The Misadventures of Grumpy Cat and Pokey, Volume 1

Grumpy Cat #1

by Ben McCool, Royal McGraw, Elliott Serrano

Dynamite proudly presents the comic book misadventures of Grumpy Cat, featuring "The World's Grumpiest Cat" and her brother, Pokey! With her ever-present pout and sassy disposition, Grumpy Cat has won the hearts of people everywhere. Now, her unbearable cuteness and infectious sourpuss are featured in an all-new, all-sensational collection of comic stories, sure to make fans of all ages laugh! If you love the memes, the videos, and that irresistible scowl, then get ready for the wildly fun antics of Grumpy Cat and Pokey!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Cats, Humor, Childrens, Animals, Graphic Novels Comics

104 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 2015

About the author

British comic book writer, Ben McCool has gone from selling comics to writing them. He has written for Justice League: Unlimited and Negative Burn and is now working on the forthcoming graphic novel NEVSKY (April 2012). McCool is engaged to Heidi MacDonald, whom he lives with in New York.

Born and raised in Birmingham, England, Ben McCool was a long time fan of US comics. He first began to work with comics when he was employed by Nostalgia & Comics in his home town. There he met and became good friends with the Hitman artist John McCrea and began to learn more about the art of writing comics. Since then McCool has moved to New York, where he lives with his fiancé Heidi MacDonald.

He has worked with DC Comics on Justice League Unlimited, plus also in DC's creative services/licensing departments. There, McCool has been in a steady working relationship and come into contact with many other creators. It has been a launch-pad to his freelance writing career, which has led to the creation of Choker with artist Ben Templesmith through Image. This will be previewed in the upcoming Liberty #2 anthology, benefiting the CBLDF, and also featuring creators such as Neil Gaiman, Jim Lee, Dave Gibbons, Gail Simone and Tim Sale.

Outside of comics, Ben McCool has also written for the gaming website UGO.com, and various bits & pieces for 20th Century Fox (including interviews, junkets & promotional writing).

Reviews

[Maxine (Booklover Catlady) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grumpy Cat features in her own comic book alongside her feline brother with a bounce, Pokey. This was so much fun to read, Grumpy Cat's grumpiness shines through on every page. It's a mixture of a number of different comic strips, the drawings are fantastic and the dialogue interesting. This comic book would appeal to readers of all ages, especially if they are a cat lover and Grumpy Cat fan like me!

A wonderful book, great escapism, 4 stars from me! A meowy good book.

Many thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review.

For more of my reviews, books to win and author features: https://www.facebook.com/BookloverCat...

To follow me on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/promotethatbook

[Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit confused at first why I imaged Grumpy Cat being voiced by Bill Murray, then I realized that this series reminded me of Garfield. With, the exception that I found Garfield much funnier. Or at least, I did when I was younger. The comics of course, not the movie. It didn't matter that Grumpy Cat apparently is a female cat. I have Bill Murray's voice in my head.

I think I'm not the right age group for this kind of comic. I wasn't particularly amused my it. Now and then there would be some almost funny oneliner like this one. But mostly I felt meh!



But for the most part, it just was very lackluster to read. The art was OK at least.



I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy for an honest review.

Read this review and others on A Bookaholic Swede

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! I've heard so much about Grumpy Cat that I simply had to read all these amazing stories about her and her loyal brother Pokey.
I really liked all stories but my top three were for sure Paws of justice, Detective Cats and I know what you did last summer...I just don't care.
Also, the illustrations were amazing. Lots of detail and color. I enjoyed the stories even more because of them.

In Paws of justice I felt like the roles were reversed, where Pokey was the big hero and Grumpy Cat his sidekick. I enjoyed reading about them saving the neighbourhood.
Detective Cats is simply amazing. We get to see Grumpy Cat's brilliancy and just how foxy she can really be. Guess she did have the last laugh after all.
This collection of stories ends with I know what you did last summer...I just don't care. It's a wonderful conclusion with new friends that will make you wish for more.

All that's left to say is that you should definitely read this volume!

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Angy Potter - Collector of Book Boyfriends · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comic was so funny! I was laughing my ass off the entire time when I was reading it. Pucky and Grumpy were the catty duo, perfect combo, the funny silly cat and the grumpy cat -duh- made it all more funny and entertaining to read. I have 2 cats my self and I thought of Pucky and Grumpy like my Kitty and Natsu... Maybe they have catty adventures just like these 2 crazy cats.

As for the illustrations, they were good. The style isn't my favorite, but it was good enough for me to read the whole comic. Also, the bubble text were clear and easy to read.

