Review by Ian Keogh

Nick Bruel’s Bad Kitty has a considerable track record, beginning as an illustrated children’s series that sometimes resembled comics and gradually increasing the comics content to arrive at the graphic novel format. A hangover, though, is the typeset text, which isn’t a great design element, but keeps things clear for a younger audience.

The formula is simple enough, surely inspired by classic animation where an omnipotent, but never seen narrator talks to the kitten, and what readers see is the expressive reactions to what’s being said. As ever, the smarter Kitty’s nemesis is the puppy, a dim drooling bundle of energy, but because it’s the puppy’s birthday Kitty must behave. After all, it was her birthday a few books back.

Bruel derives funny moments from the difference between Kitty’s understanding of good behaviour and the ideal present. She thinks that would be a coughed-up furball. The puppy remains silent and drooling, but Bruel breaks new ground with the other doggy party guests each explaining their presents. It’s a strange and surreal sequence, what with one dog noting the provenance of a human bone and another passing on a different bone as if stolen goods, with instructions it’s kept hidden. Further surreal moments follow when Uncle Murro the Party Clown turns up.

There’s a feeling of Party Animal being spontaneously plotted with Bruel drawing one scene as the next occurs to him. There’s no spontaneity about the illustration, though, which are tight and feature well choreographed slapstick sequences. A frenetic cat fires through a massive range of emotions, not just at the party indignities, but the dungeons and dragons sequence Bruel shoehorns in. Cleverly, though, it leads to a redemptive moment for Kitty.

Every Bad Kitty book can be read and enjoyed on its own, but Bad Kitty Gets a Job is next.