Cat and Girl

Unlike last week's comic, Cat and Girl is tame enough for a child to read. Assuming, of course, the child in question is a prodigy with a finely tuned interest in sociopolitical trends.

Let's just start off by being honest - not everyone is going to get it. Like most forms of intellectualism, Cat and Girl is destined for a niche audience. That being said, the comic isn't typically linguistically challenging, nor is it peppered with higher mathematics or other forms of exclusionary collegiate knowledge. Mostly philosophical in nature, it's the references that are likely to throw some potential readers. Be they political, literary, musical, or otherwise; these references often form both the set up and the punch line and are left, necessarily, unexplained. I don't find the writing elitist by any means; but if you have to be coached through it, you probably wouldn't find it terribly funny anyway. Happily, the subject matter is eclectic enough that you'll probably have better luck with the next one.

While the titular figures aren't the sole population of the universe, they often carry the comic and are the most deeply explored characters. Girl's bitterly sardonic views are often juxtaposed with Cat's heady optimism; giving the comic a playfully oscillating feel. The black and white artwork is clean and supports both characters and tone quite nicely. The visual flow compliments the pacing well, spacing what could have easily been an overly verbose strip into progressive bites with skillful ease. Body postures and facial expressions are constructed in such a way that the overall mood of each comic could be readily determined without script, without being so prominent as to be distracting.

The website itself is clean and functional, though I'm ambivalent about the use of an all white background. Sometimes I feel it's too sterile, other times I feel it's actually complimentary. In addition to the navigation buttons beneath the comic, a Random Comic link is nestled in the main menu - a feature I love in stand alone comics.

In closing (wow... how pretentious is that?) Cat and Girl may not be for everyone, but I feel as though it ought to be. There just isn't enough thought on these here internets; and it heartens me to see comics like this one filling that void.