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Angel Catbird #1
Angel Catbird, Volume 1
Lauded novelist Margaret Atwood and acclaimed artist Johnnie Christmas collaborate on one of the most highly anticipated comic book and literary events of the year!
On a dark night, young genetic engineer Strig Feleedus is accidentally mutated by his own experiment and merges with the DNA of a cat and an owl. What follows is a humorous, action-driven, pulp-inspired superhero adventure-- with a lot of cat puns.
Published in over thirty-five countries, Margaret Atwood is one of the most important living writers of our day and is the author of more than forty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays. Her work has won the Man Booker Prize, the Giller Prize, Premio Mondello, and more. Angel Catbird is her first graphic novel series.
Atwood's The Blind Assassin was named one of Time magazine's 100 best English-language novels published since 1923 and her recent MaddAddam Trilogy is currently being adapted into an HBO television show by Darren Aronofsky
On a dark night, young genetic engineer Strig Feleedus is accidentally mutated by his own experiment and merges with the DNA of a cat and an owl. What follows is a humorous, action-driven, pulp-inspired superhero adventure-- with a lot of cat puns.
Published in over thirty-five countries, Margaret Atwood is one of the most important living writers of our day and is the author of more than forty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays. Her work has won the Man Booker Prize, the Giller Prize, Premio Mondello, and more. Angel Catbird is her first graphic novel series.
Atwood's The Blind Assassin was named one of Time magazine's 100 best English-language novels published since 1923 and her recent MaddAddam Trilogy is currently being adapted into an HBO television show by Darren Aronofsky
116 pages, Hardcover
First published September 6, 2016
57 people are currently reading
3374 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Atwood
664 books89.3k followersMargaret Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa and grew up in northern Ontario, Quebec, and Toronto. She received her undergraduate degree from Victoria College at the University of Toronto and her master's degree from Radcliffe College.
Throughout her writing career, Margaret Atwood has received numerous awards and honourary degrees. She is the author of more than thirty-five volumes of poetry, children’s literature, fiction, and non-fiction and is perhaps best known for her novels, which include The Edible Woman (1970), The Handmaid's Tale (1983), The Robber Bride (1994), Alias Grace (1996), and The Blind Assassin, which won the prestigious Booker Prize in 2000. Atwood's dystopic novel, Oryx and Crake, was published in 2003. The Tent (mini-fictions) and Moral Disorder (short stories) both appeared in 2006. Her most recent volume of poetry, The Door, was published in 2007. Her non-fiction book, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth in the Massey series, appeared in 2008, and her most recent novel, The Year of the Flood, in the autumn of 2009. Ms. Atwood's work has been published in more than forty languages, including Farsi, Japanese, Turkish, Finnish, Korean, Icelandic and Estonian. In 2004 she co-invented the Long Pen TM.
Margaret Atwood currently lives in Toronto with writer Graeme Gibson.
Associations: Margaret Atwood was President of the Writers' Union of Canada from May 1981 to May 1982, and was President of International P.E.N., Canadian Centre (English Speaking) from 1984-1986. She and Graeme Gibson are the Joint Honourary Presidents of the Rare Bird Society within BirdLife International. Ms. Atwood is also a current Vice-President of PEN International.
Throughout her writing career, Margaret Atwood has received numerous awards and honourary degrees. She is the author of more than thirty-five volumes of poetry, children’s literature, fiction, and non-fiction and is perhaps best known for her novels, which include The Edible Woman (1970), The Handmaid's Tale (1983), The Robber Bride (1994), Alias Grace (1996), and The Blind Assassin, which won the prestigious Booker Prize in 2000. Atwood's dystopic novel, Oryx and Crake, was published in 2003. The Tent (mini-fictions) and Moral Disorder (short stories) both appeared in 2006. Her most recent volume of poetry, The Door, was published in 2007. Her non-fiction book, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth in the Massey series, appeared in 2008, and her most recent novel, The Year of the Flood, in the autumn of 2009. Ms. Atwood's work has been published in more than forty languages, including Farsi, Japanese, Turkish, Finnish, Korean, Icelandic and Estonian. In 2004 she co-invented the Long Pen TM.
Margaret Atwood currently lives in Toronto with writer Graeme Gibson.
Associations: Margaret Atwood was President of the Writers' Union of Canada from May 1981 to May 1982, and was President of International P.E.N., Canadian Centre (English Speaking) from 1984-1986. She and Graeme Gibson are the Joint Honourary Presidents of the Rare Bird Society within BirdLife International. Ms. Atwood is also a current Vice-President of PEN International.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 902 reviews
September 30, 2016
Was this meant to be so ridiculously bad?
August 12, 2016
I was super excited by the idea of this graphic novel, of reading one of my favorite authors in a new genre, etc. I don't want to sour the broth but I was left pretty unsatisfied.
If you read this as "aging author writes something fun because she's the queen and who will stop her," then I suppose it does what it is setting out to do. It shows in the silliness of the subject matter and in the seemingly strange PSA type infospots on cat health throughout the pages.
As a graphic novel, the art is well done; I enjoyed the commentary on the designs and coloring at the end of the review copy. It was fun to see where Margaret Atwood got involved in the costume design and visualizing the characters.
It is surprising to me that it is the story itself that I find issue. The good vs. evil is so simplistic I can't see how it will even play out in further volumes. There were zero surprises and few depths of characters or back stories. Not what I'd usually expect from her, and not even what I'd expect from a graphic novel. Not in a universe where we have complex worlds like in the Sandman, fresh new characters like Ms. Marvel, and new ideas like in Saga.
And then I was disappointed that I was so disappointed. I worry I missed something, maybe that the entire project is tongue-in-cheek. I think that was a fine place to start but I would have worked harder on story.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me early access through Edelweiss.
If you read this as "aging author writes something fun because she's the queen and who will stop her," then I suppose it does what it is setting out to do. It shows in the silliness of the subject matter and in the seemingly strange PSA type infospots on cat health throughout the pages.
As a graphic novel, the art is well done; I enjoyed the commentary on the designs and coloring at the end of the review copy. It was fun to see where Margaret Atwood got involved in the costume design and visualizing the characters.
It is surprising to me that it is the story itself that I find issue. The good vs. evil is so simplistic I can't see how it will even play out in further volumes. There were zero surprises and few depths of characters or back stories. Not what I'd usually expect from her, and not even what I'd expect from a graphic novel. Not in a universe where we have complex worlds like in the Sandman, fresh new characters like Ms. Marvel, and new ideas like in Saga.
