Dude it has been like the years of the cat people recently. Cats are ballin’ and cat lovers everywhere are rejoicing that people are finally giving cats the recognition they deserve. Just looking at the cover, you can tell this comic will be cat-epic (an epic cat tale). When a cat can give a death stare while all the humans are only small distance memories in background, oh and don’t forget the random antiques scattered around obviously pointing towards this cat being some sort of Indiana Jones version, then you know you have a cat-epic on hand. So pretty much every cat fan has been longing for I Was The Cat to make its appearance. The story starts out with humans, disappointing I know but it gets better. Allison and Reagan are fighting about Allison taking a job that sounds quite strange. Allison Breaking has her own blog and trying to hit the next big news stories, she gets asked to write a memoir with a pretty big pay check attached. Reagan is leery because she thinks Allison is going to meet some sort of crazy man. But Allison takes the job anyway and finds out that her customer is Burma, a cat. A talking cat that has nine lives and with one left it is time for him to tell his story... or nine stories.
Let’s talk about the cat. Burma is incredible. Clearly he needs to be in order for everyone to love this comic, but the hype actually lives up to its name. He is like a grandpa full of stories, memorabilia, and wisdom. And yet he still is relatable with his age and has an innocent feeling to him. You fall for him like Allison, but there may be more to this cat than we can see. I love how he jumps from story to story too at no particular point or in no particular order. And damn this cat was like a part of every important thing from the past. From Egyptian ruling, to Puss and Boots, to Queen Elizabeth. He is a pretty important dude... I mean cat. As the story progresses, Burma becomes more and more interesting. You can’t tell what is up with him but the ninth story he is holding back is his biggest one yet.
Burma is planning something. The whole town’s cats are involved along with lots and lots of human detectives. His butler knows, but the key person is Rohan. This dude is his right hand man. The mystery of what they are planning is unknown for quite some time. There are some guesses that the reader can make, but who can guess what a cat is thinking; no one. I don’t want to say what happens but it involves some serious murder of cats by dogs, shootings between humans, phone taps, chase scenes, and a lot more intrigue.
The comic takes us through various stories from Burma’s life all the while the two girls record the stories and discuss within the group. The stories are hilarious and remind me of those moments at the dinner table when everyone is discussing their past. The embarrassing, heroic, funny, and emotional parts all come out. The comic makes you think that you are one in the group. So the stories seem relatable and tell a lot about each character but mostly about Burma. But the girls start to slowly realize that Burma may be the most vicious cat they have met, but then again he is just a cat. One of my cats’ powers is the ability to never make me mad at them for more than two minutes. Allison thinks the same way I do. But Allison Breaking won’t let the reporter side of her go, so she and Reagan will have to just uncover the truth whether they like it or not. Allison must stay true to herself and do the job of a reporter; tell the truth.
What a great story that Paul Tobin brings. Oni Press has impressed me with this epic cat tale. Not only is it creative but it is highly entertaining. And Benjamin Dewey’s art is perfect for the story. If you haven’t seen pictures of the comic, you may think that the comic is cartoony since there is a talking cat and all, but instead the comic is realistic. Burma looks a real cat. Giving it this real time feel allows for us to actually believe in this story. I really couldn’t get enough of the comic. Burma is tantalizing with his motives. The audience will wonder what is coming next and who Burma influenced with each story. Get yourself a copy of this comic. Do it not only for cat fans everywhere, but for the pure domination this story has.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Paul Tobin Artist: Benjamin Dewey Publisher: Oni Press Price: $0.99 Release Date: 6/4/11 Format: OGN, Digital Chapters