(Re)Making Our Own Monsters: Critical Posthumanism and Youth Activism in The Wild Ones

This study examines the graphic novel The Wild Ones through a critical posthumanist lens and multimodal content analysis (MMCA) to explore its portrayal of youth activism, cultural diversity, and interconnectedness. The story follows four children who summon monsters from their cultural folklore to resist capitalist developers’ demolition of their apartment building. The analysis identifies three key themes: wildness as a source of constructive power, the challenge to anthropocentric narratives, and intersectional youth empowerment. The book subverts traditional hierarchies by blending human and nonhuman agency and emphasizing relational networks among humans, nonhumans, and the environment. The monsters serve as symbols of cultural identity and collective action, fostering empathy and ethical coexistence. Through its multimodal storytelling, The Wild Ones inspires young readers to embrace inclusivity, activism, and ecological awareness, offering a transformative lens for understanding identity, agency, and coexistence in a more-than-human world.