In The Outside Circle, a graphic novel by Patti LaBoucane-Benson with artwork by Kelly Mellings, two Aboriginal brothers surrounded by poverty, drug abuse, and gang violence try to overcome centuries of historic trauma and bring about positive change in their lives.

To mark the launch of the book, we’ve pulled some of our favourite artwork straight from The Outside Circle, all designed by Kelly Mellings of Pulp Studios, and turned them into four wallpapers for you to use. Click on an image to enlarge, then save it on your desktop, and you’re good to go!

You can catch Patti LaBoucane-Benson and Kelly Mellings in conversation on Saturday, May 9th at 4pm at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF)! Patti and Kelly are speaking on the creative collaboration that went into the making of The Outside Circle. TCAF is free to attend.

In this important graphic novel, two Aboriginal brothers surrounded by poverty, drug abuse, and gang violence, try to overcome centuries of historic trauma in very different ways to bring about positive change in their lives.

Pete, a young Aboriginal man wrapped up in gang violence, lives with his younger brother, Joey, and his mother who is a heroin addict. One night, Pete and his mother’s boyfriend, Dennis, get into a big fight, which sends Dennis to the morgue and Pete to jail. Initially, Pete keeps up ties to his crew, until a jail brawl forces him to realize the negative influence he has become on Joey, which encourages him to begin a process of rehabilitation that includes traditional Aboriginal healing circles and ceremonies.

Powerful, courageous, and deeply moving, The Outside Circle is drawn from the author’s twenty years of work and research on healing and reconciliation of gang-affiliated or incarcerated Aboriginal men.