Comic Book Review: Angel Catbird Vol. 1 written by Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Johnnie Christmas
Genetic engineer Strig Feleedus probably should have been a little faster on the uptake. There was his boss Dr. Muroid’s insistence in speed over safety in the creation of a new super splicer serum. There was the fact that his predecessor died in a hit and run “accident” immediately after leaving the company. Plus, Strig’s coworkers heavily hinted that there was something rotten going on.
But Strig’s too excited about the lifesaving potential of the serum to pay much attention to naysayers. So when Strig’s called to the office in the middle of the night with the just perfected formula, he doesn’t question it. His pet cat Ding is lured into the street by a “random” rat, and it and a bird that just happened by are hit by a car. When Strig rushes to Ding’s aid, the car comes back and hits him.
Naturally, this does not kill Strig, but combines his DNA with that of the fallen animals, giving him the best qualities of cat, bird and human! (Plus some weaknesses, like no longer being able to metabolize coffee, making him the opposite of the ghouls from Tokyo Ghoul.)
Being that he’s a basically decent fellow, and this series already has a villain, Strig chooses the path of the superhero and becomes Angel Catbird! He’s helped along by the fact that there’s already a subculture of cat people (“half-cats”) in the city. Some can shapeshift to look human or fully cat…others can’t. Cate Leone, marketing executive and nightclub singer, takes a fancy to the Catbird.
By comparison, Dr. Muroid is apparently the only…surviving…rat person, but he has control of an army of his animal brethren and the ruthlessness needed to use them to best advantage.
The writing is simultaneously quite earnest (with footnotes about the real-life plight of unhomed cats) and goofy (many of the characters have punny names and silly themed outfits.)
The art is okay, and is helped by everyone having distinctive looks. “Ray” is a First Nations raven-person though we don’t get to see him transform on page. A full third of this volume is pinups and concept art.
Content: There’s some harm to animals.
Overall: This isn’t an original-feeling book, and I have trouble discerning the target audience. It’s Margaret Atwood’s first try at a comic book, so it has the celebrity thing going for it, and it’s advertising charitable organizations that help animals. If you love cats and want to help them, there are worse ways than to buy this series.
