Bitter Root did a phenomenal job in illustrating multiple viewpoints on a complex issue. While the antagonists start out as the monsters. On one hand, it shows the protagonists taking a pacifist route. However, with the introduction of the Uncle who decided to handle things more violently, he still only kills those who have turned into monsters or are “beyond saving.” Then the story takes the premise a step further by introducing antagonists who responded to their trauma by killing anyone, monster or human, who it deemed to be evil or in the way of progress (which included the heroes). While the villain only tries to kill the heroes after he loses someone he loved, the heroes also lost many family members to racism and they still try to cure those with hatred. I believe the addition of a character, such as the Uncle, who agreed that the monsters should die, yet did not kill humans, was a good way to still give a voice to that point of view. In a broader sense, I found this reading to be a fantastical display for a battle between two opposing ideals in regard to the question; “are some people beyond saving?” Like my favorite fantasy stories, this comic series shows multiple points of view, and allows for the reader to decide the answer by giving us two protagonists with opposing views, as opposed to the heroes having one view, and the villains having another. The complexity and method used to tell this story was very enjoyable, and a way to explore these debatable topics within a fantasy setting where the stakes are not as high as in real life. Overall, this is a great read for someone into fantasy, steampunk, and racial politics.

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