Review by Win Wiacek

Here’s a second collection of outrageous, alarming, occasionally courageous but always charming romps, riffs and rather moving moments starring a growing family of people and the cats and assorted critters that share space with them. As with Reporting on the News That Matters to Cats, they’re probably far too autobiographical for comfort.

If you’re a returning customer or follow the strip online, you’re already au fait with the ever-expanding cast and ceaseless surreality, but this stuff is so welcoming even the merest neophyte can jump right in with no confusion other than which author Georgia Dunn intends.

Thus, you can learn that ‘The Man Has Lost his Tail’, the repercussions of ‘There are Other Cats in the Building!’ and that ‘The People Bought a Bird Magnet’, or question just why ‘The People Went Out and Bought us Expensive Cat Food’.

Dunn is a master of emotional manipulation and never afraid to tug heartstrings, so the trauma of a loved one being lost in the snow at Christmas hits like a hammer. ‘Elvis is Missing!’ is surprisingly powerful, so mind out how you let the kids (and grandparents) read this unsupervised. Tough guys like you should be okay though!

The rolling news about the missing investigative reporter continues in ‘We’re Nearing 3 Hours since Elvis got Outside’ and ‘We’re 4 Hours into Elvis Watch’, but unlike the home-bodies you can see how the lost lad survives, and because of whom. Events come to a head in ‘Puck Here. Still Awake’ and ‘Elvis is Back Inside!’ but the story can’t end until it ends happily, so ‘ELVIS WENT BACK OUTSIDE!’ sees the prodigal save his saviour in ‘There’s a Woman at the Door!’.

Anchor cat Lupin begins another extended in ‘Lupin Found a Tiny Door in the Bathroom Closet’. It escalates into ‘Lupin fell down a Laundry Chute or some nonsense’ and ‘Unexpected Developments in the Laundry Room!’ introduce a rival Hispanic feline reporting contingent. The epic escapade only ends after ‘Elvis Has Just Joined Lupin in the Laundry Room!’ and ‘The People are Looking for Lupin and Elvis’, result in international co-operation before ‘Elvis and Lupin have to Escape the Laundry Room’.

With the reporting team augmented by a new and jolly journalist, the year moves on. A true crisis looms when ‘There Has Been a Hairball’ and anxiety increases as ‘Flowers are Flying out of the Garden’, but tidings that ‘There’s a New Toy in the Bathroom!’ soon diminisheses the tensions to conclude this segment of the far from fake fur news for a while.

‘Breaking Cat News: More to Explore!’ is the regular title for bonus material, which starts with ‘Georgia Dunn’s Tips to Begin Cartooning’, developing into ‘How to Draw the Good Boys of BCN’ – following from rough pencilling to inks and colour. It culminates with ‘Drawing Face Expressions’, ‘Drawing Your Pet as a Reporter’ and expanding the franchise to ‘Other News Affiliates’ as fish, birds, rats, lizards, dogs and ferrets join the quest for truth and fun.

Lupin Leaps In is a glorious all-ages romp of joy. Chase it! Catch it!, Who’s a Good People? Take it Away, Tommy is next.