All in all, funny and refresing comic full of advetures and super cat heroes! <3 #IloveGrumpyCat but #IlovePuckymore

I can't wait to have more fun with these two.

PD: Look how cute is Pucky

[Ylenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lot more adorable than funny, but it was good! I loved the art.

*ARC / review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thanks again*

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Grump Cat memes, so when I saw this was available for free through Hoopla I jumped on it. I needed something light and funny, but this didn't quite meet expectations. There were a handful of funny moments where I actually chuckled out loud, but for the most part the punch lines on these misadventures were a bit bland.

From reading some of the reviews, readers have made the comparison to Garfield and Odie and I think that is about right. Pokey is the cat version of Odie. The naïve, cutesy sidekick that only sees rainbows. There is also an occasional dog that makes an appearance in some of the adventures, but he's not really important. Grump Cat is definitely like Garfield, but at least Garfield has a bit more to him. Like, he likes lasagna and he is fat, which provides a little more personality and material to work with. Grumpy Cat is just grumpy. She could've done with a little bit more personality.

In short, fun read but I would've liked more funny moments. I think this one is good for all ages though, so maybe a good introduction to comics for young kids who may find it a bit more humorous than I did.

[monica ♪ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The title of this book really caught my attention, because I also own a grumpy cat named Snowy:






This book is about Grumpy Cat and Pokey's adventure. I was expecting a very cute adventure, but too bad this book wasn't like what I expected.
Pokey is a very cute, funny, naïve cat. He is also a troublemaker. But I like his character more than Grumpy (yes, her name is Grumpy).
Grumpy is.. Well, always grumpy. She hates everything and complains over everything!
I thought she was a cute, grumpy cat. But apparently her character wasn't like that.

But it was still a fun, entertaining read! You can enjoy Grumpy cat and Pokey's adventure on February 16th 2016! :)

[Adela Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminded me a lot of Garfield, with Grumpy Cat having a similar personality (minus the enthusiasm about certain things) and Odie being represented by Pokey here.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this comic, as predictable as its stories were, though I should add that Garfield is funnier in my opinion. Kids will probably love this comic more though, since the character is newer.

[Yzabel Ginsberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

[I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

Cute graphics, and the familiar expression of “Grumpy Cat” was well-rendered, but in terms of stories, this book didn't do much for me. It was funny... but no more than that. It made me smile... but no more than that either.

The interactions between Grumpy and Pokey were of the silly kind (in a nice way): Pokey as the over-enthusiastic and a little simple-minded cat, wanting to have adventures with the neighbouring dog among others, and Grumpy being the sarcastic, deadpan-snarking sister (I never knew whether GP was a male or a female—well, it's a female here, apparently). The whole book has a Garfield vibe, and I think this is clearly on purpose: Grumpy needs her coffee, the dog is as stupid as Odie, Garfield has Nermal while Grumpy has Pokey... also Pokey kind of sounds like Pooky, Garfield's teddy bear. Not sure whether this is more homage or merely trying to use the success of both the GP meme and Garfield. Garfield, in any case, is much better in my opinion.

The graphics, as said above, were cute, and pretty good in general. I got an ARC “only”, so a few pages were a bit blurry and hard to read, even on my computer (full screen PDF) and not on my tabler; however, I don't have any doubts that the paper version shall not display such defects.

Was it a good idea to translate this into comics form? I'm honestly not sure, Maybe it'll work for some readers; as far as I'm concerned, though, I think Grumpy Cat is definitely better suited to demotivation posters and meme images in general, and doesn't lend itself so well to anything longer (even if it's only a few pages long).

It was a light, somewhat funny read, but one I'll quickly forget. I'm going to look at my Grumpy Cat GIFs instead.

[Pamela (Here to Read Books and Chew Gum) · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was one big problem with this graphic novel rendition of Grumpy Cat, and it's that it's been done. It's been done, and done much better. It's called Garfield.

The short stories made it feel like a comic strip, the relationship between Grumpy Cat, Pokey and the dog were so similar to Garfield and Odie that I forgot what I was reading for a few moments and the tiny insular plots didn't really feel all that relevant. It lacked the humour of Garfield, but at least it did have some pretty great art.

There are so many Grumpy Cat memes out there that I'd just spend some time trawling through pages of google images for a laugh rather than spending any time and money on this graphic novel adaptation.


You can also read and comment on the review at my blog: http://iblamewizards.com/grumpy-cat-v...

