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Heathcliff Triple Threat
George Gately has created the world's most unruly, side-splittingly funny tabby. He is Heathcliff, and he has won his way into the hearts of fans everywhere. Be sure to get in on the action--because where Heathcliff can be found, profits are sure to follow!
128 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
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November 10, 2009
"Don't do it, fella," warns the harried sanitation worker to a stray cat about to topple refuse into the street. "Heathcliff controls all garbage cans on the entire east side of town!"
And so goes the typical encounter with Heathcliff the cat.
Heathcliff: Triple Threat features no fewer than three "Annual" cat showings within the span of several months (all of which are judged by the exact same mustachioed politician), three incarnations of the name "Ajax" (as in, "Ajax Steam Room," "Ajax Tree Surgeons," and "Ajax Pool Hall"), as well as two jokes about Heathcliff using his scratching post as a softball bat. Perhaps creator George Gately was, in his own way, playing upon the fickle memories of his readership with such detail? With Gately's passing in September 2001, it may never be known why he played with such deeply-rooted similarities from strip to strip (some of which originally appeared mere days apart!). But it remains evident that each instance was carefully plotted by the man to tickle not only the casual reader's funny bone, but to challenge the long-timer into thinking back, or at the very least, into paying closer attention to such nuances as these.
One of the most amusing examples of Gately's wit is portrayed in a single panel: Old Mr. Nutmeg (Heathcliff's owner) is overheard on the telephone, saying "No, I haven't seen today's paper... Why?" as Heathcliff cowers behind a corner, attempting to conceal a tabloid blaring "SUSPECT SOUGHT IN FISH MARKET BREAK IN," complete with a photograph of the tabby looking smugly aloof. At first glance, the joke seems immediately obvious - a friend or colleague is about to inform Mr. Nutmeg that his cat has, once again, made a name for himself as the neighbourhood nuisance. Ha, ha, big joke. But upon looking closer, it becomes obvious that the joke is not as it would seem. First of all, Heathcliff himself should have no reason to be so alarmed by his own infamy - his WANTED posters had been plastered all over town due to his past exploits. So why the alarm now? Secondly, the newspaper beheld has no title - just the obscenely large front page headline with corresponding picture. It looks as if an amateur has run the thing through a printing press. And finally, Mr. Nutmeg appears just a little too nonchalant about the phone call, despite its apparent ominous nature. Could it be possible that, maybe, he himself knows something that the reader does not?
(In other words, it would not be too unfounded to speculate that "today's paper," as seen herein, is a mock-up perpetrated by old Nutmeg himself, a hoax designed to instill fear into his wayward pet, and was about to meet with fruition after the "legitimate" phone call - an addition easily orchestrated by the man - warned Heathcliff of Nutmeg's impending knowledge of the caper? I dare to pose this as an alternate reading of the strip, thus giving a further level of depth to its two-dimensions...)
The book also delves into topical humour as Heathcliff is shown exploiting a loophole in an electoral vote. His bottom half can be seen beneath the curtain of a voting booth as the election volunteer, to her own chagrin, realizes that the femile is indeed a registered voter! This action could conceivably result in federal prison time for the pet's owner (assuming, that is, that this snapshot has not been extracted from a small-town local election - the nature of the vote is never made clear through immediate context or otherwise further discussion of the strip). Old Mr. Nutmeg behind bars for election fraud? Nobody else seems to question the credibility of the registry, so perhaps the point remains moot.
Arguably, Heathcliff: Triple Threat may not be indispensable to the realm of fine English literature. In all actuality, it may simply be the inexpensive mass market paperback reprint that it appears to be. But the world has undoubtedly been enriched on some discernible level with the presence of Gately's Heathcliff the cat. This book presents the smallest portion of the joy Heathcliff has brought into the lives of countless readers, both young and old alike.
And as such, Heathcliff: Triple Threat is a priceless treasure.
And so goes the typical encounter with Heathcliff the cat.
Heathcliff: Triple Threat features no fewer than three "Annual" cat showings within the span of several months (all of which are judged by the exact same mustachioed politician), three incarnations of the name "Ajax" (as in, "Ajax Steam Room," "Ajax Tree Surgeons," and "Ajax Pool Hall"), as well as two jokes about Heathcliff using his scratching post as a softball bat. Perhaps creator George Gately was, in his own way, playing upon the fickle memories of his readership with such detail? With Gately's passing in September 2001, it may never be known why he played with such deeply-rooted similarities from strip to strip (some of which originally appeared mere days apart!). But it remains evident that each instance was carefully plotted by the man to tickle not only the casual reader's funny bone, but to challenge the long-timer into thinking back, or at the very least, into paying closer attention to such nuances as these.
One of the most amusing examples of Gately's wit is portrayed in a single panel: Old Mr. Nutmeg (Heathcliff's owner) is overheard on the telephone, saying "No, I haven't seen today's paper... Why?" as Heathcliff cowers behind a corner, attempting to conceal a tabloid blaring "SUSPECT SOUGHT IN FISH MARKET BREAK IN," complete with a photograph of the tabby looking smugly aloof. At first glance, the joke seems immediately obvious - a friend or colleague is about to inform Mr. Nutmeg that his cat has, once again, made a name for himself as the neighbourhood nuisance. Ha, ha, big joke. But upon looking closer, it becomes obvious that the joke is not as it would seem. First of all, Heathcliff himself should have no reason to be so alarmed by his own infamy - his WANTED posters had been plastered all over town due to his past exploits. So why the alarm now? Secondly, the newspaper beheld has no title - just the obscenely large front page headline with corresponding picture. It looks as if an amateur has run the thing through a printing press. And finally, Mr. Nutmeg appears just a little too nonchalant about the phone call, despite its apparent ominous nature. Could it be possible that, maybe, he himself knows something that the reader does not?
(In other words, it would not be too unfounded to speculate that "today's paper," as seen herein, is a mock-up perpetrated by old Nutmeg himself, a hoax designed to instill fear into his wayward pet, and was about to meet with fruition after the "legitimate" phone call - an addition easily orchestrated by the man - warned Heathcliff of Nutmeg's impending knowledge of the caper? I dare to pose this as an alternate reading of the strip, thus giving a further level of depth to its two-dimensions...)
The book also delves into topical humour as Heathcliff is shown exploiting a loophole in an electoral vote. His bottom half can be seen beneath the curtain of a voting booth as the election volunteer, to her own chagrin, realizes that the femile is indeed a registered voter! This action could conceivably result in federal prison time for the pet's owner (assuming, that is, that this snapshot has not been extracted from a small-town local election - the nature of the vote is never made clear through immediate context or otherwise further discussion of the strip). Old Mr. Nutmeg behind bars for election fraud? Nobody else seems to question the credibility of the registry, so perhaps the point remains moot.
Arguably, Heathcliff: Triple Threat may not be indispensable to the realm of fine English literature. In all actuality, it may simply be the inexpensive mass market paperback reprint that it appears to be. But the world has undoubtedly been enriched on some discernible level with the presence of Gately's Heathcliff the cat. This book presents the smallest portion of the joy Heathcliff has brought into the lives of countless readers, both young and old alike.
And as such, Heathcliff: Triple Threat is a priceless treasure.
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