Reviews
I wanted this to be amazing. I thought the title/main character name was just plain stupid, but with Margaret Atwood at the helm of the story it would be recover. It didn't. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a crazy fun read...just probably not in the way it was intended. Yes, it was so utterly absurd that I was thoroughly amused through the entire thing despite the fact that the story is flimsy at best and the characters are beyond ridiculous. Underneath my amusement of just how awful the whole thing is, however, is the tiniest whiff of discomfort. Haven't comic audiences been begging the industry to cool it with the blatant over-sexualization of characters, especially female characters? Yet here we have (from the celebrated author of The Handmaid's Tale, no less) characters whose only value to each other is how hot they look with tails. There is no heroism going on, just defense from a stereotypical bad guy, and zero attempt to even get ahead of the impending tragedy. Ultimately, it's as if Atwood decided to see just how many tired of comic book cliches she could cram into one story because that's all there is here--cliche. There is not a shred of plot, character, or even setting that is not derivative. And I have never seen such super-nerdy scientists be so painfully oblivious of how technology works. In the end, I enjoyed the comic in a very Mystery Science Theater 3000 kind of way, which is why I decided to be generous with a second star. I'm glad Atwood was able to fulfill a little dream of hers, but I'm also very glad I got this at the library and didn't fork over my hard-earned cash for it.
If you were expecting a great literary masterpiece from Angel Catbird, well... Look somewhere else. Atwood's graphic novel is a golden age-style scifi story inspired by the comics of her youth. It's silly and ridiculous, with one-note characters and a truly absurd villain. But does that mean it's not fun to read? Nope! At least if you're prepared. This is Atwood having fun, not destroying the world. It's pretty readable by kids and adults alike, and it tries to educate readers about the perils of having outdoor cats. I can't say that it's good, but it was an entertaining read, if only to marvel at the fact that Atwood has bizarro shapeshifer storylines in her head.
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...
It's cat facts mixed in with a war between cats, rats and birds. And it's written by Margaret Atwood. It's not heavy like Persepolis, but it's a "serious" graphic novel.