And then I was disappointed that I was so disappointed. I worry I missed something, maybe that the entire project is tongue-in-cheek. I think that was a fine place to start but I would have worked harder on story.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me early access through Edelweiss.
September 24, 2016
Wow, for a debut work this one sure is fantastic made. And what is even more awesome we get to see parts of how the story came to live and the idea behind it. I have to say the sketches and posters at the end of the story are just amazingly well done! I love the detail in each of them and I think that really made me like the story even more. All the different characters, each one of them super unique and fun, just a charry on the cake! Also the plot is interesting, fresh and besides the action and mystery we also get a hint of romance. I only wished we'd got more of the story, but the second volume is coming out in February, so I guess we'll just have to wait for that one to come to see how the story continues.
All in all, I loved the artword, plot and even the rat guy (imagine that!). Just a fun quick read! Definitely recommend! :)
All in all, I loved the artword, plot and even the rat guy (imagine that!). Just a fun quick read! Definitely recommend! :)
January 22, 2020
“Why such a nice old lady messing around with flying cat-owl superheroes and nightclubs for cat people, not to mention giant rat men? Strange”. Margaret Atwood did predict that a comic book project such as this one, coming from an author such as her, would make a few readers raise an eyebrow. What she probably did not perceive is that it’s not so much the nature of the project as the quality of the final result which is surprising.
Atwood has been, according to what she says in the introduction to this volume, a comic books fan since after WWII, and incidentally, a cat fan too; so this, it seems, was a book project close to her heart. Unfortunately, the story is so formulaic, the dialogues so dull, the artwork so ugly (not to mention the RSPCA-like blurb that interrupts the reading every couple of pages), that I will probably leave this series at that.
Finally, Atwood certainly knows that her story about cats and mice persecuting each other would bring Spiegelman's Maus to mind. Why write a story that, with this massive reference in the background, could be interpreted in the wrong way? Strange indeed.
Atwood has been, according to what she says in the introduction to this volume, a comic books fan since after WWII, and incidentally, a cat fan too; so this, it seems, was a book project close to her heart. Unfortunately, the story is so formulaic, the dialogues so dull, the artwork so ugly (not to mention the RSPCA-like blurb that interrupts the reading every couple of pages), that I will probably leave this series at that.
Finally, Atwood certainly knows that her story about cats and mice persecuting each other would bring Spiegelman's Maus to mind. Why write a story that, with this massive reference in the background, could be interpreted in the wrong way? Strange indeed.
September 20, 2016
One of our greatest living novelists writes a story for a graphic novel when she is 77. Which doesn't mean everything she writes is great, of course, but when she does write a comic, you get curious. In an introduction, she reveals she grew up reading comics, a move she makes to approach credibility, but this doesn't still make her a decent contemporary comics reader or writer. She also is a bird advocate. So she creates basically this psa for preserving birds, suggesting cats stay indoors, with a pretty lamely written story and little factoid panels about birds and cats scattered irritatingly throughout.
Dark Horse hired Johnny Christmas to do the drawing, with Tamra Bonvillain as colorist, but the work is just okay. And the writing, oy: Lots of lame puns. It is somewhat pulp-inspired, given what Atwood read when growing up in the late forties and fifties. And maybe intended for YA readers because of the escapism on the one hand and the animal didacticism on the other hand. But nah. Not well-written, not a very good comic.
Dark Horse hired Johnny Christmas to do the drawing, with Tamra Bonvillain as colorist, but the work is just okay. And the writing, oy: Lots of lame puns. It is somewhat pulp-inspired, given what Atwood read when growing up in the late forties and fifties. And maybe intended for YA readers because of the escapism on the one hand and the animal didacticism on the other hand. But nah. Not well-written, not a very good comic.
June 3, 2020
This book is so goofy (not in a good way) I could barely get through it. The character motivations are completely unrealistic. The premise is just dumb. There's all these stupid asides where the people try not to act like the animal they are crossed with. The book feels like it was written by a preteen not an acclaimed novelist.
Received an advance copy from NetGalley and Dark Horse in exchange for an honest review.
Received an advance copy from NetGalley and Dark Horse in exchange for an honest review.
October 25, 2016
Atwood says in her introduction that she grew up on old comics, both in magazine form and in the papers.
It shows.
This is corny, written like a throwback but without any nuance that shows the author understands readers don't read comics in the same way anymore, that they're not quick pictorial stories for children, they're full-on novels for all ages. As such, this one does not hit the mark, not by a longshot.
In this particular installment, nerdy dude Stig Feleedus was headhunted by a mad scientist-ish person, Dr. A. Muroid, who wants him to work on a top secret project, a serum that splices genes, ostensibly to cure diseases but, as we see just a few panels later, it's really to turn a bunch of female rats into a harem of hot rat women. Turns out, Stig's predecessor, a guy who was worried someone would steal his work and use it to bad ends, was MURDERED, and Stig's here to piece the work back together. This information comes via new co-worker Cate Leone (yes, you read that right) As Stig works all night to figure out the missing component in the top secret project (Spoiler: it's baking soda. That's what the murdered predecessor left out of the formula so that no one could use it to make harems of rat women) he is able to whip up the formula just as Dr. Muroid, boss and maniac, calls to ask for a progress report and demands Stig come into the office immediately upon finding out about Stig's success. But oh no! As Stig runs from the house with a beaker of blue serum in his hand, his housecat, Ding (yes, short for Schrödinger) runs out of the house to chase a rat that just appeared. Stig chases his beloved pet who is now also the target of an owl (maybe the mysterious rat is the owl's intended prey, there's really no telling) and all three - man, cat, and owl - are hit by an oncoming car in the residential street. And that's why we always obey the speed limit. But lo and behold! The serum falls from Stig's hand, the beaker breaks and the blue formula puddles around the bodies. The car drives off and we see that the obviously-evil Dr. Muroid inside, cackling over how his trained robo-rat was really worth the time and effort he put in to making it. Furthermore, he's happy that Stig is out of the picture and the only batch of serum has been ruined. Now he plans to go to the office and take the serum recipe from Stig's work computer...only...um...Stig made the serum at home and I don't think he uploaded the recipe to the work computer so Muroid is in the same position he was in before hiring Stig to discover baking soda. But whatever. The point here is that Stig wakes up, grows wings and bird-of-prey talons along with a cat face and tail. It's like the owl and the pussycat went to sea and then had a terrible accident and became a nerdy guy who can fly and wants to eat rats.
