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CBG SATELLITES
The ADD Blog by Alan David Doane
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It’s a Bird...
Steve is a comic book writer who’s just been handed the job writing
SUPERMAN. The trouble is that he doesn’t really want it, as he
really has no basis for comparison with the character. Meanwhile, Steve’s
father has gone missing, and his search for him forces Steve to come to grip
with a dark family secret, and with his own mortality. His simultaneous
search for a way to relate to the multi-faceted concept of Superman and for
his father lead him to a series of discoveries about the character and
ultimately, about himself.
In truth, the sections dealing with analysing Superman are easily the
weakest parts of the book. It feels like Seagle is going through a
checklist of all the major weaknesses of the concept. Superman as a
(flawed) metaphor for alienation? Check. Superman as mishmash of
mythological figures? Check. Superman as fascist adolescent power fantasy?
Check. It’s been done before, and in more interesting ways. Furthermore,
it makes Steve’s eventual discovery of a means to relate to Superman less
believable and genuine.
The other major plot, concerning Steve’s search for his father, and his
coming to term with Huntington’s disease, are far more resonant. The
writing here is a little emotionally detached, as though Seagle is avoiding
being too biographical. Despite this, it manages to strike a chord with the
reader. Steve’s confusion, frustration, and sense of helplessness are
apparent and immediate, and his dialogue is convincingly real and somber.
The real star of this graphic novel is Teddy Kristiansen, who communicates
all the emotion, majesty, and power lacking in the script. It is important
to note the subtle changes in shading and colouring Kretiansen uses to
distinguish between the three main settings: the present, the past, and the
fiction of Superman. The present is depicted primarily in greys and
blacks, with gritty and jagged linework in order to convey Steve’s sense of
depression and frustration. This is directly contrasted to the softer lines
and earth tones that are used to convey Steve’s memories of the past. The
fictional world of Superman is by far the most distinctive: garishly
coloured and bright, with clear, bold illustration.
It’s a Bird... won’t really change how you view Superman. It probably
won’t even change how you view comic book writers. But it is a visually
impressive comic with some serious meaning that is worthy of further
consideration. Grade: 3.5/5
-- Michael Paciocco
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I’m extremely cynical when it comes to writers analysing and dissecting the
Superman mythos. Given how frequently the character has been examined both
inside and outside of comics almost since the moment of his creation, the
concept has ceased being novel. Or so I thought. While It’s a Bird...
suffers in comparison to what has come before in this area, the human drama
presented by Teddy Kristiansen’s gorgeous artwork is innovative and
impressive.