Jeremy's review
Cat Getting Out of a Bag and Other Observations by Jeffrey Brown (Goodreads author!)
I like this Jeffrey Brown character. One does not come to him for spectacular art (though the crude style never detracts from the material; just the opposite, in fact), but for the opportunity to see familiar and often overlooked mannerisms and habits depicted within an instantly relatable situation. Here, he proves that his characters needn't be human or at all anthropomorphized to fit seamlessly into his perceptive little universe. Just about every weird thing I've ever seen the various cats in my life do - rubbing their face on everything, loving you one minute and biting you the next, the Flehmen response, the crazy chattering noise whenever they see birds out the window - has a frame or two dedicated to it. I only wish the book were twice as long, but what little there is of it is attractively-designed (love the cover) and thoroughly charming.
I've only read Every Girl is the End of the World For Me, AEIOU (Any Easy Intimacy), and Feeble Attempts thus far, but my opinion of Brown is pretty much the same as yours. I have a copy of Clumsy coming to me in an upcoming comic book order, so I'm really looking forward to that.
"Clumsy" is the only other book of his I've read, and I liked it a lot. From what I've seen of his other books, though, it features the least sophisticated artwork of the bunch, which should tell you something. It completely works, though.
I got to meet him this year at the Chicago comic con and he signed my book for me! Well, to my cat Carbon.