Stig isn't aware of what happened because he slammed into a brick wall and woke up as a human so figured it was all a dream. Off to work he goes the next day only to realize that Cate Leone is super hot and that his boss is a rat. Literally. He and Cate have lunch and she explains that she's a half-cat person and she can tell he is, too, only she also smells feathers on him and then she says that the boss is half-rat and to be careful and then there's a cat nightclub where Cate is kind of a boss and she wears a barbarian bikini and rats try to take over the city and Angel Catbird gets his name and OMG what IS this shit?
Bad. Bad is what it is.
July 22, 2024
This feels a bit oversimplified. Strig Feleedus (yeah, if you hate punning names, you're really not going to like this book) is a genetics engineer who gets into an accident with an experimental formula that basically gives him the combined powers of a cat and an owl. This draws him into a fight between cat people and rat people, and the story will be continued in the next volume.
Unfortunately, Atwood makes the same mistake that many "real" writers make in transitioning to comics by assuming that a more simple, unsophisticated tone is necessary, by dumbing things down. "It's just comics," seems to be the unspoken assumption behind much of this project. While it's possible that this was written with an eye toward a younger audience, I doubt they would enjoy being talked down to any more than I do.
I don't mean to imply that this is a complete disaster. There are some fun concepts and characters here. The artwork is lovely; Johnny Christmas is one to watch. Atwood's writing is strongest on the little details of applying catlike ways of thinking to humans, Strig's dilemma about saving a baby bird or eating it for instance. There's just an overall lack of polish and deliberate crudeness in the way the story is constructed and told that grates on me. It feels like Atwood is slumming, thinking she doesn't have to do her best because, "It's just comics."
I also don't care for all the cat factoids that pop up on the bottom of random pages. I get that they're well-intentioned, but they interrupt the flow of the story, and would probably have been better off on a page or two by themselves toward the end of the book.
The book is rounded out--almost doubled in length, really--by character sketches, pinups, coloring process demonstrations, and the like. All in all, it's not bad. Kind of fun, even. Just don't go in expecting much.
Unfortunately, Atwood makes the same mistake that many "real" writers make in transitioning to comics by assuming that a more simple, unsophisticated tone is necessary, by dumbing things down. "It's just comics," seems to be the unspoken assumption behind much of this project. While it's possible that this was written with an eye toward a younger audience, I doubt they would enjoy being talked down to any more than I do.
I don't mean to imply that this is a complete disaster. There are some fun concepts and characters here. The artwork is lovely; Johnny Christmas is one to watch. Atwood's writing is strongest on the little details of applying catlike ways of thinking to humans, Strig's dilemma about saving a baby bird or eating it for instance. There's just an overall lack of polish and deliberate crudeness in the way the story is constructed and told that grates on me. It feels like Atwood is slumming, thinking she doesn't have to do her best because, "It's just comics."
I also don't care for all the cat factoids that pop up on the bottom of random pages. I get that they're well-intentioned, but they interrupt the flow of the story, and would probably have been better off on a page or two by themselves toward the end of the book.
The book is rounded out--almost doubled in length, really--by character sketches, pinups, coloring process demonstrations, and the like. All in all, it's not bad. Kind of fun, even. Just don't go in expecting much.
April 1, 2017
I know, I know! I made this pledge to read at least fifty percent non-fiction books this year so what am I doing reading a comic book with such a goofy title: Angel Catbird???
Let me just say, sometimes we find books, as in recommendations from friends or reviews, and sometimes a marvelous serendipity sends books to find us as in the right book for whatever mood we are in.
Angel Catbird is a comic book by one of my favorite authors that found me when I needed some levity in my life.
A few weeks back an interview with Margaret Atwood attracted my attention because it was on such an unexpected topic - her love of cartooning as a child and her creation of a comic book with cat character. Already I was laughing? Really???
Not only do I share a Canadian background with Atwood but I,too, was an avid reader of comic books as a kid. In fact one of my memorable traumas was losing my entire comic book collection as a new teenager when my dads car was demolished in an accident the week after we moved to California. Still shedding tears! So the fact that Atwood could revive her childhood pleasures drawing cat cartoons and creating a few Marvel style heroes was worth a look.
Soooo - what was the book like? Super playful, a bit silly, full of cat puns, and channeling Atwood's guilty awareness of the fragile cat/bird balance in nature: "From this collision between my comic-reading-and-writing self and the bird blood on my hands, Angel Catbird was born. I pondered him for several years, and even did some preliminary sketches. He would be a combination of cat, owl, and human being, and he would thus have an identity conflict - do I save this baby robin or do I eat it? But he would be able to understand both sides of the question. He would be a walking, talking, flying carnivore's dilemma." (From her biographical forward)
Who are the characters? Stig Feleedus, like Spider-Man, falls victim to science run awry and turns into an owl-cat being. There are some pretty hilarious scenes here. The femme-fatale is Cate Leon a half cat whose fancy go-go dancer outfit for the Catastrophe nightclub was designed by Atwood, a Count Catula - part
Let me just say, sometimes we find books, as in recommendations from friends or reviews, and sometimes a marvelous serendipity sends books to find us as in the right book for whatever mood we are in.
Angel Catbird is a comic book by one of my favorite authors that found me when I needed some levity in my life.
A few weeks back an interview with Margaret Atwood attracted my attention because it was on such an unexpected topic - her love of cartooning as a child and her creation of a comic book with cat character. Already I was laughing? Really???
Not only do I share a Canadian background with Atwood but I,too, was an avid reader of comic books as a kid. In fact one of my memorable traumas was losing my entire comic book collection as a new teenager when my dads car was demolished in an accident the week after we moved to California. Still shedding tears! So the fact that Atwood could revive her childhood pleasures drawing cat cartoons and creating a few Marvel style heroes was worth a look.
