It’s a Bird begins with the scene of a young Stephen Seagle and his
brother at the hospital as a feeling of uncertainty overwhelms them. Once they
start complaining, their father consoles them by giving them a superman comic.
On one of the hospital information cards Steven notices the words “Diagnosis:
Huntington’s” with an unusually scribbled “S” resembling the one on Superman.
Many years later Steven becomes a graphic novel writer and lives with his
girlfriend Lisa when he is offered every comic book writer’s dream: to write an
issue of Superman. This, however, brings back his past experiences and
leads to inner turmoil within his mind. Seagle’s work takes us through his
development as a writer and human being as he copes with his family issues with
Huntington’s disease. Throughout his work, he analyzes superman’s character and
his own as he struggles to write his comic book issue. Steven T. Seagle retells
his personal experiences as a budding comic book writer in his graphic novel
through a combination of interlacing ideas, symbolism, and vivid imagery.
Seagle’s novel involves the interlacing of three
major components. The first of these involves flashbacks to a childhood scene
at a hospital. When Seagle was a boy, he and his brother had learned that his
grandmother had come down with Huntington’s disease. While they were waiting in
the hospital, boredom overcame them and a quarrel broke out. Their father
intervened and gave them a Superman comic to read. Seagle noticed that the “S”
on Superman’s chest was eerily similar to the one at the end of Huntington’s.
Thus began Seagle’s stigmas pertaining to Superman and Huntington’s. Throughout
this story he often flashes back to elucidate the events of that day as he
remembers them and use them as means to explain the condition of his present
life. As Seagle’s view of superman is altered by the event in these flashbacks,
as an adult he chooses to break down superman’s character traits and identity
to explain the way he sees them as they become relevant to his life story. On
top of this, Seagle uses philosophical anecdotes often referring to the ideas
of Friedrich Nietzsche to further analyze Superman and understand what to do
with his life. The interlacing of these three elements is done with much
expertise as ideas begin to blend together towards the end of the story and
clearly tie back to Seagle’s life and future plans, ultimately taking him on an
intellectual journey.
Seagle also utilizes symbolism to elucidate his points. Superman’s “S”
is one of the important symbols and is the cause of confusion in Seagle’s life.
When he sees it, it reminds him of Huntington’s disease and the pain it has
inflicted on his family. In Seagle’s mind Superman symbolizes an alien
aggressor who is invulnerable to diseases and will never know the pains of
being human. Gradually he comes to understand Superman by breaking down the
identity of superman into symbols of invulnerability, power, justice, freedom,
and strength by comparing his iconic image to other historical icons from
Hitler to Alexander the Great. Superman, usually seen as a symbol of the ultimate
good, is often given an antagonistic role in It’s a Bird. This in depth
analysis of Superman is a plus in that it allows us to see how Seagle’s views
develop throughout the story and portray Superman in a unique new light.
Seagle uses vivid imagery throughout his novel to help us see
Huntington’s disease and Superman the way he does. Huntington’s disease was
depicted in several ways. The first and foremost was its devastating effects on
families. This can be observed in the first pages when the Seagle family is
going through a stressful time in the hospital. Everything from the expressions
on the family’s faces to the dark grays and yellows in the background convey
uncertainty and decay. To add to the gloom and dread, there is a panel on page
3 showing a doctor pushing a covered body as a young Seagle watches. In the
hospital everyone is facing some challenge: the boys are fighting boredom; the
mother tries to be strong in the face of their adversity, and the father keeps
everyone calm. As we progress towards the end of the book, readers see the
devastation of the disease on a human body through Seagle’s horrific use of
gray, contorted bodily motions, and facial expressions. Meanwhile, the artwork
of Superman throughout the majority of the book utilizes dark colors in
contrast to the usual bright primary colors normally used to depict Superman.
These images of Superman are often used to portray the comic book superhero as
the alien antagonist in Seagle’s life. Gradually the art style begins changing
to brighter colors as Seagle begins to understand Superman better. The overall
artwork and imagery do a good job of conveying his feelings at the moment and
make the reader understand the world through Seagle’s eyes.
Overall, this has been a delight for each of us to read. Through the
delicate balance of interlaced ideas, symbolism, and vivid imagery, It’s a Bird
is a short book that requires the reader to read and reread as he spends
time thinking about the events that transpire in the novel. There is a
lot packed into each and every panel and many ideas that come together to tell
Seagle’s story; however, as a result the book can become fairly complicated and
may require several minutes of reading and reflection. The short anecdotes
talking about others may distract the reader and seem like tangents from the
main story, but are examples of Steven’s feelings and actions throughout the
novel. To bring the reader back on track throughout the book, symbols are used
as foils for greater things and are often thought provoking, such as the S
representing Huntington’s. Lastly, the imagery in every panel carries emotion
through color and drawing technique and allows the reader to see the darkness
Huntington’s can bring to one’s family. By using these three elements in
the novel, Seagle provide the reader insight into his life and provides a
thorough analysis of it.
This book is not for those who wish to skim, but it is for those
who wish to seek deep personal reflection about their past and how it will
influence their future. The main storyline of a budding comic book author,
while not a common lifestyle many people can relate to, will intrigue those
unfamiliar with the profession to see how one can determine the fine line
between work and personal issues.
Positives
- This book was an intriguing read. Contains many thought provoking panels that makes one reflect on the world and themselves in general.
- Lots of drama occurs throughout the novel concerning the author’s personal life, and how his work affects him.
- Well written with well interlaced ideas throughout
- Descriptive images and symbols add to the depth of the novel’s story
Negatives
- The book has the appearance of 124 page book, but should one read it, he/she will take the time it takes to read a 300-400 page book because of the time it takes for one reader to analyze certain parts of the text.
- Interruptions in the story’s main story line such as flash backs can be occasionally distracting and confusing
- Did not like the ending in terms of resolution
- Seagle’s character is unique and not easily relatable for most people
On a scale from 1 to 10, the book is an 8.5/10.
Written by Brian Chien, Vivek Koganti, Rohan Verma
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