270°

a northern saw-whet owl in a pine tree on the cover, with text that reads maggie umber 270 — 136 pgs, 6 in x 6 in
CMYK offset, smyth-sewn
$15

Summary

Informative, colorful mixed-media work that bridges nature science and fine art – quintessential comics with an ornithological bend.

An artist's field guide on owls and owl behavior. Maggie Umber once again takes readers into nature, showing the beauty and sophistication of animals in their natural habitats. 270° is an educational glimpse of owls found in North America and beyond.

Preview

an open book with pictures of four white owls flying

an open book with barn owl flying, text reads: copyright info, maggie umber 270°

an open book with four owls, leaves, text reads: A group of owls is called a parliament

an open book with eight burrowing owls standing together

an open book with a snowy owl, and two northern hawk owls, text reads: There are diurnal owls that hunt during the day - like snowy and northern hawk owls

open book with an owl flying and a plant

open book with a saw-whet owl on a branch, and three burrowing owls standing

open book, with two Blakiston's fish owls and five feathers,text reads: It hunts for fish and it does so with its eyes. Unlike the special feathers of the great gray owl that muffle flight, the Blakiston's fish owl's feathers are loud

open book with five great horned owlets, text reads: if this doesn't work and a predator gets too close to their roost or nest the owl may do a threat display

open book with snowy owl and three owlets, text reads: If no fresh food arrives and there is no cache the youngest and smallest owlets get eaten by their older, stronger siblings. It's nature's way of insuring that some of the owlets survive

Blurbs

Umber captures the spirit of nature — its glory and grace — in her beautifully crafted, mixed media comics.
— Alyssa Berg, ALPENGLOW

Maggie Umber's 270° is beautiful to experience and the narrative engrossing. I was pulled in to the reality of the Owls. A fascinating read, gorgeously depicted.
— Mike Dawson, WHY DID THEY COME?

When 270°, Maggie Umber's second beautifully illustrated book on owls reached me I could not put it down until I had absorbed all its delightful owl and other artwork from cover to cover. This book will turn heads and make the viewers turn pages. The playful layout and creative and diverse artwork seduces the reader into absorbing the subtle but factual information woven throughout these pages. The words sometimes blend into the images, like grass, twigs and branches of the owls' habitats. Maggie has created a book of owls that reminds even the most objective owl scientists like me that there are other aesthetically pleasing ways to know owls.
— Dr. James Duncan, Balmoral, Manitoba, Canada

Reviews

A handspun collage of prints, pen-and-ink sketches, and thickly textured paintings that serve as an ode to the mysterious species. The bird portraits are striking and graceful—on one page, the face of an expressive, intelligent owl is juxtaposed with abstract earth-tone strokes that evoke both mottled tree bark and detailed feathers.
— Publishers Weekly

Umber wraps these styles around plain language, and while it might be tempting to err on the side of poetry with these kinds of works, I think Umber's choice is best, rendering a full experience that captures the multiple aspects of owls, both scientific and mythological.
— The Comics Beat

Trailer

Credits: video and 270° art by Maggie Umber.

Events

✍ Debuted at TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival), 2018

✍ 5/12/18 Artist Panel "Mixed Media Comics" moderated by Glenn Downey with James Kochalka, Ryan Barnet, Michael Comeau, Toronto Comics Art Festival, Toronto, Canada

✍ 5/25-6/10/18 Plants & Animals, The Learning Machine, Chicago, IL. Curated by Rebecca LADIDA

✍ 3/1-31/23 VIOLET, CPG show at The Optimist Gallery at Depression Press Mfg. & Ink, Inc., Chicago, IL. Curated by Chicago Printers Guild

✍ original art held in several private collections

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