Written and illustrated by Makoto Kobayashi
Translated by Dana Lewis, Toran Smith
Published by Dark Horse Manga
Pages: 528 Pages
Retail: $19.99
Translated by Dana Lewis, Toran Smith
Published by Dark Horse Manga
Pages: 528 Pages
Retail: $19.99
Michael is your normal, run of the mill orange tabby house cat. Or is he?
I'm not really a big fan of Manga. But it's the dual nature of realistic adventures of a cat and his human owner as well as Michael's anthropomorphic adventures as a school boy and father of 15 or so kittens that make me a fan of this series.
What's Michael? has been around since the mid-80s. Originally a feature in Weekly Morning Magazine, the first What's Michael? comics were not exactly appropriate for all ages. It's almost like how the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles started out. They weren't the friendly cartoon dudes that have been a Saturday morning cartoon staple for 3 decades. Leonardo, Raphael and company were gritty and grim. That's the way it was with Michael.
In some of his earliest adventures, Michael dies. In typical Looney Tunes fashion, Michael always comes back in the next story. But for those who are not familiar with Japanese culture, those early stories are considered age appropriate. But for American readers, some of the ways Michael would cross the rainbow bridge were pretty gruesome. Thankfully, those stories are not collected in this volume. However, some of the adventures contained here can still be quite bizarre.
The thing to understand about What's Michael? is that there's really more than one Michael. The version that lives with his human master, who happens to be a gangster, is perhaps the most realistic portrayal of a cat to ever be put to pen and paper. I see so much of my cats in Michael and his person. The time when Michael's owner puts on a Godzilla mask and Michael freaks out about it! That has happened with me and my cats!
Other versions of Michael have him as a family man. While he lives with humans as their pet, Michael struggles with his wife to raise a near endless litter of kittens. Another version of Michael has him as a school kid who walks on two-feet in full uniform. That version is perhaps the most silly of the different takes on the cat. It's also my least favorite.
What's Michael? has been around for a very long time and he's developed a cult following. I've seen libraries around the country that have all 17 of the now out-of-print volumes on the shelf in their young adult section. Dark Horse Manga rates these books as ideal for readers in grades 3-6 and I think that's appropriate. Some situations are a little more aimed at older readers. Thankfully, these episodes are still way tamer than the original Japanese adventures.
This omnibus edition is over 500 pages. With a retail price of only $20, this is an amazing deal. There's literally a story for everyone in this collection of cat themed adventures.
What's Michael?: Fatcat Collection Volume 1 will debut at a bookstore near you on February 25, 2020.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
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