Confession time: until Angel Catbird, I’d never read a word written by legendary Canadian author Margaret Atwood. I don’t know if I should rescind my citizenship because of this or just get to a bookstore, but I do know I was able to read her debut graphic novel with fresh eyes, without having any of her previous work to hold it up against.
Angel Catbird #1 is the first of a planned trilogy from Dark Horse Comics, created by Atwood and art collaborator Johnnie Christmas. Volume one tells the story of Strig Feleedus, a brilliant genetic engineer tasked by his new boss, the evil Professor Muroid, to finish a gene-splicing serum. Feleedus finishes his task, but while en route to bringing Muroid the serum, his beloved cat Ding runs out of the house to chase a rat, a rat also being eyeballed by a rapidly approaching owl.
As Feleedus chases after his cat, he watches in horror as Ding is struck by a car and seconds later, Feeledus is also struck. The flask shattered beneath him, Feleedus and Ding are left laying in a pool of serum. As Feleedus wakes up, he begins to change. Hands become talons, wings grow from his back and his face becomes decided more feline. The serum transformed Feleedus into the titular catbird…and that’s when the story even weirder.
I love a good (or bad) pun, and this volume is filled with them. Atwood crafted a funny, heartwarming tale that serves two purposes. In addition to entertaining, the volume is filled with facts about cats, like what human foods are poisonous to our feline friends and how outdoor cats have about 1/3 the lifespan as indoor cats. As a cat owner, it meant a lot to read those little blurbs, with stats provided by Nature Canada. The #SafeCatSafeBird campaign is designed to help reduce the outdoor cat population and, by proxy, help the bird population rise again.
In addition to reading Atwood for the first time, Angel Catbird was also my introduction to the dynamic artwork of Johnnie Christmas. He made our hero look both ridiculous and sublime at the same time, and his rendition of the book’s villain was terrifying.
I absolutely loved this book, and can’t wait for volume two to arrive in February 2017.
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