Housecat Trouble: Lost and Found (Family Comic Friday)

Housecat Buster is about to have another epic adventure with his alley cat friends Chancey and Nova. It all starts with the appearance of a stray kitten at Buster's house. The kitty knows he's lost. But he's got zero memory of his name or how he got lost. All he knows is that he lives in a black painted house next to the town water tower. Join Buster and Onion, that's the name Buster gives the kitten, as they dodge ornery geese, hungry pups and one big, bad dogcatcher in hopes of reuniting the missing cat with his owner!

This is the second book in the Housecat Trouble series. I didn't realize that until I got about a third of the way through this story and by then, I was hooked. You don't have to read that first book in order to follow the action in this 2023 graphic novel. But it helps! Creator Mason Dickerson does a really good job of keeping new readers informed. But there's such a complexity and lore established with elements of the plot that reading book one is something that a younger reader might benefit from. 

I was so engrossed with the characters, I had to skip ahead to the end to make sure none of the kitties in this book were injured d or died. Yes, I know that LeVar Burton would be sorely disappointed in me for this. But when it comes to adorable animals, I can't stand to see them come to harm. Real or illustrated! 

Now to dig into elements of this graphic novel that might be objectionable to parents without revealing too much of the plot. For one thing, there are inter-dimensional beings that are trying to enter our world. It's a house cat's job to prevent these creatures from taking over a family's domicile. With Onion lost from his house, those monsters have been running rampant. These things aren't very scary. But when Onion finally confronts them, he unleashes a fury that can be a little unsettling, even to an adult reader!

As for Onion, there's something unusual about that pure white kitten. He can disappear without warning. When he reappears, he's usually found from a great height that Buster and friends can't figure out how that little guy does it. I don't want to go too much into detail without spoiling the big surprise. But I do think parents and guardians need to be ready with some tissues as the epilogue to this volume is bittersweet.

Random House Graphic's Housecat Trouble: Lost and Found is the second work by Mason Dickerson. A native North Carolinian such as myself, Dickerson doesn't have any formal art training. So his art might seem a little rough. Yet, every character has a distinctive look and formulated mannerisms. When it comes to his story structure, Dickerson's plotting is unsurpassed. If I can get my hands on volume 1, you can be sure I'll be checking it out and getting the rest of this story!

Speaking of volume 1, Housecat Trouble: A Graphic Novel is also available in Spanish and French language editions with a recommended age range of 7-10 years.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.