Margaret Atwood’s ‘Angel Catbird': Where Cat and Bird Collide [Preview]

Margaret Atwood is coming to comics. We've know this for a while, but now we have preview pages to prove it from her upcoming superhero graphic novel, Angel Catbird, featuring art by Johnnie Christmas and colors by Tamra Bonvillain.

In this preview, we see the titular hero transformed by a mysterious formula into a human creature that shares the traits of a cat and a bird. This probably relates to the presence of his cat and an owl at the site of the accident, although there's also a mouse present, and he doesn't seem to have mouse parts. But of course, that's not just a normal mouse. It's a "digitally controlled rat slave" sent by a mysterious villain with weirdly patchy hair.

Obviously, there's a lot going on that we don't yet understand.

Atwood is an acclaimed novelist, known for The Handmaid's Tale, The Blind Assassin, and many other prize-winning works besides. This is her first comics project, although she's a lifelong fan of the medium. Angel Catbird will be released as three hardcover volumes, each for $14.99. Check out the preview below:

Here's the official word from Dark Horse:

This fall, Dark Horse Books will publish one of the most eagerly anticipated and unusual books of the year: ANGEL CATBIRD, the first graphic novel by Margaret Atwood, the Man Booker Award-winning author of The Blind Assassin, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Heart Goes Last. For her first graphic novel, Atwood is collaborating with artist Johnnie Christmas (Sheltered) and colorist Tamra Bonvillain (Doom Patrol) for a weird and wonderful tale about a part-cat, part-bird superhero. Timed to Atwood’s appearance at the American Library Association Conference in Orlando, FL this week and ahead of her appearance at San Diego Comic Con next month, Dark Horse Books has revealed the first look inside ANGEL CATBIRD.

"I grew up in the 1940s drawing comics, and I've continued: I even drew a strip in the 1970s. So what better way to explore cat/bird interactions and the welfare of both than through a flying catbird superhero? I'm thrilled to be working with Johnnie Christmas, who can draw way better than I can!" said Margaret Atwood

ANGEL CATBIRD is the latest politically charged book by Atwood, who was recently named the recipient of the 2016 PEN Pinter Prize for her political and environmental activism. ANGEL CATBIRD is being published by Dark Horse Books in tandem with Keep Cats Safe and Save Bird Lives, www.catsandbirds.ca, an initiative led by Nature Canada, the oldest conservation charity in the country.

“This project has been a fun mix of advocacy, humor, and adventure,” said Johnnie Christmas. “Margaret Atwood is a fountain of ideas, it’s been an absolute blast working with her. And our tale of ‘half-cats’ gets a fine boost from the wonderful Tamra Bonvillain. Her vibrant colors help bring the world of ANGEL CATBIRD to life.”