[Becki · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I saw that Grumpy Cat has her own comic I was super excited, But alas my excitement didn't last long. When I started reading this I found that Grumpy wasn't grumpy. And that the story focused more on her brother pokey and his shenanigans than Grumpy's lack of social etiquette we get the pleasure of seeing in here memes. I feel this is just another cash grab piggy backing on the success of Grumpy. This lacks humour and emotion. This probably would have been better if it just focused on her ditsy brother and had no Grumpy at all. This was just a total miss.

ARC provided by Netgalley for review

[Janeka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: e-ARC provided by Diamond Book Distributors through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Quotes may not appear in the final edition.



Grumpy Cat, you're my soul character.

Everyone loves some Grumpy Cat memes, right? Now combine that idea with the short comic stories appealing, and you could create something fantastic!, which totally got me into reading this one.

However, my expectations were not completely fullfilled, since most of the plots were extremely simple with disappointing developments.

At the end of the day, it is not a fantastic comic book, but it was still an enjoyable read and rich in Grumpy's sarcastic humour.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I think this would be a really fun/cute read for kids or for parents/children to read together. The "antics" of Grumpy Cat and her brother Pokey reminded me a bit of Garfield and Nermal. The addition of Good Dog sometimes only increases the resemblance (Odie). It's something that works though and has been duplicated in far more incarnations than just these two.

Cute artwork and with the popularity of Grumpy Cat it has a lot of potential to appeal. Reminds me a lot of old Saturday morning cartoons in the style. (Old because I'm referring to ones I watched in the 80s/early 90s. ;)

[Rachel's Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

AAWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!
Adorable. Review Soon!

I actually really want an actual copy with the Grumpy Cat painting on it. So cute.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This first volume of "The Misadventures of Grumpy Cat and Pokey" follows internet famous Grumpy cat, and her brother Pokey, along eleven stories of adventure, taking them from hunting for treasure in a haunted house, playing neighborhood detectives, celebrating birthdays and Halloween, to time travelling, talking to aliens and using magical Egyptian incantations. The stories are cute and funny, and the dynamic between the all time unenthusiastic and sarcastic Grumpy and the hyper, super excited Pokey is chuckle worthy and entertaining, albeit reminiscent of Garfield and Odie. The illustrations are also very vivid and cute, and along with the stories, make this short graphic novel a quick and fun read.

I had a good time reading this graphic novel and I'm looking forward to picking up the following volumes when I feel like having a chuckle. I'd recommend this one to adult fans of funny, animal comics, as well as young children. I can actually picture this graphic novel, along with the rest of the Grumpy Cat volumes in my classroom library and can already see my elementary school students laughing out loud at Grumpy's and Pokey's adventures.

[David Haggett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was entertained.

The structure reminds me of the Dennis the Menace comic and similar comics of that era.

One of the Bonus Borrows through Hoopla.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://youtu.be/iVTTNep4v1E

[Lexxi Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book from NetGalley in return for a fair review.*

Grumpy Cat, the comic, is often times cute and funny. And really really short. A lot of the stories are quick little adventures. The kind where everything is set up, certain things happen, then poof off to the next story – all seemingly within a few pages.

Some of the ideas might be interesting to have seen followed through, like detective Grumpy; haunted house Grumpy; superhero Grumpy.

Characters
Grumpy - as might be expected, the cat that became a meme on the internet for having a permanent grumpy expression (a genetic condition) is, in fact, the star of this self-titled comic series.

Pokey is a hyperactive constantly in motion, constantly wanting to play house mate of Grumpy’s. Oh, and a cat. I forgot to mention the cat part.

Others - the above are the two most common characters to appear, though occasionally others appear, like a dog, and ghosts, and . . . others.

Plot
It’s hard to discuss/describe the plot since this is a collection of many very short stories. Mind you, some authors have become super famous for writing stories so short that they can be contained on one page. So super short stories, in and of themselves, are not a ‘problem’.

It’s not always easy to see in a collected volume, but there appears to be three or four stories every 26 pages. Most of these stories are, to a certain extent, interesting. Humorous at times. The problem, as I think I’ve mentioned before, is simply the fact that the stories get me interested in a certain topic/theme then . . . that specific topic of theme is suddenly over before I could ‘get my thrill.’

Overall
I think, I’m not sure now, but I do believe that I had recommended people to try at least the first comic way back when it appeared. I don’t remember if it was cheap, free, or what my rationale was, but simply that the comic was a humorous way to spend a few moments out from the overall hard working life many people suffer. That’s harder to say in regards to a complete volume, at least in terms of talking about how ‘inexpensive’ it all is. Still, I’d recommend Grumpy the volume. As long as you like cats. And mild humor.