Soooo - what was the book like? Super playful, a bit silly, full of cat puns, and channeling Atwood's guilty awareness of the fragile cat/bird balance in nature: "From this collision between my comic-reading-and-writing self and the bird blood on my hands, Angel Catbird was born. I pondered him for several years, and even did some preliminary sketches. He would be a combination of cat, owl, and human being, and he would thus have an identity conflict - do I save this baby robin or do I eat it? But he would be able to understand both sides of the question. He would be a walking, talking, flying carnivore's dilemma." (From her biographical forward)
Who are the characters? Stig Feleedus, like Spider-Man, falls victim to science run awry and turns into an owl-cat being. There are some pretty hilarious scenes here. The femme-fatale is Cate Leon a half cat whose fancy go-go dancer outfit for the Catastrophe nightclub was designed by Atwood, a Count Catula - part
March 11, 2017
This is really sad because Margaret Atwood is a love of mine, and I adore her beyond belief, and I wanted this to be good. But it really, really isn't. MAYBE, MAYBE if you really love cats, you might be able to throw another star on top of my two stars, for the little RSPCA tidbits every couple pages, but I found them to be totally ridiculous. They just interrupted the flow of an already painful reading experience, and basically turned this into a pamphlet for cats rather than a graphic novel. The art was pretty terrible, and so was the story line and dialogue.. this was literally like reading a comic made for a child. There were a few brief moments of things that might be for adult audiences, but most of the time this was like reading a really cheesy children's comic. Two stars is being generous but I added that second star just because I liked the Rat villain. He was artistically the best part about the whole thing, not his character specifically or what it brought to the story line but rather just his aesthetics. He was so ugly and ratty, which was of course the point;)
I already bought the 2 volume so I'll prob end up reading it but if it wasn't already purchased, I wouldn't bother.
I already bought the 2 volume so I'll prob end up reading it but if it wasn't already purchased, I wouldn't bother.
December 11, 2016
A scientist invents a formula that accidentally turns him into a half-cat, half-bird superhero. His boss repeatedly tries to steal the formula in hopes of turning his army of rats into half-humans that can take over the world.
This was really, really bad. Incredibly clunky dialog, characters as flat as cardboard, very simplistic plot and action, the ONLY female character exists purely to spout exposition and get saved from danger. Instead of nuanced characters or humor, everything is a cheap cat-related pun. Here's a scene from a night club that caters to half-cats, with characters named things like Babushkat, Cat O' Nine Tales, Octopuss, and Count Catula.
Why did every one of them dress in some sort of themed costume that matches their crappy pun-name? Why did that one mummy cat character bring her kids to a night club? Why is the love interest wearing a fur bikini?
The whole comic is incredibly disappointing. There's no imagination, no invention, nothing thoughtful. It's frankly insulting that it got published in this form.
This was really, really bad. Incredibly clunky dialog, characters as flat as cardboard, very simplistic plot and action, the ONLY female character exists purely to spout exposition and get saved from danger. Instead of nuanced characters or humor, everything is a cheap cat-related pun. Here's a scene from a night club that caters to half-cats, with characters named things like Babushkat, Cat O' Nine Tales, Octopuss, and Count Catula.
Why did every one of them dress in some sort of themed costume that matches their crappy pun-name? Why did that one mummy cat character bring her kids to a night club? Why is the love interest wearing a fur bikini?
The whole comic is incredibly disappointing. There's no imagination, no invention, nothing thoughtful. It's frankly insulting that it got published in this form.
September 8, 2016
this is so weird but I kinda liked it? once you accept its strangeness, it's very fun. it has the same or even more puns (cat related, I might add) than any Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. the story isn't that innovative but it's definitely something I wouldn't mind picking up again. also, amazing art because making good human/animal hybrids is hard af.
full review here: https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2016/0...
full review here: https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2016/0...
October 15, 2016
I enjoyed this. I found the bit about educating the reader about cats to be a bit over the top, to be honest. Yet, the artwork and story were fun.
Read
July 8, 2018This book could not decide whether it was a fun children's story, an ironic adult riff on classic superhero comics, or a PSA about how to keep your cat. Yes, that combination is as bizarre as it sounds. You can read it for the sheer "What was she THINKING?!", but I wouldn't spend money on it. (And that is before we get into discussing Atwood's recent public stances.)
Also, it made me finally put something to words that has been rather unformed in my head: I dislike stories where one kind of animal species is held up as morally good and another kind of animal species is portrayed as abhorrent.
Source of the book: KU English department book sale (I am not sure if it was 50 cents or a dollar)
Also, it made me finally put something to words that has been rather unformed in my head: I dislike stories where one kind of animal species is held up as morally good and another kind of animal species is portrayed as abhorrent.
Source of the book: KU English department book sale (I am not sure if it was 50 cents or a dollar)
November 30, 2016
Oh, Margaret.
Let me just say right off the bat that I will read whatever volumes of Angel Catbird hit the shelves because I am a Margaret Atwood junky.
But I will not pretend like this graphic novel is a good one.
It has some okay features. Honestly, I was really into the artwork. I liked the concept, wherein this character turns into this great hybrid human-cat-bird-thing. I hope there will be more internal struggle over the cat-bird dichotomy because that could be really interesting.
But the dialogue is painful, cringe-worthy at times. The puns are bad, and believe me - I love a good bad pun. Normally. But it doesn't work here.
Well, that's not entirely true. If I was a teenager, I probably would love this. I feel this is geared towards younger readers which is not always a guarantee with graphic novels. I know many readers who look down on graphic novels or comic books for being juvenile or whatever, but I will continue to read the shit out of Thor comics as long as I breathe, and like Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman once said at a joint lecture series, reading comics/graphic novels is still reading. They don't tell their kids who has a comic book in their hands to put it down and pick up a "real book". I liked that. If I had kids, I hope I would be that way. (But I don't, so moot.)
There is not a lot of transition here between scenes. There's a lot of action, it's very action-driven. There's a villain, but it's almost a too much of a caricature to really appreciate or care much about, which again goes back to the whole thing that I believe this may have initially been aimed towards younger readers.
All in all, not the worst thing I've ever read, but still fairly disappointing. Kind of like when that actor you like decides that he or she can also be a pop singer. That rarely ever works out.
Let me just say right off the bat that I will read whatever volumes of Angel Catbird hit the shelves because I am a Margaret Atwood junky.
But I will not pretend like this graphic novel is a good one.
It has some okay features. Honestly, I was really into the artwork. I liked the concept, wherein this character turns into this great hybrid human-cat-bird-thing. I hope there will be more internal struggle over the cat-bird dichotomy because that could be really interesting.
But the dialogue is painful, cringe-worthy at times. The puns are bad, and believe me - I love a good bad pun. Normally. But it doesn't work here.
Well, that's not entirely true. If I was a teenager, I probably would love this. I feel this is geared towards younger readers which is not always a guarantee with graphic novels. I know many readers who look down on graphic novels or comic books for being juvenile or whatever, but I will continue to read the shit out of Thor comics as long as I breathe, and like Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman once said at a joint lecture series, reading comics/graphic novels is still reading. They don't tell their kids who has a comic book in their hands to put it down and pick up a "real book". I liked that. If I had kids, I hope I would be that way. (But I don't, so moot.)
There is not a lot of transition here between scenes. There's a lot of action, it's very action-driven. There's a villain, but it's almost a too much of a caricature to really appreciate or care much about, which again goes back to the whole thing that I believe this may have initially been aimed towards younger readers.
