Venomous Feathers Vol 3

VENOMOUS FEATHERS SPLIT SERIES #3: WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING by Archie Fitzgerald / DEVOTEE OF LOVE by Joshua Mackie

In “While You Were Sleeping” the secret worlds that are normally hidden in damp dirt and wet grass are revealed. We find timekeeping molluscs, crumbling castles, a portal leading directly to dreamland. Archie Fitzgerald isn’t just into astral escapism and soil exploration though, as very terrestrial concerns such as grief, burnout, and capitalism-enforced misery are explored with the same magnified focus. “While You Were Sleeping” has us wondering where the line is drawn between being asleep and awake - or if there even is one.

“Devotee of Love” cranks up the visual electricity until heads are spinning and stars are everywhere. A myriad of celestial tricksters have made these pages their home, giggling and gurning, radiating creative chaos. Through Joshua Mackie’s hand, cuttings sniped from children’s encyclopedias and slices of advertising ephemera are elevated to sacred strangeness. “Devotee of Love” is also devoted to visual joy and retinal delight. This split is the perfect example of the Venomous Feathers ethos.

24 pp. booklet, full colour, slightly-bigger-than super octavo size