Blackbird

By Pierre Maurel. Published by Conundrum Press. 

Softcover, 128 pages, B&W, 2016.

Blackbird follows a band of skateboarding anarchists who are making a zine all about their lives. The problem is, in Maurel’s dystopian near future self-publishing zines has become a crime. Through media stunts, thrilling chase scenes, and some real political activism, Blackbird and its cast of characters reflects the social dynamics of a counterculture. It also gives readers a taste of the new French undergound in comics.

“Whilst Nineteen Eighty-Four might focus on the logical conclusion of authoritarianism, Blackbird examines its beginnings, focusing on the absurdity of this political perspective and the attrition of liberty it causes. It’s rare that the term “underground comics” has any kind of literal value, but here it’s spot on, following creators banding together to produce and distribute their work by any means necessary.” — Avoid the Future