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bookalchemist 's review for:
Mockingbird, Volume 1: I Can Explain
by Chelsea Cain
As usual, I'm reviewing multiple volumes at once. So volumes 1 and 2, here.
I knew of Mockingbird before now, vaguely, and man am I glad I picked this up. It's like Archer, but female-led. And y'know, with superheroes. Not all comics for adults have to be serious and dark, guys.
One thing I really appreciated about reading the collected volumes was all the extras, collected together; not all trades do this, and I love when I get to see character sketches, bonus art, and letters from the creators. If you read said letters, the writer explains her choices as to the formatting with the first five issues. It's helpful to get context. And speaking of context, the second volume included some other issues of Civil War comics directly relating to Mockingbird's death and rebirth! Very handy for people not familiar with the character, and helps with all the references within these volumes.
I know the puzzle box format wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I really appreciated that a hero comic that could've been all fluff had this kind of complexity. I also absolutely loved the high level of background detail! Books with actual titles, interesting background characters, posters in the clinic...I really appreciate that. And I can see why people feel the last issues were weaker, because things unravel more seriously there, but really this felt intentional. The setup of 'is she sane or is she not?' in the puzzle box issues continues here, just on a larger scale.
It was also refreshing to have a female-led hero comic that didn't feel like it was pandering to the male gaze. Bobbi is her own person, who appreciates being looked at, but doesn't exist for it.
I knew of Mockingbird before now, vaguely, and man am I glad I picked this up. It's like Archer, but female-led. And y'know, with superheroes. Not all comics for adults have to be serious and dark, guys.
One thing I really appreciated about reading the collected volumes was all the extras, collected together; not all trades do this, and I love when I get to see character sketches, bonus art, and letters from the creators. If you read said letters, the writer explains her choices as to the formatting with the first five issues. It's helpful to get context. And speaking of context, the second volume included some other issues of Civil War comics directly relating to Mockingbird's death and rebirth! Very handy for people not familiar with the character, and helps with all the references within these volumes.
I know the puzzle box format wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I really appreciated that a hero comic that could've been all fluff had this kind of complexity. I also absolutely loved the high level of background detail! Books with actual titles, interesting background characters, posters in the clinic...I really appreciate that. And I can see why people feel the last issues were weaker, because things unravel more seriously there, but really this felt intentional. The setup of 'is she sane or is she not?' in the puzzle box issues continues here, just on a larger scale.
It was also refreshing to have a female-led hero comic that didn't feel like it was pandering to the male gaze. Bobbi is her own person, who appreciates being looked at, but doesn't exist for it.