All in all, not the worst thing I've ever read, but still fairly disappointing. Kind of like when that actor you like decides that he or she can also be a pop singer. That rarely ever works out.
September 17, 2016
Listen, I will read literally anything with Margaret Atwood's name on it, so I fully expect to keep on with this series. However, Angel Catbird is a profoundly silly book (so many groanworthy puns) that is very straightforward about functioning more as a PSA than as any kind of actually good story.
Margaret Atwood, being a cat lover, wants people to keep their cats indoors. Margaret Atwood, also being a lover of comic books and old enough and well-respected enough that she can do whatever she wants, also wanted to tick "Write a comic book" off her bucket list. Angel Catbird is undoubtedly a comic book, and it's even full of helpful statistics and factoids that support the case of keeping cats indoor-only, so in those ways it's essentially a success.
If you like cats, don't mind statistical asides in your comics, and/or just adore everything about Margaret Atwood, you'll probably enjoy this book. If you're looking for the kind of literary greatness one might ordinarily expect from Atwood, I suggest waiting a few more weeks for Hag-Seed instead.
Read more reviews at SF Bluestocking.
Margaret Atwood, being a cat lover, wants people to keep their cats indoors. Margaret Atwood, also being a lover of comic books and old enough and well-respected enough that she can do whatever she wants, also wanted to tick "Write a comic book" off her bucket list. Angel Catbird is undoubtedly a comic book, and it's even full of helpful statistics and factoids that support the case of keeping cats indoor-only, so in those ways it's essentially a success.
If you like cats, don't mind statistical asides in your comics, and/or just adore everything about Margaret Atwood, you'll probably enjoy this book. If you're looking for the kind of literary greatness one might ordinarily expect from Atwood, I suggest waiting a few more weeks for Hag-Seed instead.
Read more reviews at SF Bluestocking.
August 26, 2016
Funny, pulpy, and even unexpectedly sexy, ANGEL CATBIRD is Canadian legend Margaret Atwood's foray into graphic novels, and her voice translates well to the form. Her foreword is rooted in her love of serials growing up, and there is a throwback sensibility to a lot of what happens here that's a lot of fun to submerge into. Looking forward to volume 2!
March 2, 2017
I so wanted to like this but....was not great...at all
April 16, 2017
Perhaps my expectations were too high for this series but it just seemed all too simplistic. I know this is just the first volume but I've read plenty of first volumes where the characters were far better developed. I will continue to read the second volume (with far lower expectations).
February 4, 2017
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy:
With a big name like Margaret Atwood, I was expecting something a bit more profound from ANGEL CATBIRD, even with the ridiculous title and premise. Unfortunately, I was left incredibly disappointed in what was a predictable, preachy book that although marketed to adults, I wouldn’t recommend to anyone over 13.
If you’ve never read any Margaret Atwood, she’s known for her social commentary, her depictions/discussion of women and being really literary. Most of her books are so in-your-face feminist they can be overwhelming. I would recommend reading ORYX AND CRAKE - and to a lesser extent THE HANDMAID'S TALE - if you like speculative fiction. They both bring up interesting points, and I enjoyed ORYX AND CRAKE.
ANGEL CATBIRD does the opposite of bringing up new and interesting points. There’s a narrow line behind paying homage to a genre and just copying something on every page. Mad scientist with bumbling assistant who gets himself accidentally mutated into a half-animal (well, quarter, but whatever) shifter? Check. Cute babe who knows about the world he’s in and happens to work in his office? Check. A nightclub for shifters hiding in plain sight? Check. It’s all stuff I’ve seen before.
Very little actually happens in the book, apart from Strig trying to get into Cate’s pants and the evil scientist plotting and cackling to his rat minions like a more manic version of WILLARD without any of the heart or acting chops of the movie. Beyond his shift and finding out who the villain is, the plot barely advances.
The most annoying part of this comic has to be the weird “educational” paragraphs at the bottom of many of the pages. “Don’t let your cats outside.” “Spay and neuter your cats.” “Here are some stats about how many birds cats kill in the US, Canada and UK.” These factoids were preachy and felt like they belonged in a book for ten year olds, not the adults the book is marketed towards. I’m not reading a graphic novel to be educated about the number of kittens a female cat can have, Margaret. I want escapism and drama I want adventure and humour. ANGEL CATBIRD delivers none of that.
The art and the colours are great, and I love the art notes at the back of the book. It’s the concept that is childish and doesn’t actually lead to anything. Margaret Atwood said in an interview that she “came up with it around the age of six, when I was drawing flying cats with wings.” It kinda shows. Freaks of nature have such an awesome power to portray human existence in graphic novels, but all this comic does is regurgitate tropes and preach.
The only reason I didn’t give this book a single bat review is the cat to half-cat shifters. Some of the half-cat shifters who hang out at the Cat-astrophe nightclub (really?) are cats first. They cannot become fully human. Likewise, the humans who can become half-cat cannot go full cat. It’s pretty cool, although it raises weird questions about these natural half-cats, who are genetically born and aren’t created by science. There is zero insight into the mythology or history of these shifters, and I have zero interest in finding out more.
There are two other volumes of this graphic novel planned, but I won’t even be glancing at them. I'm just glad I got this title at the library and didn't waste money on it.
With a big name like Margaret Atwood, I was expecting something a bit more profound from ANGEL CATBIRD, even with the ridiculous title and premise. Unfortunately, I was left incredibly disappointed in what was a predictable, preachy book that although marketed to adults, I wouldn’t recommend to anyone over 13.
If you’ve never read any Margaret Atwood, she’s known for her social commentary, her depictions/discussion of women and being really literary. Most of her books are so in-your-face feminist they can be overwhelming. I would recommend reading ORYX AND CRAKE - and to a lesser extent THE HANDMAID'S TALE - if you like speculative fiction. They both bring up interesting points, and I enjoyed ORYX AND CRAKE.
ANGEL CATBIRD does the opposite of bringing up new and interesting points. There’s a narrow line behind paying homage to a genre and just copying something on every page. Mad scientist with bumbling assistant who gets himself accidentally mutated into a half-animal (well, quarter, but whatever) shifter? Check. Cute babe who knows about the world he’s in and happens to work in his office? Check. A nightclub for shifters hiding in plain sight? Check. It’s all stuff I’ve seen before.
Very little actually happens in the book, apart from Strig trying to get into Cate’s pants and the evil scientist plotting and cackling to his rat minions like a more manic version of WILLARD without any of the heart or acting chops of the movie. Beyond his shift and finding out who the villain is, the plot barely advances.
