The real life "Indigo Children" were a sort of New Age pseudoscience conspiracy that offered paranormal explanations for about strange children who demonstrated mysterious aptitudes and other abilities. Were they reincarnated telepaths, or were they just neurodivergent kids with ADHD and/or Autism whose parents sought an alternative explanation for their specialness? Who can say for sure! The idea gained particular prominence in the 90s and early 00s with the release of a best-selling parapsychology book, as well as conferences, TV specials, and more. From a 2006 New York Times article on the phenomenon:
Indigo children were first described in the 1970's by a San Diego parapsychologist, Nancy Ann Tappe, who noticed the emergence of children with an indigo aura, a vibrational color she had never seen before. This color, she reasoned, coincided with a new consciousness.
In "The Indigo Children," Mr. Carroll and Ms. Tober define the phenomenon. Indigos, they write, share traits like high I.Q., acute intuition, self-confidence, resistance to authority and disruptive tendencies, which are often diagnosed as attention-deficit disorder, known as A.D.D., or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or A.D.H.D.
Offered as a guide for "the parents of unusually bright and active children," the book includes common criticisms of today's child rearing: that children are overmedicated; that schools are not creative environments, especially for bright students; and that children need more time and attention from their parents. But the book seeks answers to mainstream parental concerns in the paranormal.
But I really don't want to spend any more of time thinking or talking about the IRL Indigo Children. I'm here to talk about comic books! Because there's a new Image Comics series coming out from writer Curt Pires and artist Alex Diotto called Indigo Children that takes the broader idea of the real-life "Indigo Children" and uses it as a jumping off point for a delightful 80s Spielbergian sci-fi riff. The first issue isn't officially out until the end of March, but I had an opportunity to read the first two chapters, and it's a lot of fun — an international, found-family thriller in the vein of Stranger Things and The X-Files, about a bunch of kids who bond over their shared Martian heritage (and the global conspiracy that wants to contain and control them, obviously).
So yeah — this is not a backdoor attempt to justify the actual Indigo Children parapsychology trend. But it is a neat story (and there's already a film version in the development, too). Here's what creator Curt Pires had to say about it:
I stumbled on the story—the conspiracy of the indigo children—that details these extraordinarily gifted children who claim to be reborn on earth after living past lives on mars. I knew there was a narrative to be built off this. Like all great conspiracies, it suggests a world lurking beneath the surface of our own mundane reality, one that is infinitely more exciting.
The story itself is one of found family. and the lengths we will go to protect and reunite this family even when the entire world and extraordinary forces conspire against you. It's the next evolution of the adventure storytelling paradigm pioneered in films like CLOSE ENCOUNTERS or E.T. It's futurist X-MEN without the continuity baggage. It's damn good storytelling, so come on the journey with us.
You can check out the first eight pages below, exclusively available on BoingBoing courtesy of Image Comics. And if it leaves you so intrigued, check out Indigo Children #1 at your local comic shop on March 29! (The trade paperback collection is expected to follow in November)
