Written and Lettered by Aaron Walther
Illustrated by Ed Bickford
As I sit thinking of what to say to get the Birdlander review started I can’t help but to smile and think “this is why I love indie books,” because it really does encompass the passion and the effort put into indie comics. What I love about Birdlander is the world that Walther has in his mind and the way he lays it out for Bickford to tell. The story is set in a Mad Max style wasteland where a lonely traveler stumbles onto a camp of people doing their best to survive. There are certain genres that always draw me in; Sci-Fi, religion, post apocalyptic. These genres are just fun and the worlds that people build can be amazing. These genres open up possibilities that are only dampened by the creators and their perceived limits while at the same time are as open as the creators minds can go. Needless to say the beginning of Birdlander is a great start into the post apocalyptic world and leaves me wanting to know more about the lore of the Birdlander and I’m more than interested in seeing the development of the world and people in it.
Ed Bickford has a unique artistic style and I’m too novice with with artists styles to know what it is but I can say for sure that the way he tells the visual story is on point. I feel like it’s done with a coal pencil, or a black marker, or something to that effect because everything has a grey undertone and in some of the more black spots like the people’s hair the black is deep and used really well to contrast the faces. I enjoy the faces and facial expressions that Bickford uses because I hate when artists don’t distinguish characters looks and have them all with the same blank expression, Bickford avoids that in every panel, each new look and thought is a new look and feel in facial expressions.
If you feel like checking out Birdlander you can catch them on their website, and you can even buy the print from them, issue one is only five dollars and the if you want to just read from the web it’s free. I highly suggest getting the book at the five dollar price and supporting these guys in their craft!
