Books

Margaret Atwood's Next Book Is Totally Unexpected

Love cats? Love owls? Dark Horse Comics has the hero for you, courtesy of Canada's greatest writer — in my completely unbiased, totally-not-reading-The-Heart-Goes-Last-right-now opinion, that is. Margaret Atwood's writing a graphic novel, Angel Catbird , for Dark Horse's 2016 lineup, and it looks phenomenal.

The graphic novel trilogy will center on a superhero who's the victim of a tragic accident, much the same as Hulk or The Flash. In Catbird's case, Atwood explains, it's an accident combined with an apparent effort at playing god. She writes: "Due to some spilled genetic Super-Splicer, our hero got tangled up with both a cat and an owl; hence his fur and feathers, and his identity problems."

The protagonist of Angel Catbird looks pretty boss on artist Johnnie Christmas' cover, kind of like if Hawkman were hiding out in the CATS Broadway cast, but fiercer.

If you like your comics with a side of activism, Angel Catbird is right up your alley. The New York Times reports that Atwood "is using the book to raise awareness for Keep Cats Safe and Save Bird Lives, a program led by Nature Canada, the oldest conservation charity in the country." So, if cats and owls mean a lot to you — and they should — Angel Catbird is well worth the $10.99 per volume investment.

Look for Angel Catbird to hit store shelves in Fall 2016.