existential birds with life advice
What if humans are not the only ones with an internal life? What is birds also experience an inner voice, one that questions their existence, creates problems where there are none, overthinks, exclaims their own superiority, and tries to discover the meaning of life? That is the basis of Ex, It’s Beautiful, where birds and other creatures face existential crises and admire the beauty of nature.
The book is broken into seasons, starting with winter. During those snowy months, the birds play pranks on each other. They try to say February. They wonder if there are other intelligent beings in the world. They steal a cell phone and talk about how people use them to start at themselves all day. And when it rings, they know they made it happen. And then there’s the tiny bluebird who takes a sniff from a discarded beer bottle and wants to fight a dog.
Then comes spring, with its new beginnings. There is the hardcore art class, Intro to Nest Building. There is the bird who loves squelch season (the mud). One bird is waking up the leaves. And they all think it’s great being the world’s most adored creatures.
In summer, one bird is asked to leave the area because another one has reserved not just the branch but the whole tree for the friends he’s expecting. Another bird finds the creature responsible for all his problems in the reflection of a river. There are birds playing charades and one who is happy about the rain so he can play in the puddles. And in my favorite line in the book, a seagull informs us, “You’ll regret 100% of the fries you don’t take.”
Than it’s fall, and a man catches a bug inside and takes it outdoors, only for the bug to exclaim, ”I hate it out here.“ There is the bird who wants to make his voice heard but ends up just yelling into the wind. Then there is the bird who realized he hadn’t had a thought for a while. “That was nice.” And there is the bird who was supposed to be meeting his friends, but when nobirdy is there, he wonders if he got his days mixed up and maybe it’s not Sabirday after all.
These intricately illustrated comics feature birds of all kinds, cats, racoons, bugs, and occasional humans. They are funny and clever, but they also point at some of the anxiety and existential dread that humans carry with them. Author Joshua Barkman was nominated for an Eisner Award for his False Knees webcomic, and this is his second printed collection of his unique art. Ew, It’s Beautiful is a striking collection of unparalleled art with funny and poignant comics, and it’s amazing.
Egalleys for Ew, It’s Beautiful were provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing through Edelweiss, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.
