Angel Catbird, Vol. 2: To Castle Catula

Angel Catbird #2

by Margaret Atwood, Johnnie Christmas (Illustrator), Tamra Bonvillain (Illustrator)

The cat-centric adventure continues, in the all-ages follow-up to best-selling novelist Margaret Atwood's debut graphic novel. Genetic engineer Strig Feleedus, also known as Angel Catbird, and his band of half-cats head to Castle Catula to seek allies as the war between cats and rats escalates. Margaret Atwood, the respected, worldwide best-selling novelist, and acclaimed artist Johnnie Christmas continue their action-packed adventure!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Fiction, Canada, Science Fiction, Animals

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 14, 2017

About the author

Margaret 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.

Reviews

[Erica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good lord!
I didn't think it could get worse.

It got worse.

To quote an orphaned, dumped kittyperson character in this book: "Boo-hoo. Mew mew."

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

So many terrible puns, like the vampire bat cat's name is Catula and the Russian catwoman is Babushkat. It's like being stuck in a long car ride with your dad. The whole time I was thinking, "This seems like it was written by a 6 year old" only to get to the extras and find a drawing from when Margaret Atwood created this when she was 6.

Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Emily Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

To quote a friend who summed it up nicely, "I have no idea why I am still reading these."

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

angel catbird is not a series for everyone. it's corny and full of puns and if you're not in the right mindset, you will just hate it. it's just an odd kind of weird. but honestly, I quite like it. it's so different. unfortunately, this volume was quite uninspiring. nothing happens, literally. I have no idea why there's so much filler but hopefully the next volume will compensate since I'll still be reading.

full review here: https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2017/0...

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is still fun, and Atwood seems a little less self-conscious about the tone. Volume 1 seemed stilted, and there was a sense of slumming, of Atwood not bringing her "A" game because, hey, it's just a comic book. She seems to be having more fun with ths volume. Strig and company travel to Castle Catula, and we also get Count Catula's backstory. The volume ends with Strig in quite a fix--Never say "fixed" to a cat, even in jest--but help is on the way. Once again, the puns fly thick and fast. I don't recall this much wordplay in The Handmaid's Tale. Atwood's inner Piers Anthony clearly enjoyed the chance to cut loose. Honestly, this book is still not the greatest, but it's enjoyable in its own goofy way.

[George Ilsley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I noticed this second volume was rated slightly higher than the first. I hoped the series picked up. Instead, it gets bogged down introducing many punny characters who have little to do.

My conclusion is that only fans read past the first volume, and thus the higher rating.

My research into this strange series has concluded. Have abandoned all hope.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part lecture about cat, and part send up of comic books and movies. It's really fun. My favorite characters are the rats. More people of color in this book too.

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know why I thought I should try the second volume of this. I still don't understand who it is for and I quit about twenty pages in, when the catbird protagonist was debating whether he was in love with the half-cat woman or the half-owl lady he had JUST SMELLED/SEEN.

Atwood, get it together.

[Mazzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

again, lots of puns, very pulpy, beautifully colored panels

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am only sticking with these because of my blind faith in Margaret Atwood.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

More zany goodness! This time, our hero meets some other half-birds! But which of his own three halves will win out - cat, bird, or man?

[Owen Townend · Rating 2 out of 5]

Atwood is clearly exercising her campest instinct with this series.

As with Volume 1, Volume 2 of Angel Catbird is a light-hearted superhero comic sprinkled with puns and useful life lessons. Also it flirts with Furry and Feathery sexuality for those into that sort of thing.

The appeal for me comes from the foreknowledge that two-time Mann Booker winner Margaret Atwood penned this comic book series. Angel Catbird: To Castle Catula may not be as academically adored as The Handmaid's Tale but it demonstrates the author's range and whimsy.

