Birds of Maine

By Michael DeForge. Published by Drawn & Quarterly. 

Hardcover, 464 pages, Colour, 2022. 

Take flight to this post-apocalyptic utopia filled with birds

Long after the demise of humankind, birds roam freely around the Moon complete with fruitful trees, sophisticated fungal networks, and an enviable socialist order. The universal worm feeds all, there are no weekends, and economics is as fantastical a study as unicorn psychology. No concept of money or wealth plagues the thoughts of these free-minded birds. Instead, there are angsty teens who form bands to show off their best bird song and other youngsters who yearn to become clothing designers even though clothes are only necessary during war. (The truly honorable professions for most birds are historian or librarian.) These birds are free to crush on hot pelicans and live their best lives until a crash-landed human from Earth threatens to change everything.

Michael DeForge’s post-apocalyptic reality brings together the author’s quintessential deadpan humor, surrealist imagination, and undeniable sociopolitical insight. Appearing originally as a webcomic, Birds of Maine follows DeForge’s prolific trajectory of astounding graphic novels that reimagine and question the world as we know it. His latest comic captures the optimistic glow of utopian imagination with a late-capitalism sting of irony.

"A knotty, whimsical triumph of often hilarious satire."—Publishers Weekly

“Frequently funny, sometimes harrowing, and always deeply strange.”—Slate

“DeForge examines both how we build our own sense of self and how others take on the roles we create for them.”—The Guardian

“Another DeForge classic—tender, depressing, and overflowing with his mind-melting, uber-satisfying surrealist style.”—Interview Magazine