Squarecat Comics: Volume One

by Jennifer Omand

A sqare cat with a cotton tail, a stick-legged bird with an ex pressive sprig of hair, a giant squirrel and a strange monkey-clown. These are a few of the geometric animals that inhabit the world of Squarecat Comics. Since 2003, Jennifer Omand has kept a journal of her life, using these expressive comic creatures as stand-ins for the real life counterparts. This first year of strips captures the ups and downs of life, from putting in a day in the office to putting in a day at the beach. With clean, expressive linework that evolves before your eyes, watch as Jennifer records moments sometimes tender, sometimes funny, sometimes sad--but always uniquely Squarecat. This collection is as much a chronicle of daily moments as it is the evolution of an emerging voice in cartooning.

Genres: Graphic Novels

135 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Phayvanh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dude, Matt farts a lot. Almost as much as a Jim Carrey movie character. But sometimes his gas can be really funny, like when Jen is sucked into the vortex of a Firefly episode and he gives his loudest burp ever. And she didn't hear it, sitting next to him.

I liked this mostly because we got to see the artistic quality evolve quite a bit. And we got to get to know characters in a seemingly unobtrusive way living their lives, making nothing (and everything) of it. I mean, who doesn't have friends like Nev, the onion-monkey guy? Or parents that whose buttons you know how to push? Or a boyfriend who looks like Big Bird, who plays video games all day. Ok, not all day.

I'm going to count this read as TWO books, since the second volume of Square Cat I actually read first, but is no where to be found on Good Reads or Amazon. So here it is. I liked the second book better, since I really do feel like Ormand finally got the hang of the drawing thing, and has honed her sarcasm. Just the smooth stories. Like the one where Jen and Matt rock out with the pedestrian on the side of the road. Moments we would not remember if not for these comics.

I really hope she continues to make more of these. So easy to read.

[Candice M (tinylibrarian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! The drawings are simple but the humor and silliness shine through brilliantly! This book is based on a dare that the author Jennifer, the author's boyfriend Matt, and Matt's friend undertook to create a comic per day for a whole year. Matt and his friend bailed after a few weeks but Jennifer has kept it going to this day! A cute, inspiring comic!

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay Squarecat!