Friday 02/22/08
Unless you've been living in a cave, you've probably at least heard of lolcats, those inexplicably hilarious photographs of cats with ungrammatical and poorly-spelled catchphrases and pop-culture references superimposed on them.
The conceit of "The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats" is that the Internet meme is actually inspired by a comic strip penned by one Aloysius "Gorilla" Koford in the early years of the twentieth century, the original art for which has recently been uncovered by his great-grandson Adam Koford, alias Ape Lad. I don't think I am spoiling much by revealing that the comic is in reality drawn by the younger Koford, and quite capably too. Now over 250 of these single-panel strips, along with a handful of never-before-seen drawings, have been published in a book titled Meet the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats.
The strip revolves around the adventures of one Meowlin Q. Kitteh, a feline hobo, and the kitten foundling Pip, whom he adopts and who becomes his faithful companion in his journeys. Naturally, much of the humor comes from the anachronism of finding current Internet memes in a cartoon that was ostensibly drawn in 1912. (The style of the art, though, owes more to "Pogo" than to "Krazy Cat" -- Aloysius was thoroughly ahead of his time.) Koford also layers in clever pop culture references related to computer gaming, H. P. Lovecraft, Norse mythology, Star Wars, and (of course) John Hodgman, among others. Although catchphrase humor is often a lazy way to get laughs, Koford demonstrates here that it needn't be.
There is little plot; each strip basically stands alone, especially in this collection, which is a selection of fewer than half of the comics the amazingly prolific Koford has drawn since mid-2007. (Koford also placed two non-cat drawings in a New Yorker cover contest during this time, in addition to doing plenty of other work.) The strip does take the time to develop distinct personality traits for its two main characters -- for example, Kitteh has an irrational fear of ducks, while Pip is a great connoisseur of leaves -- and these are repeatedly returned to and amusingly elaborated upon, like variations upon a classical theme. A few secondary characters also make repeat appearances.
The book itself, a solidly-constructed paperback, is designed to look like it is a 1973 edition that has been circulating in a library for a while, right down to the (fake) cracked spine, and includes a foreword from the fictional publisher, Ernst Turtletaub. There is also commentary by the "creator" and several drawings of leaves identified by species, which one can only assume that Pip somehow managed to sneak in one of the book's several examples of "fourth wall" shenanigans.
This is one of the most "meta" (that is to say, postmodern) works of comic art I have ever seen, yet the various layers somehow seem all of a piece, working together rather than at odds. The sum is gentle, touching, playful, warm, and funny, to choose just a few of the adjectives that spring to mind. It never becomes saccharine or corny, which is a masterful achievement on its own.
There are more wonders here, which I will refrain from revealing so that you can enjoy discovering them for yourself, though my every instinct urges me to share as much of the fun as possible. Suffice it to say that I did in fact laugh out loud several times -- not just at a gag, but in sheer joy -- even though I'd already seen all these comics on Koford's Web site.
Will this book still be funny ten years from now, or is it too much of its time? Who knows. I like to think that a drawing of Pip sitting on a rock, paws held a foot apart in front of adorable face, saying "INVISIBL GINORMOUS CORM" will always be hilarious. Some of the other strips, perhaps, may not hold up so well. Will anyone really remember "don't tase me, bro" in 2018? There are not one but two strips that reference this 2007 catchphrase. But right now, they're hella funny.
Though the book is slim at 192 pages, it is exactly the right length to avoid wearing out its welcome. Every page is packed with win, making "Meet the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats" a thorough delight from beginning to end. The only thing the book truly lacks is an ISBN, without which it cannot be sold on Amazon or in other bookstores. This is a shame. However, you can order it for $14.95 at Lulu.com, and you should.
aspcomments2 by Jerry Kindall
based on aspcomments by sneaker