To start with, if you’re not a cat person then you can still read this book. I know it says Cat Person right on the cover, but the later chapters step away from cats so you’re okay. Cat Person is an autobiographical comic that’s been collected. It’s about creator Seo Kim and of course created by Seo Kim. Personally I really enjoy autobiographical comics because I think they take the most courage to produce. To let strangers into your life and to be honest about your quirks and life style is not something everyone can do. Then there’s the business of doing it effectively which again, not everyone can do.
There’s three chapters to Cat Person. The first chapter is dedicated to cats. Having two cats that dominate my life, my house and my clothing… well, let’s just say that I related to a lot of the jokes and stories. Two strips stuck out the most to me because they happen to me daily. The first is about cat food and how Seo adds the tiniest bit to an already full bowl of food to get her cat Jimmy to eat. It’s funny how these creatures really are the same for everyone. The second shows a series of everyday objects covered in cat hair with cat features and the caption “Everything is a cat when you have a cat.” No truer worlds have ever been spoken… ever… seriously.
The next chapter is all about Seo. Just her quirks and everyday life stuff that much like the cat strips, you can find surprisingly relatable. It’s funny how these humans are really the same… wait I already said that about cats… well same thing applies. The next chapter is about relationships and if you don’t find that relatable then you’ve yet to have one.
Overall I enjoyed all the stories. The themes never ran too long and I can only recall one or two strips that I wasn’t interested in.
Kim’s style is interesting. Sometimes it was very stylized and colorful. Other times it’s in black and white and while not sloppy, it’s just not the same level of detail as the other strips. It’s still way better than my art and I really liked the overly detailed facial expressions. In general the art style was the right fit for the story and felt intimate at times which is good for this genre of comic.
Again, you don’t have to be a cat person to enjoy Cat Person. It helps on that first chapter for sure, but there’s plenty here to enjoy from beginning to end.
Score: 4/5
Cat Person Creator: Seo Kim Publisher: Koyama Press Price: $5.99 (On Sequential’s Summer Sale ending August 1st), $20 - Print Format: Trade Paperback; Print/Digital