Comics
Advance Review: “I Was The Cat”
Oni Press is known for publishing quirky titles telling stories that fall outside of the norm: At their best, they manage the tenuous balance between comedy and drama, wackiness and pathos, most notably accomplished in the Scott Pilgrim series. Other times, that balance is tilted too far in one direction or the other, leaving the reading experience lopsided and dissatisfying. While not an outright failure, the latest Oni original graphic novel “I Was The Cat” is more the latter than the former.
WRITTEN BY: Paul Tobin
ART BY: Benjamin Dewey
PUBLISHER: Oni Press
PRICE: $24.99
RELEASE: August 6, 2014
Review By: Ooknabah
I Was The Cat follows the duo of American reporter/biographer Allison Breaking and her best friend Londoner Reggie as they are pulled into the world of Burma, a mysterious figure who hires Allison to come across the pond and write the story of his life. As the title might indicate, it is soon revealed that Burma is not a human but rather a talking cat, a cat who has lived 8 previous lives woven between turning points throughout human history. As he tells his story, we see how his life has influenced the world, all to the ends of his ultimate goal: Ruling the world! As we see Burmas sordid past through his narrated flashbacks, we are also privy to the intrigues of the present day where his current activities are surrounded in a world of spies and assassinations, eventually revealing his true intentions with this, his ninth and final life.
The primary issue with this story is its inconsistent tone: A veteran of the Marvel Adventures line, writer Paul Tobin manages to keep the dialogue moving along as a light banter, but never manages to find much in the way of comedy; the characters bicker amongst each other, jokes feeling forced and hackneyed, failing to charm or delight. The majority of the story is told through flashbacks, there is very little in the way of dramatic tension. Other than the clever conceit that multiple famous cats were in fact one and the same, these long stretches do little to advance the story and become predictable by the end: Burma gains influence, loses it and dies, and moves onwards to the next life.
Meanwhile, the present day story attempts to up the ante as nameless agents battle each other to prevent… something. And therein lies the problem, as a lack of any real investment in these conflicts prevents them from having any real weight or sense of danger. Similarly, the fates of Allison and Reggie seem largely irrelevant: other than their relationship to each other, we know nothing about their connection to the world at large and have very little reason to care about what happens to them. Like Burmas stories, they seem stuck in a holding pattern, listening to the cat tell his tales, bantering amongst each other, rinse and repeat.
Benjamin Dewey’s art may be contributing to this: While the entire book is well rendered, (aside from a questionable take on Audrey Hepburn) there is a lack of grit that might otherwise add to the ambiance of menace that one assumes is intended to surround the stories present day mysteries. Dewey’s cartoonish style brings to mind Eric Powell’s “The Goon”, but with substantially less life and dynamism. As a result while the art is perfectly functional, it lacks a life that could help elevate the attempts a fun, or a darkness that could lend some gravitas to the action.
There are some interesting moments in “I Was The Cat” and the premise holds promise, but the execution fails to capitalize and leaves one with a feeling, largely, of indifference. That may tie into some of the story’s plot points, but I imagine it is not the effect the creators were going for.
Ooknabah AKA Brent Hirose is a writer, actor and gigantic nerd from Vancouver B.C. You can listen to his podcast about that at HugeNerds.Podomatic.Com or check out his many other projects at BrentHirose.com
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
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