That being said, while Volume 1 gave the origin of a superhero, revealed his enemy and joined him with allies, Volume 2 takes a long time establishing a larger society of half-cats, half-birds and even half-vampires. This is at the expense of Angel Catbird's personal development and plot momentum created by the first book. Plot does eventually kicks into gear by the end of Volume 2 but at that point the protagonist has become a mere face in a feline crowd. The titular Count Catula gets the most attention, followed by Atheen-owl the half-owl warrior and Mummycat the Ancient Egyptian moggy.

Then again I don't suppose Atwood wrote this series for nuanced personality or compelling conflict. It reads like a party that just keeps getting bigger and the jokes become sillier as the night wears on. Angel Catbird is also a means of instilling sensible cat and bird care practices in a young audience. It might even be a celebration of a kinky lifestyle too.

As for me, I'm not sure my baffled fascination and Christmas's energetic illustration will see me through to the end of this series. Then again there is only one volume to go...

I recommend Angel Catbird, Volume 2: To Castle Catula to avid Atwood readers with a sense of humour and people who are drawn to animal hybrids with honed abs.

[Kelly K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lol and I thought this wouldn’t get weirder. This whole book barely progressed the plot at all. It just made me hate every male character because all they think about is women. Have some damn ambition geeze.

[Milana M (acouplereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love these graphic novels! So witty!

[Chinook · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was fun. It’s absurd as far as plot lines go and the characters are both jokey and awesome. I like all the little references to history and literature combined with the very comic-y style.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

More puns, a lot more literary allusions (I geeked out on those a bit). Cute follow-up.

[Missnöjd Konfirmand · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mjeh

[Brandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t this series could get worse, but it did. If you would like to read a good comic with anamorphic cats then I recommend Blacksad.

[Midu Hadi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whether you’d love them or hate them depends on how you choose to see these comics. They are full of awful cliches, puns about cats, rats, bats, and birds, and the humor feels forced.

You could think that is deliberate on the author’s part, which will make the comic fun for you. However, you might think otherwise and that Ms. Atwood has no business writing a comic. In the preface, the author described herself as an award-winning author, which kinda pissed me off. Other than that, my reaction was somewhere in the middle of the two extremes mentioned above. I’m not sure if I’ll be continuing the series either.

Here are some pretty pictures though:









Also reviewed at:
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[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't stand this series because Atwood is clearly not bringing her best work, but I also can't stop reading it because it's so *bleeping* bizarre. 2 stars because I laughed out loud at the rat-based villain's secret weapon- a giant, irresistable cat toy outfitted with missiles and a flamethrower.

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ange Catbird is... well, ridiculous. There's no better way to describe Atwood's bizarre parody of golden age comics used to educate people on the various plights of domestic house cats. If you can tolerate the weird puns and inane plotting, it can be a nicely silly read. To Castle Catula, however, felt messy. The narrative bounces all over the place, never leaving readers on one scene for long. Nothing seems to happen, and the characters seem flatter than they used to be (which is saying something given the nature of golden age comics in general...). If you weren't a fan of the first, or were on the fence, this second volume will not win you over...