The most annoying part of this comic has to be the weird “educational” paragraphs at the bottom of many of the pages. “Don’t let your cats outside.” “Spay and neuter your cats.” “Here are some stats about how many birds cats kill in the US, Canada and UK.” These factoids were preachy and felt like they belonged in a book for ten year olds, not the adults the book is marketed towards. I’m not reading a graphic novel to be educated about the number of kittens a female cat can have, Margaret. I want escapism and drama I want adventure and humour. ANGEL CATBIRD delivers none of that.
The art and the colours are great, and I love the art notes at the back of the book. It’s the concept that is childish and doesn’t actually lead to anything. Margaret Atwood said in an interview that she “came up with it around the age of six, when I was drawing flying cats with wings.” It kinda shows. Freaks of nature have such an awesome power to portray human existence in graphic novels, but all this comic does is regurgitate tropes and preach.
The only reason I didn’t give this book a single bat review is the cat to half-cat shifters. Some of the half-cat shifters who hang out at the Cat-astrophe nightclub (really?) are cats first. They cannot become fully human. Likewise, the humans who can become half-cat cannot go full cat. It’s pretty cool, although it raises weird questions about these natural half-cats, who are genetically born and aren’t created by science. There is zero insight into the mythology or history of these shifters, and I have zero interest in finding out more.
There are two other volumes of this graphic novel planned, but I won’t even be glancing at them. I'm just glad I got this title at the library and didn't waste money on it.
July 5, 2021
ooooooooooof!
This was painful. You knew it would be painful after the 4 pages of disclaimers. Who was she writing her disclaimer to? To her snobby literary readers who are aghast at her writing a "comic book"...the lowest of the low? I doubt that it was intended to offend. But, it highlighted the fact that despite her lifetime love of "comic books" she does not seem them as "literature." This is a tiring opinion. And even more so from someone who is writing a "comic book". If you don't respect the medium, it's not going to go well for you.
This didn't go well. You can see it in the first page. The first bubble. The writing is unnatural. The storytelling is lacking. The transitions are non-existent. The first page done, and transitioning to the second, I had to investigate that the book I had wasn't missing pages (since this was a library book, it's possible)... it felt so incomplete.
This is the writing of someone who only read comics as a child, and has not imagined that comic book writing could become as sophisticated as literary novels. She could have made it work. But this is barely, what I'd call "a first draft." What a shame.
This was painful. You knew it would be painful after the 4 pages of disclaimers. Who was she writing her disclaimer to? To her snobby literary readers who are aghast at her writing a "comic book"...the lowest of the low? I doubt that it was intended to offend. But, it highlighted the fact that despite her lifetime love of "comic books" she does not seem them as "literature." This is a tiring opinion. And even more so from someone who is writing a "comic book". If you don't respect the medium, it's not going to go well for you.
This didn't go well. You can see it in the first page. The first bubble. The writing is unnatural. The storytelling is lacking. The transitions are non-existent. The first page done, and transitioning to the second, I had to investigate that the book I had wasn't missing pages (since this was a library book, it's possible)... it felt so incomplete.
This is the writing of someone who only read comics as a child, and has not imagined that comic book writing could become as sophisticated as literary novels. She could have made it work. But this is barely, what I'd call "a first draft." What a shame.
November 28, 2016
The best part of this graphic novel was the introduction by Atwood. Otherwise, it was purrfectly unassuming.
March 21, 2021
It's not good. Not good at all.
Despite tongue-in-cheek tone and genuinely funny moments, it offers little substance. An ok, quick read, but nothing more.
Despite tongue-in-cheek tone and genuinely funny moments, it offers little substance. An ok, quick read, but nothing more.
February 17, 2017
Wow. This was really bad.
I'm really careful about giving out one star reviews, but this was definitely one star.
I'm gutted I didn't like this more than I did. I've read a few Margaret Atwood books before and have really enjoyed her narrative style, sharp characterisation and social commentary. Sadly none of that was present here.
The premise is is that the winner of Worst Comic Book Name Protagonist 2016, Strig Feleedus, has been headhunted to start on a top secret gene-slicing project at a research facility. Very quickly, he comes up with the solution only to accidentally administer it to himself, only to turn into ... Angel Catbird!
My main problem with this graphic novel was how unrealistic it was. I don't mean in the whole man-turns-into-cat-bird-hybrid thing - if anything, that was the most realistic thing in the book. I mean every single conversation, the characterisation, the pace and construct of the plot. You know, little stuff like that.
The exposition was was the kind of level you'd expect to see in a seven-year-old's story - clunky, awkward and over the top. Who randomly goes up to the new person in the canteen at work and asks if they're working on a secret project? Or, after two minutes of conversation with said newbie, reveals their theory that newbie's predecessor was murdered? Actually, I'm imagining this happening at work for real (especially as we have a new person starting next week) and it's kind of making me laugh.
The art isn't good. I don't read many comic books or graphic novels, but it looks derivative. And the artist manages to catch the characters pulling some really odd faces, like when you photograph someone when they're just about to sneeze.
Boring plot. Really boring. Wasn't interested in what was going on and it definitely didn't read like the first volume of a graphic novel, which is the issue when you're trying to draw the reader in and get them interested in buying subsequent issues.
Plus - and this really pissed me off - this issue was in hardback format and it's quite thick. The story is only seventy pages though. The rest of the book is just padding with loads more examples of the crap art.
In conclusion, this was shit. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
I'm really careful about giving out one star reviews, but this was definitely one star.
I'm gutted I didn't like this more than I did. I've read a few Margaret Atwood books before and have really enjoyed her narrative style, sharp characterisation and social commentary. Sadly none of that was present here.
The premise is is that the winner of Worst Comic Book Name Protagonist 2016, Strig Feleedus, has been headhunted to start on a top secret gene-slicing project at a research facility. Very quickly, he comes up with the solution only to accidentally administer it to himself, only to turn into ... Angel Catbird!
My main problem with this graphic novel was how unrealistic it was. I don't mean in the whole man-turns-into-cat-bird-hybrid thing - if anything, that was the most realistic thing in the book. I mean every single conversation, the characterisation, the pace and construct of the plot. You know, little stuff like that.
The exposition was was the kind of level you'd expect to see in a seven-year-old's story - clunky, awkward and over the top. Who randomly goes up to the new person in the canteen at work and asks if they're working on a secret project? Or, after two minutes of conversation with said newbie, reveals their theory that newbie's predecessor was murdered? Actually, I'm imagining this happening at work for real (especially as we have a new person starting next week) and it's kind of making me laugh.
