Little Bird #1
Publisher: Image
Story: Darcy Van Poelgeest
Pencils: Ian Bertram
Inks: Ian Bertram
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters: Aditya Bidikar
Little Bird #1 is the first issue of a five-part mini-series by Image Comics, an exploration of a band of Canadian resistance fighters who fight against an oppressive American empire in an alternate-history science-fiction future. It’s an intriguing premise, so much so that it may sound familiar, as similar themes were explored back in 2015 in Brian K. Vaughan’s six-part We Stand On Guard series, also by Image Comics.
While the premise may sound similar, the details and the execution are very different. Little Bird is by writer and director Darcy Van Poelgeest, probably best known for his short films “Corvus” and “The Orchard,” along with artist Ian Bertram, of Dark Horse’s House of Penance among other work at DC, Marvel, KaBOOM!, and Image, and the world they have created is grim, disturbing, and very violent, with touches of religious fanaticism and native mysticism.
There is a lot of world building in this series, but that doesn’t get in the way of character development. The titular character, Little Bird, is a 12-year-old girl and the daughter of the main Canadian resistance leader, a First Nations woman named Tantoo. The first few pages thrust the reader into Little Bird’s world and the situation is immediately apparent – the Resistance is on the ropes, on the verge of losing. The oppressor isn’t identified yet, but the characters’ words and actions make it clear that the Resistance fighters, who appear to be almost all First Nations people, are the heroes of the story. Little Bird is hidden underground with instructions that, after the final battle, she is to find someone named “The Axe,” on whom the future fate of the Resistance depends.
Little Bird is far from a helpless, frightened girl, however, as future scenes make quite clear. She is fierce and dedicated, with survival and combat skills worthy of her mother’s training. She’s also quite likable and relatable, as she pleads with her mother not to leave her, but resigns herself to her mission upon discovering that she is the only one left from her village.
It’s at this point that Van Poelgeest and Bertram introduce the oppressors – the United Nations of America, whose flag is similar to the current American flag, but with a white cross on the blue field where 50 stars should instead be visible, and whose capital city is called “New Vatican.” This is a theocratic America, and, based on the visuals and the actions of its leadership, it is corrupt, ultra-nationalistic, and grotesque. Certain scenes and characters evoke Baron Harkonen from Dune, while the corrupt, vaguely Catholic trappings of New Vatican are reminiscent of Matt Wagner’s “God and the Devil” Grendel run.
Van Poelgeest manages to take a truly despicable character, the Bishop from the U.N.A., and make him interesting and fascinating enough that, as a reader, one wants to learn more about him and his background, about his relationship with the Reverend Mother, and more importantly, what his relationship is with Tantoo.
All of these characters exist in a world that, so far, has not been explained in detail, but which is very violent. Blood and gore are found throughout this issue, and the characters themselves seem immune to it, so it becomes clear that the world in which Little Bird has grown up is full of this kind of violence as a common occurrence. The violent action scenes are depicted in such a way as to remind one of a dance, almost as if they were expertly choreographed by professional murdering dancers. The characters lightly float across the page, weapons swinging and guns blazing, with spectacularly vivid bursts of blood and gore, made even more shocking by the expert coloring of Matt Hollingsworth. Bertram’s detailed visuals are stunning, but they would lack the sense of impact without Hollingsworth’s vivid colors.
To ensure readers come back for more, a truly unexpected and shocking cliff-hanger ending practically throws a lasso around the reader and pulls him or her in to devour the next issue. As someone who has had a chance to read the second and third issues of the series, I can safely say that they deliver on the promise of the debut issue, further developing the world and its characters, and introducing fascinating new elements as well. Van Poelgeest’s initial foray into comic book writing is a definite success; matched with the fantastic art by Ian Bertram and Matt Hollingsworth, it is sure to generate positive response and create a legion of fans for the entire creative team. The story is timely without being preachy, and Bertram’s unique art style (including his inking) is something you’ll want to revisit over and over again to explore the little details he’s put on each page.
Martin Thomas
martin@comicattack.net
