Elvis Puffs Out

September 1, 2020
A compilation of comic shorts about quirky cats putting on a newscast. Lupin, Elvis, and Puck are the reporters at CN News, reporting on all the goings-on in the house of The Man, The Woman, The Toddler, and The Baby (all are White). The family and their three cats (the inspiration for creator Dunn's webcomic-turned-graphic novel series) experience what would, to nonfeline viewers, be an unexciting world. But through the eyes of the newscaster kitties, everyday events--a snowstorm, making a salad, getting a new bathmat--become newsworthy. The episodes highlight the absurdities familiar to those who live with cats: A kitten has an important reason for almost knocking a plant off a shelf; the cats all competitively climb the clean laundry; they bop one another in the head in competition for a favorite perch. Alas, none of the artistic possibilities of the comics form are present here. Lettering is unexciting, crammed into overstuffed speech bubbles, and the artwork shifts scale and sometimes floats in a formless setting. The lack of section or chapter markers between the unconnected and usually brief (two to three pages) stories makes following the action confusing, as many of the scenes don't have a clear punchline or conclusion. But the antics of the feline narrators are charming, especially for animal lovers. Sweet and appealing, but there's no shortage of better crafted, more dynamic, and funnier cat comics. (activities, paper dolls) (Graphic fantasy. 8-11)

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