The art isn't good. I don't read many comic books or graphic novels, but it looks derivative. And the artist manages to catch the characters pulling some really odd faces, like when you photograph someone when they're just about to sneeze.
Boring plot. Really boring. Wasn't interested in what was going on and it definitely didn't read like the first volume of a graphic novel, which is the issue when you're trying to draw the reader in and get them interested in buying subsequent issues.
Plus - and this really pissed me off - this issue was in hardback format and it's quite thick. The story is only seventy pages though. The rest of the book is just padding with loads more examples of the crap art.
In conclusion, this was shit. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
October 7, 2016
Not really sure who the audience for this comic would be... ? It's kinda silly. Heavy on the comicbook superhero tropes. I did enjoy the voice given to the cats. I'd probably have given it only one star if not for that. This panel alone was worth bumping it up a star:
I did learn one really cool word from Atwood's intro:
manqué
I did learn one really cool word from Atwood's intro:
manqué
October 13, 2016
When I heard about this book, I thought it sounded dumb, but I put my faith in Margaret Atwood.
Sadly, it's just as dumb as it sounds.
Sadly, it's just as dumb as it sounds.
February 6, 2017
I don't use the word "baffled" very often. But that's how this graphic novel left me.
I love cats. I love Margaret Atwood. I've recently been digging graphic novels. But this? I just...I don't understand. Why, Margaret Atwood, why? I've read a few novels by her: The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, The Edible Woman. This has nothing resembling what I've thought Atwood was all about.
My personal theory is that Atwood saw how a lot of authors have been branching out into graphic novels and she wanted to give it a try. She also recently discovered furries and wanted to make a story exploring that concept. Thus, Angel Catbird was born.
This is just not good guys. There's random Cat Facts scattered throughout the comic that are really out of place. The story is rushed and nonsensical. The villain wants a mysterious serum in order to turn rats into rat-women for his harem. Literally for his harem. His evil plan's ultimate goal is that he wants to bone rat furries. There's a point where the villain's USB drive is stolen which has his evil plans outlined on it, and I'm surprised the heroes didn't find 8 gigs of furry art stolen from DeviantArt on it.
These names are t e r r i b l e. Cate Leone? Stig Feleedus? Dr. A Muroid? Our hero, Stig, gets turned into a half-cat-half-owl-half-man through this syrum, but there are races of half-animals naturally throughout this world that can shapeshift. Cate Leone is natually a half-cat. Despite the fact that she works for marketign at some kind of lab, she also spends her nights as a dancer at this furry cat-club. There's also a half-cat-half-bat (what) named COUNT CATULA. COUNT. CATULA.
Why is this dialog so bad? Who wrote it? Did Atwood write the dialog? How? Here's some examples:
1) Stig: Gulp "Did I... just... eat a... rat?" Blech! "Tasty though." Purrooo
2) Stig: Those red eyes... that tasty rodent smell... Why do I have this urge to jump on him, grab his neck with my teeth, shake him back and forth...? I can't do that! He's my boss!
3) Cate: "Strig, you seem...different. Is something wrong?"
Strig: I can't tell her what's been happening to me. It's too crazy. "Um... my cat got killed last night. He ran in front of a car..."
Cate: "Oh, Strig... that's so sad. I'm glad you're a cat lover."
Strig: Call that Cate lover! She's... irresistible! Rrowr! "Yeah, well... I really miss him."
4) Cate texts like an old person trying to be hip and signs her initials after her text: The Catastrophe, purple door, alleyway 10th & Peach. CU there 10 pm, Y? Happy trails/tails, CL
5) Count Catula: "Welcome, my young friend. I am Count Catula. May I offer you come mouse-blood champagne? It's non-alcoholic, of course. But invigorating." WHAT TALKS LIKE THIS?
6) Cate: "Angel! You're on fire!"
Stig/Angel Catbird: Finally, she's noticed. "That's what you do to me, Cate! You light my--"
Cate: "It's your feathers! They're burning!"
The art is also not great. The concept art in the back looks better because it looks like the artist spent more time on that than the actual art for the book. The half-cats look a lot like characters from Blacksad but not as good.
I don't know who the target audience of this book is for. The Cat Facts, cat puns (and there's a lot), and simplistic story suggest it's for younger readers. But it isn't written like a modern day graphic novel and there's more than one reference to cats in heat. The dialog is cringey. The plot is weird and rushed. It's seriously baffling.
I love cats. I love Margaret Atwood. I've recently been digging graphic novels. But this? I just...I don't understand. Why, Margaret Atwood, why? I've read a few novels by her: The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, The Edible Woman. This has nothing resembling what I've thought Atwood was all about.
My personal theory is that Atwood saw how a lot of authors have been branching out into graphic novels and she wanted to give it a try. She also recently discovered furries and wanted to make a story exploring that concept. Thus, Angel Catbird was born.
This is just not good guys. There's random Cat Facts scattered throughout the comic that are really out of place. The story is rushed and nonsensical. The villain wants a mysterious serum in order to turn rats into rat-women for his harem. Literally for his harem. His evil plan's ultimate goal is that he wants to bone rat furries. There's a point where the villain's USB drive is stolen which has his evil plans outlined on it, and I'm surprised the heroes didn't find 8 gigs of furry art stolen from DeviantArt on it.
These names are t e r r i b l e. Cate Leone? Stig Feleedus? Dr. A Muroid? Our hero, Stig, gets turned into a half-cat-half-owl-half-man through this syrum, but there are races of half-animals naturally throughout this world that can shapeshift. Cate Leone is natually a half-cat. Despite the fact that she works for marketign at some kind of lab, she also spends her nights as a dancer at this furry cat-club. There's also a half-cat-half-bat (what) named COUNT CATULA. COUNT. CATULA.
Why is this dialog so bad? Who wrote it? Did Atwood write the dialog? How? Here's some examples:
1) Stig: Gulp "Did I... just... eat a... rat?" Blech! "Tasty though." Purrooo
2) Stig: Those red eyes... that tasty rodent smell... Why do I have this urge to jump on him, grab his neck with my teeth, shake him back and forth...? I can't do that! He's my boss!
3) Cate: "Strig, you seem...different. Is something wrong?"
Strig: I can't tell her what's been happening to me. It's too crazy. "Um... my cat got killed last night. He ran in front of a car..."
Cate: "Oh, Strig... that's so sad. I'm glad you're a cat lover."
