This 2014 Free Comic Book Day offering features everybody's favorite cat from Japan- Hello Kitty. Now, let me stop right here and say that yes I know that the creator of Hello Kitty said recently that his character is actually a little girl in a cat mask. But, if you look in this book, you will see her parents and a sibling. They are drawn to look like cats. So am I to believe that the whole family dresses up as furry felines just for fun? I'm not buying it.
Plus as a child I had friends who were related that owned an oriental grocery and a Filipino restaurant. I spent many a weekend afternoon at their parents shops. While there, we ate Botan Rice Candy by the bucketful and we delighted when we got a free Hello Kitty sticker in the box as a prize. We considered Hello Kitty to be a cat back then and for the sake of this review- a pussy cat she will remain.
The book was released to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Hello Kitty back in 1974! The publishers at Perfect Square were just getting ready to drop a hardcover collection of 40 stories by some of the best in the business. So, this was a very small way to advertise it. Hardcore fans of Hello Kitty along with newcomers will delight at her exploits, some of which are reprinted here in America for the first time ever.
Hello Kitty has universal appeal, but the book might be too young for those who are not hardcore fans of the young cat as there are absolutely no words in this book unless you count sound effects. This reader would make an excellent picture book as would the digest collections of the original Japanese comic. And yes- the SFX have been changed from Japanese to English so you can put away your Japanese to English dictionaries.
One thing you should know if you are on the hunt for the books advertised in this free comic, even though it was published in comic book form, the digest themselves are not considered graphic novels. Amazon has these volumes for about $10 apiece and you can find these books at your family bookstore or library.
The second feature in this book was a new title called 'The Bravest Warriors.' This book is like a Where's Waldo book in that you must find their pet, a little guy called Catbug. It would've helped if the author had thought to include a pic of just what Catbug looks like. Once I found a picture of him in an ad for this series in the back of the book, I was able to find him. This book too is not considered a graphic novel but can be found on eBay, Amazon, and other online retailers.
This book was a fun trip down memory lane for me and if you grew up with Hello Kitty, it could be like opening a time capsule. Fun for the whole family but more than likely to appeal to kids under the age of 7.
Worth Consuming
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
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