I did something I rarely do – I looked at some of the other reviews before I started my own review. Therefore I saw a somewhat reoccurring theme, that being ‘Garfield’. Well, sure, both involve cats. Garfield is more lazy than grumpy, though that can, at times, come across as grumpy. And both Garfield and Grumpy have somewhat annoying younger cats that they kind of dislike (I can’t recall exactly the name of the cat, Nerman? Nermal? Norman? Something like that). Though the hyperactive, always cute cat in Garfield is somewhat a rare addition to the storyline, while Pokey is in, I think, all the stories.

In looks and temperament, I might have thought of comparing Grumpy and Bucky. I could be wrong, but they might be both the same breed of cat. Though, if I recall what I’ve read in the back story to the Bucky series, the writer/author there didn’t base the cat on any specific breed/cat. While Grumpy, obviously, is based on Grumpy. In looks mostly. I’ve some vague understanding that the real Grumpy might actually be a sweet little kitty, though again, I could be wrong there.

Oh, one thing I was going to mention – I didn’t actually realize, until I saw this on Netgalley that this series was for kids. See, here I was having fun reading a comic that had mild humor and involved a cat, and suddenly I learn that it was designed for kids. Mmphs. Heh. Would this hold a kids attention? Would a kid just absolute love this collection of comics? No idea, I’m not a kid and I do not have full time responsibility for any kids, so I am not sure. Would an adult enjoy a comic designed for kids? Well, I did.

I probably would give the overall collection of comic issues, I think they collect four or five issues?, a combined score of around 3.8 out of 5.0 stars.

January 28 2016

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

Il volume raccoglie le prime tre uscite del fumetto dedicato a uno dei gatti più celebri della rete, la mitica Tard, nonché la Grumpy Cat.

Insieme a Pokey, Grumpyna è alle prese con una serie di differenti avventure, tutte graziose e divertenti, benché non eccessivamente profonde.
Vi sono incursioni in case stregate, feste di Halloween e Natale, scherzi al cane, momenti di routine quotidiana, atti da supereroi, tutti visti secondo la prospettiva felina.
Le storie sono brevi e scorrevoli e sono davvero un piacevole intrattenimento, abbastanza ingenuo e leggero, nulla più.

Lo stile artistico delle diverse mani si nota ed è un aspetto gradevole: le tavole assumono una propria personalità, pur lasciando sempre riconoscibili i protagonisti di base.
I colori sono brillanti, le figure tridimensionali, l’ambientazione resa molto bene.

Nonostante il cinismo (qui mai eccessivo, tuttavia, né volgare) della micia protagonista, la storia è adatta a un pubblico di ogni età: adulti fan di Tard, come bambini che si divertono con storie buffe con protagonisti animali.

Il target adatto ritengo siano principalmente proprio i fan di Grumpy Cat, che non possono farsi sfuggire l’occasione di vedere un proprio idolo a fumetti.
Anche se le storie sono senza pretese, semplici, forse in fondo fini a se stesse, sono gradevoli e intrattengono, strappando un sorriso.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Grumpy Cat, Volume 1' by Ben McCool, Royal McGraw, Elliott Serrano and Ben Fisher (among others) is a collection of comics about the internet's grumpiest cat. It's aimed at kids, but some of humor, I think, is a bit dark for a kids comic.

Grumpy Cat lives with her younger more exuberant brother Pokey Cat. In the eleven stories featured here, we see Pokey trying to get Grumpy enthused about life, and we see Grumpy trying to get Pokey and the occasional dog in trouble. They investigate a haunted house, dress up like superheroes, and act like detectives when their outdoor food stash gets eaten, among other things. As hard as Grumpy Cat tries, Pokey Cat is the eternal optimistic balance in this duo.

My problems occur when Pokey Cat is on a roof, and Grumpy Cat is encouraging him to jump off and probably die. It doesn't happen, but it seems a little over dark for something that seems aimed at kids. Also, it does remind me quite a bit of Garfield, with Pokey playing the part of Nermel and the dog seeming a lot like Odie. The adventures are likeable enough, and I do like Pokey Cat's indominatable spirit.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Dynamite Entertainment, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Paul Decker · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received this book as an eARC from Diamond Book Distributors and Dynamite Entertainment in exchange for an honest review*

I think everyone that uses the internet is familiar with Grumpy Cat. You've at least seen an image of this beautiful feline. I wasn't that familiar with Grumpy Cat other than the many memes and celebrities Grumpy Cat has been pictured with. I haven't seen the Lifetime movie so I wasn't aware of the character that Grumpy Cat has become. She is a grumpy cat. I guess she is this generation's Garfield.