[Dominick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh. I really don't know who this is for. Kids? The dependence on an endless stream of belaboured puns might suggest so (indeed, the dialogue is for the most part dire, even when it is not riddled with terrible puns). An excuse for didactic comments on how to make the world safer for birds and cats, as suggested by the several notes about real-world issues such as abandoning kittens (which leads into one of the most narratively pointless sequences, involving a Runyanesque kitten/human hybrid) appearing at the bottom of many pages? I also really don't know what its tone is supposed to be. Is it intended as goofy fun? Or as a self-aware send-up of shitty superhero plots? The kind of stuff that happens in it--e.g. the heroes have to face off against a DRAT (a drone rat, though what actual rat elements it has are opaque), a giant, flying cat toy with lasers and flame throwers that will entrance them just as a cat toy will entrance a real cat, thereby leading them to their destruction--is the kind of utterly goofy stuff think Jack Kirby might have done in one of his less good comics (say the 1970s Black Panther book), but in that case it would clearly be intended to read as just crazy fun. Everything here seems arch instead; the tropes and cliches of bad superhero comics seeming to be passed off as acceptable because of that knowing wink. For me, it doesn't work. We have another dumb origin story in that Count Catula, the combination cat/bat/vampire, was originally Dracula's feline rat-catcher (complete with little black cat cape) before being bitten by Dracula in bat form (hence the cat/bat/vampire hybrid, rather than just cat/vampire, I guess). Atwood just piles on the absurdities of her source material and inspirations, but in my opinion does nothing to make the result fresh or insightful or original. Even the art, though nice enough, adds nothing exceptional. Plotwise, virtually nothing happens--as indeed one might expect in the middle chapter(s) of a multi-part crappy superhero comic--though we do get the appearance of Atheen-owl (human owl hybrid apparently descended from Athena) who turns up out of nowhere wanting to mate with our ostensible protagonist (utterly useless as such though he is) leading to a cat fight (sorry) between her and ... whatever her name is, the cat/human hybrid woman already established as a love interest. I think it's telling that I can't even remember her name and couldn't be bothered to check. Again, why Atwood includes such an eye-rolling cliche (really? two women fighting over a guy???? a guy who seems to have fallen instantly in love with Atheen-owl?????) is again opaque to me. I'll probably read the third volume, since i have it, but I have no expectations of it being any better. Recommended only for Atwood completists, or those with low standards for comics.

[Lupe Dominguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh! Haha! I love the quirkiness of this series. I've always been a fan of Margaret Atwood, since Oryx and Crake and The Handmaid's Tale and I love graphic novels, so I was interested in this series from the start. The first book had me like "Ok, this is weird" to "oh man, where is the next installment?".

Angel and friends are off to Count Catula's castle and are ambushed by an army of rats controlled by Muroid. They make new friends with Atheen-Owl and Nefferkitti as well as other cat and owl hybrids. But Angel gets caught up in one of Muroids contraptions...and who knows what will happen next!

Love the random cat and bird tidbits along the bottom of some of the pages. Facts about cat populations, grooming, bird populations and other neat things, add to the fun quirkiness of this book. Plus, it's just silly with a hint of plot. I love this. It's great for just getting the giggles out and relaxing.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

** I received a free copy of this book from Edelweiss+ **

This is a rather enjoyable twist on the average super-hero tale. All of the main characters are part animal and the main hero is a true mix (cat, owl, human). The idea of a hero who has to fight his own nature (eat birds) to do what his human/owl sides say is the right thing to do (save the baby bird) is quite interesting. This second volume in the series gives more insight into the vampire/bat/cat character and also introduces new characters (Neferkitti; Atheen-Owl; Catullus). Some of my favorite parts of this series are the cat-jokes -- "We must not be catty!" "But we ARE cats!" "Yes, what's wrong with being catty?" "I hate it the way that word gets used as a negative!" I also really enjoyed the little cat and bird info inserts at the bottom of some pages. There was information about cat nature and ways to protect both cats and birds. Finally, the villain's use of weaponized cat toys to attract and attack the cats was hilarious!

[Shelley Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The motley crew of half-humans/half-cats (or in the case of main character, genetic engineer Strig Feleedus, human-cat-bird mix) has teamed up with Count Catula (a bat, cat, vampire mix). As they make their way through the woods to the Count's lair (yes, called Castle Catula), they are attacked by arch-villain Professor Muroid's rat minions. Angel Catbird himself falls in lust with Atheen-Owl, direct descendant of the goddess Athena, who does not take kindly to Catbird's colleague Cate Leone. Muroid deploys his secret weapon--an irresistible drone cat toy, and captures Catbird. Can Catbird escape? Will Count Catula and the gang reach his castle before morning turns him into dust? Can Atheen-Owl convince the owls to join the fight against the rats? Along the way the reader will pick up factoids about the real-life fight birds have against rats and cats, compliments of Nature Canada, www.naturecanada.ca. A fun read with a message by Margaret Atwood, Johnnie Christmas and Tamra Bonvillain, with an introduction by G. Willow Wilson of Ms. Marvel fame.

