Fat Freddy's Cat Omnibus

Book Review:
Fat Freddy's Cat Omnibus by Gilbert Shelton

http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-fat-freddys-cat-omnibus/

Author: Christian Kerr
Published: Mar 28, 2010

Gilbert Shelton's Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers ­ following the
misadventures of three dead-end California stoners ­ is one of the
shining lights of the underground comics (comix) scene of the 1960s
and 70s, and still stands today as a highpoint in subversive
goofiness. One of these characters is the nominal owner of the
titular feline of this compendium of counter-cultural cartooning,
which details the life (or should that be "lives"?), loves,
philosophies and foibles of a streetwise ginger tom cat and his daily
struggle with the ineptitude of his human co-habitants in a run-down
hovel on the wrong side of town as they seek perpetual
self-gratification (usually through the imbibing of marijuana) while
dodging the law and generally avoiding contact with any
representative of mainstream society who might threaten the sanctity
of their dope-fueled refuge from responsibility.

Collecting every Fat Freddy's Cat strip from his first appearance in
1969 up until the early 90s, nearly every page of this Knockabout
anthology is a laugh-a-minute grade-A bong hit of comedic cartooning,
rendered in the smudgy, heavy-inked style made famous by Shelton and
his underground comix contemporaries, such as Robert Crumb and Rick
Griffin. The quality of the art varies from strip to strip (clearly
due to the re-sizing of many of the stories from small- to
medium-format, and is most obvious in the one-page skits and gags
that make up a large part of the book) but is never less than
adequate to the zany, freewheeling humour that sees Cat shitting on
(or in) various of Fat Freddy's possessions, getting wasted on catnip
(by his own choice) or on marijuana (usually at the hands of his
understandably frustrated owner ­ no liberal animal rights eulogising
here, folks!) or just generally prowling the neighbourhood on the
hunt for some instant gratification.

In fact, it's the longer stories featuring the more convoluted
adventures of Cat or his alter ego, F. Frederick Skitty, that,
despite usually demonstrating the more accomplished draughtsmanship,
pale in comparison to the often hilarious one-pagers, which have the
urgent, skittish feel of being dashed off in short, fevered bursts of
late-night caffeine-fuelled inspiration. There are also some
full-colour sections featuring cover art, pin-up style one-offs and
the few colour strips to feature the adventures of the flea-bitten
sybarite, making this a good-looking and comprehensive guide to the
seamier side of feline life in counter-culture America.

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