Shaman's Tears # 1 1993 VF/NM

Shaman's Tears #1, published by Image Comics in May 1993, is an action/superhero comic written and illustrated by Mike Grell. The story introduces the character Joshua Brand, who returns to his Sioux reservation and discovers his mystical connection to the Earth and animal powers, setting him against the threats of genetic engineering and environmental destruction. 

Story Synopsis: "Warcry"

The comic opens with the premise that science has enabled the creation of human/animal hybrids as warriors through gene-splicing experiments, which fall into dangerous hands after a Soviet cosmonaut conducting the research is killed in space. 

• Joshua's Return: The main character, Joshua Brand, the son of a Sioux father and Irish mother, returns as an adult to the reservation he had run away from as a child, following his mother's death.
• The Ceremony: Aided by the old shaman Grey Hawk, Brand participates in a powerful tribal ceremony.
• Awakening Powers: Through this ceremony, Brand discovers he mystically possesses the powers of all animals and the Earth itself, becoming its designated protector.
• The Threat: Unbeknownst to him, he is destined to face the growing threat of the bio-engineered creatures and the people who stole the experiments, who seek to use the hybrids for malicious purposes. 

Creative Team & Themes

• Writer/Artist: Mike Grell.
• Inkers: Brian Snoddy and Joe Chiodo also contributed to the art. 

The series, a debut for Mike Grell at Image, aimed to ground the superhero concept in real-world issues such as pollution, ecological genocide, and unethical scientific experimentation, using Native American lore as its central theme.