[Francesca Giardiello · Rating 2 out of 5]

Secondo di tre volumi della serie di Angel Catbird.

La lettura procede affannosamente poiché piena di azioni scontate e esasperate: i personaggi non dimostrano avere un background solido e quindi le dinamiche della trama vengono costrette in atteggiamenti tendenzialmente irreali e il mondo delineato dall'autrice diventa improbabile.

Un mondo dove esistono umani mezzi-animali che possono andare in giro trasformandosi in ibridi (e che lo fanno anche alla luce del giorno e in piena città) da secoli e secoli senza alcuna ripercussione sul mondo "solo umano" è una cosa irreale che poteva e doveva essere alquanto sfruttata o smorzata con semplicissime e anche riduttive spiegazioni per cui i mezzi-animali non si facevano mai vedere in giro.

La trama inizia a diventare davvero inconsistente e sembra fare affidamento su battutine in grado di far scaturire qualche sorrisino per accattivarsi la simpatia del lettore.

Continuerò la lettura solo per vedere come andrà a finire.

[Lisa Macklem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was still confused as to exactly which shelves to put this on. Is it trying to be a parody? Is it for kids? Is Atwood embarrassed that she's even writing this? Does she think comics are just for kids in the same vein as The Handmaid's Tale isn't science fiction? There are lots of things I like about the book, but the plot is a bit over the top for me - as is the villain. We have the more traditional cats as heros and rats as villains, but it's hard not to read a cat/mouse story and not think of Maus. I also like the little hints about how to be a good cat owner, but it feels rather preachy - and there's nothing they've suggested that I don't do - but the little reality boxes also quite effectively transport you out of the story. I'll keep reading but likely more because it's a finite trilogy and I'm almost done than because I'm super enjoying it....

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

The second book isn’t much better than the first. When Angel Catbird meets his second potential love interest, the first thing she says is “Why are you heroically fighting the bad guy? You should have sex with instead!” Well, that’s a paraphrase, but it’s not far off.

Favorite quote: Evil eat bad guy to rat minions: “ What’s the matter with you? What are you doing with that bra? Haven’t you ever seen a bra before?”

And the evil rat dude had rat soldiers. Called Murines. Yep. “Urine” with an “m” at the beginning.

And then Count Catula is hurrying everyone to his castle before dawn - and then pauses to give his origin story.

Of course, there’s a part 3. I doubt I’ll ever end up checking it out. The only reason I read part 2 is because I checked them out of the library at the same time.

[Jill Jemmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cat/humans had to run away from the rat creator, Murtroid, in this second volume. They travel through the forest to Count Catula’s castle.

I love the cat references in this series! There were new cats in this book, including NeferKitti (who is the real Nefertiti) and her mummykittens, as well as the bird human Athen-Owl (who is the Greek goddess Athena). These were really funny references.

There were more great cat facts in this book, too. Every few pages, there are some facts about cats and their impact on the world. This included how many people abandon cats and how many species of birds that cats have been involved in making extinct.

I love this series! It’s funny and great for cat lovers!

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it was a fast read, which is probably the best I can say about it. The artwork was ok, but the story was fairly disjointed and flat. Maybe I'm not the correct audience for this - I can see that it is intended to be absurd, but it didn't hit funny or clever for me, which I would expect. I was a little flabbergasted to discover who the author is, since I picked this up on a whim at the library because of the cover and well...cats. I found the little facts inside about cats to be annoying and preachy, totally out of place in a graphic novel.

I'm not sure if my opinion would change if I read the first book, but this one didn't appeal to me at all, even with cats.