In this comic, Grumpy Cat has a cat companion named Pokey to be the counter to her grumpiness. The meat of the stories come from the interactions between these two cats. They go on many different types of adventures. There is a treasure hunt in a haunted house. They become superheroes and stop criminals. They try to figure out how a cell phone works. There's a story in the style of Sherlock Holmes. There are a lot of different art styles.

This comic was fun, but I couldn't really get into it. I'm not that familiar with the Grumpy Cat character so a younger reader who loves the meme may enjoy these stories more. I give this graphic novel a 3/5.

[Magda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really surprised to see that Grumpy got her own graphic novel. Oh yes, Grumpy's a girl. I admit I didn't know that before. It might've been noted somewhere among all these funny meme's, but who reads all these comments anyway ;).

This comic is actually a set of stories about Grumpy and Pokey. Pokey, being the enthusiastic and energetic young spirit that comes up with all the crazy and not always smart ideas for the new adventures, and Grumpy - the reasonable and pessimistic part of the story with her usual "self" just as the internet imagined her to be.

Their adventures vary from the treasure search to crime-fighting cat-... vigilantes. It might not be especially imaginative, but it will surely make you laugh for so many reasons - the situations, the parodies, the sarcasm and the misfortunes. Totally worth it! Pretty much every page has something to laugh at.


I received this books from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

check my reviews and other bookish discussions at https://maginibooks.wordpress.com

[Παναγιώτα Τσιμπαλίδη · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a copy of this through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review

A fun little comic book, laying out the awesome adventures of the Grumpiest Cat of all, plus friends.

It was a bunch of short stories put together in a volume and they all had that contrast in character between the perpetually impressed and good-natured Pokey, Grumpy's sister and Grumpy herself, with the cynical, nihilistic and -dare I say- villainous attitude we all know and love from the memes.

The art was also interesting, and it really worked for the book, but I suppose it would have made a bigger impact on a reader who is actually of the intended age-group of the comic. Other than that, I really enjoyed it, especially that one story where they somehow end up going back in time and making the acquaintance of a pet pigeon and her human. That story was by far my favorite!

[Alex Sarll]

There are tons of great all-ages comics coming out at present based on licensed properties, and Grumpy Cat's Christmas movie was much better than it had any right to be, so when I saw ARCs of this were available on Netgalley, I thought I may as well take a look. Alas, it turns out that without that actual face glaring at you, you don't have Grumpy Cat so much as just a grumpy cat. And in the comics field, the niche for a lazy, snide feline with a gormlessly enthusiastic companion has been quite successfully occupied for some time now.
On the plus side, the story riffing on the forthcoming Batman/Superman film is less dire than the trailer suggests the film will be.

[Corinna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The name's Grumpy. Best detective in town. If you need help solving a case...? Don't call me. You'd never afford my rates.

This was a very funny read!! And adorable (but i really love Grumpy Cat <3). "Detective Cats" and "I know what you did last summer...I just don't care" were my two favourite two stories.
If you like Grumpy Cat and are interested in knowing her partner in crime Pokey, you should definitely give it a try..

[Scarlet Cameo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably i'm too hard with this book but the true is that was kind of boring, even when it is really short i felt like spend a eternity just to finish it. Even more, no matter how hard it reminds me a lazzy orange cat "Grumpy Cat" didn't had the charm and for that reason i can't connect with any of the characters, at the end i'd already saw it all and they have a name and a face that can't match with this new packet
.
The drawing was cute but average.

A digital copy of this book was provided by NetGalley

[Angelc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for young and old fans alike. I thought it was just perfect in general, so light and fun! Grumpy Cat is really overshadowed by his friend, Pokey, who counters the perfect amount of sunshine to Grumpy's doom and gloom. So fun, I can't wait for another installment!


I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Avid Reader and Geek Girl · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was given an ARC of this book by through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Grumpy cat is not only grumpy she's an asshole! This graphic novel/comic would only be funny to the most cynical of people, and I'm pretty close and I didn't find it humorous at all.

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute graphic novel featuring Grumpy Cat and her brother Pokey. The artwork is nice and there are many stories in here. I did find myself laughing out loud more than once. Can't wait for the next volume.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a lot of effort put into to making Grumpy Cat - who is female-a unique character beyond copycatting Garfield. (See what I did there? 😉) I always associated her more with being an introvert rather than a grouch; that humor on the calendars and memes was much funnier than this comic book.