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goldentortoisebeetle's review against another edition
In one of the first stories he hits the cat, in another the joke is that the wife and cat are fat. I didn't really wanna read more after that.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
What's Michael? Fatcat Collection Volume 1 collects stories from Michael's Album, Living Together, Off the Deep End, Michael's Mambo, Michael's Favorite Spot, and A Hard Day's Life.
While I mostly read American comics, I dip my toe into the manga pool once in a while. I was vaguely aware of What's Michael? was from when Eclipse licensed the property back in the day. When I saw Dark Horse was putting out this big honkin' omnibus, I decided to take the plunge.
I'm happy to say this slice of life manga was a delight. I'm officially a dog guy but we have two cats so the situations in What's Michael? were all too familiar. Like Michael's humans, I too have been trod upon in the middle of the night, harassed for food, and cleaned up the full spectrum of cat excretions.
The art is cute without being overly so, particularly Michael and the other felines. Michael acts like a normal cat, unlike certain other ginger toms whose name ends in -Arfield. The stories will be familiar to any cat owner.
The stories aren't exactly linked beyond featuring Michael, though there are recurring features in some. They seem to take place in various points in his life with different owners and such. In some, Michael has a made and kittens. In others, he's the sole cat. In still others, he shares his humans with Catzilla, fattest cat of them all! The stories were amusing but I never once rolled on the floor and nearly lost an ass.
What's Michael? Fatcat Collection Volume 1 is one of those comics that I like quite a bit without knowing exactly why. Four out of five dead cicadas.
While I mostly read American comics, I dip my toe into the manga pool once in a while. I was vaguely aware of What's Michael? was from when Eclipse licensed the property back in the day. When I saw Dark Horse was putting out this big honkin' omnibus, I decided to take the plunge.
I'm happy to say this slice of life manga was a delight. I'm officially a dog guy but we have two cats so the situations in What's Michael? were all too familiar. Like Michael's humans, I too have been trod upon in the middle of the night, harassed for food, and cleaned up the full spectrum of cat excretions.
The art is cute without being overly so, particularly Michael and the other felines. Michael acts like a normal cat, unlike certain other ginger toms whose name ends in -Arfield. The stories will be familiar to any cat owner.
The stories aren't exactly linked beyond featuring Michael, though there are recurring features in some. They seem to take place in various points in his life with different owners and such. In some, Michael has a made and kittens. In others, he's the sole cat. In still others, he shares his humans with Catzilla, fattest cat of them all! The stories were amusing but I never once rolled on the floor and nearly lost an ass.
What's Michael? Fatcat Collection Volume 1 is one of those comics that I like quite a bit without knowing exactly why. Four out of five dead cicadas.
dantastic's review
4.0
I'm definitely the age that I appreciate cat manga. Much like the last Fatcat collection, this is 400+ pages of feline fun. The stories are from various points in Michael's timeline, including his dreams. Michael fathers some children, torments some humans, and gets into all sorts of mischief. There's even a Planet of the Apes spoof that goes for multiple installments. The art is cute without being ridiculously so and the humor should hit home for people with cats.
mew_fighter's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
3.25
It’s a collection, so some chapters were great and hilarious while others were bland to me.
mobymaize's review against another edition
I don’t think this book is really for me. Sorry Michael, you seem like a lovely cat, though.
juniperjenn's review against another edition
While I appreciate that it's a comic, I didn't like the instances of cat abuse and trauma that was showcased*. It was meant for comic effect (with a some times anthropomorphic cat)** and definitely not to be taken seriously, but with the fourth such instance in less than 50 pages, it turned me right off. Not my cup of tea.
*ex. a character hit his cat on the head because the cat didn't play with him like a dog would; a man brings home abandoned kittens and the woman "gets rid of them".
**The only one of the shorts that I did enjoy showcased talking cats in a 1980s cop drama, complete with 1980s outfits!
*ex. a character hit his cat on the head because the cat didn't play with him like a dog would; a man brings home abandoned kittens and the woman "gets rid of them".
**The only one of the shorts that I did enjoy showcased talking cats in a 1980s cop drama, complete with 1980s outfits!
dereksilva's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Cute artwork and a very fun read. It's clearly written by someone who knows and appreciates cats.
eggchelleee's review against another edition
5.0
that was cute nyazilla is such a character and freedom for bear please!
keitacolada's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sylvane_spectre's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Written and drawn by people who clearly love cats.
My single critique is that the story doesn't address neutering cats as a necessary population control measure, instead depicting the home-breeding of cats in a neutral-to-positive light. Not a big deal, really.
My single critique is that the story doesn't address neutering cats as a necessary population control measure, instead depicting the home-breeding of cats in a neutral-to-positive light. Not a big deal, really.