Little Bird is published by Image Comics. It is written by Darcy Van Poelgeest with art by Ian Bertram.
Little Bird is a Musqeam tale. I won’t lie, I didn’t really know who the Musqeam were, so this inspired me to look them up and I feel it’s important for readers to know that the Musqeam are a First Nations band of government, First Nations are the predominant indigenous peoples in Canada, and their reserve community lies within the boundaries of Vancouver.
This is a story of resistance and perseverance against and incredibly fearsome and dominant foe. A story that holds a certain amount of truth to it as a young resistance fighter wages her own war against an oppressive American Empire. With her mother missing, her home and people eradicated, Little Bird searches, not only for a legendary savior known as “The Axe”, but for her own identity in a world on fire.
Look, I love ninjas. Basically, if a story is about a ninja or assassin or just some person running around being a badass and mercing people, I’m about it. That’s Little Bird. For example, she kills and disembowels a wolf, then wears its body and crouches while she walks to disguise herself as said wolf. It’s one of the grossest yet coolest things I’ve ever seen. Especially from a kid. I love her character design too. I mean, just look at her on the cover. Scroll up, come back down here, I’ll wait….
Awesome, right?
So, Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram have created this awesome little ninja warrior girl, and to accompany her on her quest is this GIANT. This guy is absolutely huge. And terrifying. And he has a giant axe, muscles bigger than a regular sized person, and a body covered in battle scars. It’s obvious why they call him “The Axe.”
Not only do we have these amazing characters, but we have probably the best villain for them to fight. Essentially he’s a dictator and some kind of priest or Pope type character, and he’s very representative of the Christian America, the views it had (and let’s be honest, many still have), and the way America went about destroying all in its path that didn’t adhere to its beliefs on God. Which may trigger some people, but while Little Bird may be fictional, American history was very real, and to me, that makes this story a necessary one to tell and to read.
OVERALL SCORE: 9.5 / 10
We have a great debut issue here with a set-up for what is sure to be an epic tale, but there’s definitely some gaps that need filled. Hopefully issue #2 will give us some background and better understanding of who The Axe is, who the villain was, and where Little Bird really came from. Because there’s a lot going on here below the surface of these characters.
Make sure you pick up Little Bird #1 from your local comic shop!
Happy reading!
