Mockingbird is a good, good book. Buy it. Read it. Enjoy it. It has corgis and mysteries and intricate plots. And charming, dynamic art.
What, you want to know more? Okay, okay. But I’m only standing between you and getting your hands on a copy of Mockingbird’s two trades at this point.
Bobbi Morse is a super-spy scientist. She’s awesome and competent, and she knows it and embraces it. In “My Feminist Agenda” which is the second arc* of Mockingbird, she’s on a nerd cruise, looking for information to help acquit Hawkeye of the Hulk’s murder. Yes, that’s right: this is a Civil War II tie-in, yet I still adore it. Chelsea Cain establishes a clear voice for Bobbi—not only is the book hilarious, but it’s a comedy noir at its core. Interwoven are personal beats for Bobbi, dealing with her past with and divorce from Clint Barton. It never veers into overwrought, though; Bobbi owns and accepts what happened between them and, at all times, moves forward.
Mockingbird’s art is rich and ebullient. Kate Niemczyk’s pages are full of clever layouts and design ideas, plus corgis, D&D, ghosts, pirates, giant squids, fun charts and diagrams, and more. And it all looks great. Sean Parsons’s lines are smooth and clean; and Rachelle Rosenberg’s colors, bright and bold. Light sources glow. And all three—along with letterer Joe Caramagna—fit in amazing amounts of background detail from sight gags to beautifully tacky wallpaper to titles of books and places on maps.
Look, I already told you to read this. I’ve gushed over it. Now read it, okay? It’s funny, character-driven, and intentional. The only problem with it is that there are only eight issues; I want more of it in my life. But I can only live vicariously through you no, dear reader. So read some Mockingbird for me.
*The first arc involved weird science and a bunch of seemingly unrelated cases, with little clues scattered through from the first issue on, and I love it too.
Collected in
- Mockingbird, Vol. 2: My Feminist Agenda (#6-8)
Credits
Writer: Chelsea Cain | Penciler: Kate Niemczyk | Inker: Sean Parsons | Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg | Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna | Coverse: Joëlle Jones & Rachelle Rosenberg | Assistant Editor: Christina Harrington | Editor: Katie Kubert