Take To The Skies With ‘Angel Catbird Volume 2: To Castle Catula’ [Preview]

One of the big sleeper hits of last year was Margaret Atwood, Johnnie Christmas and Tamra Bonvillain's Angel Catbird, which saw the acclaimed novelist test the comics waters with the first in a series of graphic novels about a man who can turn into a cat-bird.

While an odd premise for one of Canada's most celebrated authors, Angel Catbird was widely hailed as a successful comics debut, and next month sees the publication of the second volume, and Dark Horse has provided a preview in celebration of National Bird Day. (Which is today, in case you don't have that circled on your calendar.)

While the first volume featured the young scientist Strig Feleedus coming to terms with the experiment gone awry that merged his DNA with that of a cat and an owl, this second volume ramps up the stakes in the ongoing cat-hybrid vs rat-hybrid war. In order to get the help they need, Angel Catbird and his crew must venture, as the title suggests, to Castle Catula.

In a press release provided by Dark Horse, Atwood said:

Angel Catbird 2 will be released on Valentine’s Day, named after Saint Valentine,” said Atwood. “Almost nothing is known about this saint, making the mysterious figure a suitable icon for love of all kinds – people who love birds, people who love cats, people who love both, and, to round it off, Angel Catbirds who love both catfolk and birdfolk. Then there’s Count Catula, who, being a cat/bat/vampire, has many more Wives of Catula than Dracula had Wives of Dracula! If you don’t want to say it with flowers on Valentine’s Day, say it with Catbirds. Your beloved will understand. I hope

Dark Horse is publishing Angel Catbird in partnership with Keep Cats Safe & Save Bird Lives, an initiative spearheaded by Canada's oldest conservation charity, Nature Canada. To find out more information, visit catsandbirds.ca.

Check out the preview below:

Here's the full solicitation information:

ANGEL CATBIRD VOLUME 2: TO CASTLE CATULA HC

Writer: Margaret Atwood
Artist: Johnnie Christmas
Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain
Cover Artist: Johnnie Christmas

The catcentric 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.

* Volume 1 was on the top 10 list for Best Fall Graphic Novels by Publishers Weekly.

* Volume 1 debuted at #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List!

* Foreword by G. Willow Wilson.