Francis Bagby 2024

Abstract

“The Urban Adventures of Pigeon Girl” is a 24-page black-and-white comic strip zine which marks the starting point for an ongoing series. It’s written first and foremost to be a satirical young-adult comedy, while touching on themes of anxiety, social awkwardness, and queer romance. The titular Pigeon Girl must deal with everyday problems while living in downtown Port Detritus circa the early-2000s; it’s a city teeming with monsters, mutants, aliens, and everything in-between! But other than that, it’s pretty normal. Her escapades toe the line between ordinary and absurd, with the setting and surrounding characters exaggerating mundane experiences like buying a CD into over-the-top chaos. She’s often pushed into new scenarios by her outgoing friend Kitty Cactus; Kitty doesn’t know it, but Pigeon Girl has a massive crush on her, which helps motivate the plot in their stories together. While the comic is based on my personal experiences with young adulthood, it’s intended for a broader audience including readers from ages 14 to 25 who value unconventional and lighthearted perspectives on the subject.