Birds of Maine

August 1, 2022
Abandoning a human-degraded Earth for the Moon, birds—in their full taxonomic breadth—establish a utopian colony free of war, pollution, and byzantine financial instruments, yet bounded by eccentric conventions of its own, in this addictive collection of the Ignatz-winning webcomic by the singular DeForge (Leaving Richard’s Valley). Details of lunar bird society accumulate in wry single-page installments, largely following one family. Ginni, an adolescent cardinal with a thwarted passion for clothing design, spends her days practicing with her band and checking out hot guy-birds. Her mother Chloe, a cowbird, is a historian (her fascination with Terran economics confounds others), while Ginni’s owl father, Magnus, manages the library’s IT. Libraries are central to bird culture, housing repositories of historical texts (pecked onto sticks) and recorded birdsong, providing access to a fungal internet, and hosting orgies. Universal basic food supply (worm based) and chess tournaments figure in, too. DeForge’s nimble avian portraits demonstrate specimens simple and strange, gap-toothed evolutions of the elegant geometry of Charley Harper’s commercial illustrations. Deforge follows his birds with curiosity rather than seeking allegory, as he lets each fanciful wrinkle of the premise play out. It’s a knotty, whimsical triumph of often hilarious satire, in good company with George Saunders’s work.

Starred review from August 1, 2022

DeForge (Leaving Richard's Valley) continues to establish himself as one of the most thoughtful and imaginative voices working in any popular art form today with this collection of more than 400 single-page strips about a utopian society of birds living in a habitat on the moon. A young cardinal named Ginni dreams of growing up to be a fashion designer--despite the fact that birds don't wear clothes. Her mother Chloe is a historian who delights in sharing stories of ghoulish old human customs like being expected to pay for food and health care and a dependence on a seemingly occult practice called "economics." While Ginni is essentially the protagonist, DeForge's restless imagination finds him following a number of fascinating tangents. He explores the intricacies of bird society with numerous subplots, such as the passionate love affair between a kiwi and a penguin, along with the misadventures of a stranded human astronaut. Collecting material previously released online. VERDICT DeForge's often hilarious, sometimes cutting satire is made more impactful by the sense he's driven less by anger than compassion for those trapped in absurd, faltering systems. Not to be missed.

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