Bad Kitties (or, Not Everybody Wants To Be A Cat)

It always pleases me to say, particularly to furry audiences, that a hiatus was taken for less exciting and dramatic reasons than those they may have cooked up. In this case, I’m glad to return to posting an occasional media review here and there after five years of being between smartphones, plus the additional snag of quite the dry spell in terms of worthy things to write of. (Thanks for holding back on Jackbox, guys.)

Making use of snazzy resources, both analog and digital – remember your local libraries, folks – takes you a long way. It certainly brought these two disparate cat stories back to my attention.

Man-Eaters

There was obvious balking on my part insofar as discussing this one, since by the most ostensible of terms, it’s near devoid of anthropomorphics. (Stay tuned; that’s not the only reason.) My argument for including it is that it very cleverly uses anthropomorphic situations to explore a tricky social void that can always stand exploration. The prime creative team behind Man-Eaters, professionally known as the Ministry Of Trouble, have deftly used the character status to examine that void that’s always uncomfortable, a girl experiencing her first period.

This is given a fantasy framework, make no mistake, which is where the anthros come in. In this re-imagining of the situation, on top of all the other problems the event brings on – which this series makes no bones about – there’s the snag of biological compound “Toxoplasmosis X”, causing around five of every six females to transform, literally, into killer big cats. That “magic time” of life triggers the transformation, with rare and little warning.

The books are interspersed with fake ads, reminiscent of Starship Troopers or BioShock in their look and style, which attempt to educate the public on the most advantageous ways for you and your family to avoid becoming the next statistic, from estrogen supplements to defense training. One part comes in the form of a periodical all about preventing the unthinkable.

So serious is the situation, a government agency has been formed to investigate and ultimately end the threat. Partially-narrating protagonist Maude’s mom is a member of this organization, while her dad is your garden-variety homicide detective. Ah, yes, they’re divorced. This, with their jobs, makes it necessary to leave Maude home alone from time to time. You got it; it’s Maude’s first time of the month.

To add to what I’ve revealed about the book’s presentation: its technical quality is solid. This Image publication meshes heavy notes from boss Marvel and rival DC with the art style, while establishing identity of its own. Digs into detail that would make Lisa Frank envious and regular humor succeed in making things that much more unsettling. I can’t comment enough of the brilliance in using a firm plot device certain readers would likely find… hot.

With that said, much about the book’s theme is surface action, since this subject has to be in-your-face to have the desired effect. Suffice it to say, if you were to take the film Cat People and drench it in a soup of about ten Tig Notaro stand up routines, you’d have something like Man-Eaters. (Prepare to appreciate the irony of this description if you don’t already.)

Don’t think too much of it if you find yourself wincing and cringing while reading. You’re supposed to. We’re all supposed to.

Here’s the part you furries are going to love - the book is labeled as controversial. [What? NOOOO] - so much so that The Ministry Of Trouble’s spearhead, creator Chelsea Cain, wound up leaving Twitter having received (ahem) spirited criticism of the work. Those unfamiliar should carefully peruse this article for the whole skinny, and judge for themselves. Seriously, no TLDR on this, do your due diligence.

Blacksad: They All Fall Down

Like anyone delving into commentary, I hope reviews aren’t just something for you to read; rather, that they encourage contemplation of an art piece’s correlation to, and examination of, the lives we’re living.

As such, we’re back to less-incendiary, more traditional views on anthros with this revisit to Blacksad’s grit-coated universe. With wiseguy news-weasel Weekly in tow, the black cat freelance gumshoe steps up to answer the obvious need for his services when a representative of the archaeology community flashes his business card while rambling about a current injustice.

As with many Blacksad works, this volume of the saga from Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido features the Gangster Weasel presence, seamy environments, community leaders with high aims and associates in low places, a “partner” for Weekly that’s way more trouble than even he deserves, and your usual intricate mystery in the frame of a generous Anthro New York.

It’s some of the more expressive art I’ve seen in graphic novels; R. Crumb level. The count of characters is dizzying, even intimidating — but by my estimation they’re all given something to do. It’s probably worth the trouble to keep a scorecard handy.

Blacksad: They All Fall Down is a deserving urban nail-biter that spans two volumes and should be relatively easy to find.