of different works in various media including more than one comic. Several of which were in the last decade. Footprints and Proof In both the 215 Ink comic Footprints (2011) from Joey Esposito and Jonathan Moore and the Image comic Proof (2007) from Alex Grecian and Riley Rossmo, Bigfoot is a detective. In Footprints, he’s more at home in an old noir film as he looks to solve the mystery behind his brother Yeti’s strange murder. In Footprints, Bigfoot and the other cryptids willingly revealed themselves to the human race, hoping to