By d. emerson eddy — Let's get one thing out of the way, I am thoroughly biased when it comes to approaching this review, because I love cats. I spent my early years growing up on a farm, so I love all animals, but I really love cats. At any given time there could be ten to twenty of them and I loved every single one of their mewling, furry little faces. I still love cats. And have one currently staring at me expectantly to mention her here. Or she wants food...yeah, probably the latter.

Anyway, I love cats. Which makes reading Rascal by Jean-Luc Deglin (translated by Edward Gauvin and lettered by Tom B. Long), a tale about a woman who receives a cat from her mother, an enjoyable and relatable undertaking. Published here by Top Shelf, Rascal is an English translation of the first book in Deglin's series Crapule, published in French by Dupuis.

This is largely a humor title, detailing the rather funny and common interactions of a human and her cat, but Deglin sets it up with a bit of a narrative putting our unnamed human into the precarious situation of receiving her mother's neighbor's cat. In a box. In the mail. Postmarked a week prior. In itself it's a humorous set-up, also allowing for the rather frazzled appearance of the poor kitty who has been stuck in the box. From there, we get a wonderful depiction of common kitty behavior as the eventually named Rascal and his new human begin to come to terms with one another. If you happen to live with a cat, you'll find most of this immediately familiar and should get at least a smile out of most of it.

Deglin presents each page in a four-panel grid, largely using only a single page to set up and tell each joke without much spillover to other sections. It works well for humor, allowing readers to easily read a page or two at time if you want. You absolutely can read through the entire work in one sitting (I did the first time), but it's also enjoyable just opening up to any page and reading its observation about kitty dynamics. There is a beautiful progression of the relationship between human and cat as they grow accustomed to one another, showing true heart and compassion.

The art itself is perfect for the humor, action, and overall emotion. Deglin uses a fairly simple cartoon strip like style, done in a light blue wash. It allows for the solid black of Rascal himself to be a focal point in each panel he appears in. There's a nice flow of grace in motion for many of the cat's actions, that also comes to an entertaining halt in some cases. Deglin is great at expressiveness through Rascal's eyes as well as his human's reactions. 

If you love cats, I can pretty much guarantee that you'll enjoy Rascal by Jean-Luc Deglin. If you don't, you still get a rather funny and heartwarming series of human and cat interactions that might change your mind. Or possibly at least understanding why we tend to love these little balls of fur demons.

Rascal by Jean-Luc Deglin

Rascal
Writer & Artist: Jean-Luc Deglin 
Translator: Edward Gauvin
Letterer: Tom B. Long
Publisher: IDW / Top Shelf
When a mysterious mewling package arrives in the mail, one busy young woman’s life changes forever. Rascal lives up to his name, filling every day with wild adventures and long naps: brave expeditions into closets, fierce battles with curtains, and wrestling with slumbering giants... Sometimes she’s tempted to throw him out the window. He’s lucky he’s cute. Over 128 pages, Jean-Luc Deglin paints a purring portrait of one unforgettable black cat, an elegant inky swirl in a world of striking blue tones. Hilarious and heartwarming, exasperating and enchanting, Rascal captures the full range of emotions that come with keeping God’s cutest killing machine as a pet. If you love cats, or dream of having one, this book is dedicated to you. Once you bring Rascal into your life, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without him.
Release Date: June 10, 2020
Price: $14.99
Buy It Digitally: Click here!

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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.