Strig: Call that Cate lover! She's... irresistible! Rrowr! "Yeah, well... I really miss him."
4) Cate texts like an old person trying to be hip and signs her initials after her text: The Catastrophe, purple door, alleyway 10th & Peach. CU there 10 pm, Y? Happy trails/tails, CL
5) Count Catula: "Welcome, my young friend. I am Count Catula. May I offer you come mouse-blood champagne? It's non-alcoholic, of course. But invigorating." WHAT TALKS LIKE THIS?
6) Cate: "Angel! You're on fire!"
Stig/Angel Catbird: Finally, she's noticed. "That's what you do to me, Cate! You light my--"
Cate: "It's your feathers! They're burning!"
The art is also not great. The concept art in the back looks better because it looks like the artist spent more time on that than the actual art for the book. The half-cats look a lot like characters from Blacksad but not as good.
I don't know who the target audience of this book is for. The Cat Facts, cat puns (and there's a lot), and simplistic story suggest it's for younger readers. But it isn't written like a modern day graphic novel and there's more than one reference to cats in heat. The dialog is cringey. The plot is weird and rushed. It's seriously baffling.
September 19, 2016
This graphic novel had a lot of problems. And I totally understand that this was Margaret Atwood's first comic. I mean, she grew up reading comics in the 1940s and 50s and that Golden Age comic style is exactly how Angel Catbird is. I heard that she is up to date with graphic novels now (Sex Criminals, Bitch Planet) so if she has been reading new stuff then why hasn't she picked up how comics are done now by reading them? The pacing in Angel Catbird was stupid fast. It was constant action to action, I would have liked it a bit more if she had slowed down the story. There were a few cat puns but honestly if she was trying to have this comic be similar to the Golden Age superhero comics it could've been way cheesier. Dark Horse partnered with an organization that spreads awareness to save cats and birds by not letting your cat outside, etc etc. In the comic the whole "don't let your cat outside" thing is very on the nose. I think it's great that they partnered with them, but it was so painfully obvious that that was what she was pushing.
The artwork was also mediocre. At parts the art didn't even look finished. In fact, there was a panel where the artist didn't even bother filling in a character's hairline, etc. LIKE, WHY THOUGH?
The fact that we're getting these famous novelists writing graphic novels is great! Chuck Palahniuk, Ta Nehisi Coates and Atwood, it's awesome! It shows that graphic novels are making such a huge impact that these authors are wanting in on it. But it sucks when the stuff they've been writing isn't that good.
The artwork was also mediocre. At parts the art didn't even look finished. In fact, there was a panel where the artist didn't even bother filling in a character's hairline, etc. LIKE, WHY THOUGH?
The fact that we're getting these famous novelists writing graphic novels is great! Chuck Palahniuk, Ta Nehisi Coates and Atwood, it's awesome! It shows that graphic novels are making such a huge impact that these authors are wanting in on it. But it sucks when the stuff they've been writing isn't that good.
January 1, 2017
Strig Feleedus is a scientist working on a splicing serum for what turns out to be a man who shapshifts into a rat. Strig loves his cat but they get into an accident (Strig is chasing his cat who is chasing an owl) in which his cat and the owl die and Strig is left in a pool of the serum.
From here on, Strig will be half-cat, half-bird when not in human form. He gets involved with the half-cat shapeshifters and their quest to foil the evil plot of the half-rat that Strig works for.
I get it. Margaret Atwood grew up on the super hero comics of Action Comics in the 40's and 50's and those comics have heavily influenced this graphic novel. Fast talking, puns flying, sometimes cheesy dialogue and little-to-no setup that isn't expressly spelled out in the conversation of the characters. While that may put many off, I found it quite amusing.
The art is pretty good. It's not in the same league as Nick Dragotta of East or West or Fiona Staples of Saga but it's not as bad as some.
Angel Catbird has lots of great ideas that, true, could have been done to more dramatic effect if done slowly over many issues like an Image series but there is a lot to like here. Let go your modern day, sophisticated comic experience and soak up the quirky fun! Plus enjoy all the great cat puns!
From here on, Strig will be half-cat, half-bird when not in human form. He gets involved with the half-cat shapeshifters and their quest to foil the evil plot of the half-rat that Strig works for.
I get it. Margaret Atwood grew up on the super hero comics of Action Comics in the 40's and 50's and those comics have heavily influenced this graphic novel. Fast talking, puns flying, sometimes cheesy dialogue and little-to-no setup that isn't expressly spelled out in the conversation of the characters. While that may put many off, I found it quite amusing.
The art is pretty good. It's not in the same league as Nick Dragotta of East or West or Fiona Staples of Saga but it's not as bad as some.
Angel Catbird has lots of great ideas that, true, could have been done to more dramatic effect if done slowly over many issues like an Image series but there is a lot to like here. Let go your modern day, sophisticated comic experience and soak up the quirky fun! Plus enjoy all the great cat puns!
February 27, 2017
This was a fun first instalment in the series and I quite enjoyed it! I didn't take it too seriously, which I think is key, and I tried to forget that Margaret Atwood was the author. After all, it's so very different from anything else she's penned, so why compare?
To me, the story was very much in keeping with the Spider Man and Cat Woman stories, to name a couple. Through misadventure, the main character becomes a superhero (I'm assuming in this case as it's only the first volume). Strig Feleedus quickly finds an ally in Cate Leone and, with the assistance of other like individuals, they work against the bad guy (only one that I can see so far).
Cat facts were footnoted at various parts of the story. I have to say, they were a distraction. I ended up ignoring them while reading the story, and I went back to review them once I'd finished the book. While these factoids were interesting, I think they detracted from the flow of the story. I think they should have been added at the end of the book along with other interesting items, including various artwork along the lines of a "making of" theme.
All in all, this was a fun first effort, and I'm looking forward to the next two volumes (or maybe more).
To me, the story was very much in keeping with the Spider Man and Cat Woman stories, to name a couple. Through misadventure, the main character becomes a superhero (I'm assuming in this case as it's only the first volume). Strig Feleedus quickly finds an ally in Cate Leone and, with the assistance of other like individuals, they work against the bad guy (only one that I can see so far).
Cat facts were footnoted at various parts of the story. I have to say, they were a distraction. I ended up ignoring them while reading the story, and I went back to review them once I'd finished the book. While these factoids were interesting, I think they detracted from the flow of the story. I think they should have been added at the end of the book along with other interesting items, including various artwork along the lines of a "making of" theme.
All in all, this was a fun first effort, and I'm looking forward to the next two volumes (or maybe more).
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