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The Lions of Valetta
Comic
150 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 15, 2018
My husband recently received a copy of this as a kickstarter reward, and I was instantly smitten. It's a graphic novel that follows the adventures of two cats from a port town in Malta as they embark on a quest to find the mythical Good Lady, who will love them and feed them and keep them safe forever.
The relationship between Cilla (the young cat who begins the quest) and Betto (a devoted and protective friend) is inspiring. The art is relatively simple, but stylized and expressive and perfect to portray the emotions within each panel. There are interesting asides as the feline pair is exposed to mythology, art and philosophy during their journey.
It is intensely charming.
Trigger warning: There comes a moment in the graphic novel that could be interpreted in several ways. The literal interpretation is heartwarming and lovely. Other interpretations are darker and painfully sad. And yet, the overall message is beautiful.
Highly, highly recommended.
The relationship between Cilla (the young cat who begins the quest) and Betto (a devoted and protective friend) is inspiring. The art is relatively simple, but stylized and expressive and perfect to portray the emotions within each panel. There are interesting asides as the feline pair is exposed to mythology, art and philosophy during their journey.
It is intensely charming.
Trigger warning: There comes a moment in the graphic novel that could be interpreted in several ways. The literal interpretation is heartwarming and lovely. Other interpretations are darker and painfully sad. And yet, the overall message is beautiful.
Highly, highly recommended.
January 2, 2022
Cats, art, a quirky, gentle story- what’s not to love? I actually own two different copies of this graphic novel - one from the original Kickstarter, and the updated second edition from her second Kickstarter.
August 21, 2019
Amazing artwork and a great story. Treat yourself. You won’t be disappointed!
October 4, 2025
Beautiful artwork and a wonderful story about cats!
June 26, 2018
This graphic novel was a whimsical little tale about two cats looking for a home. Or rather, one cat looking for a home, while the other one makes sure that she doesn't end up getting into too much trouble along the way. It's reminiscent of any number of animal stories that deal with the same subject matter, but what sets it apart are two things.
The first is choosing to set the tale on Malta. Where is Malta, you may ask? Well, I didn't know either. It's apparently one of the smallest countries in the world, an island that's in the middle of the Mediterranean. Setting in a place completely outside the realm of most people's expectations makes for interesting background details the whole way through. The other is that the cats, in their travels, end up traveling through various works of famous art, a nice touch that creates a very good sense of charm.
The back of the book also provides detailed notes about things on the pages that the reader may have missed, so it's worth going over the pages again with a fine-toothed comb in order to catch them all. Overall, this was a very solid, fun read.
The first is choosing to set the tale on Malta. Where is Malta, you may ask? Well, I didn't know either. It's apparently one of the smallest countries in the world, an island that's in the middle of the Mediterranean. Setting in a place completely outside the realm of most people's expectations makes for interesting background details the whole way through. The other is that the cats, in their travels, end up traveling through various works of famous art, a nice touch that creates a very good sense of charm.
The back of the book also provides detailed notes about things on the pages that the reader may have missed, so it's worth going over the pages again with a fine-toothed comb in order to catch them all. Overall, this was a very solid, fun read.
July 28, 2014
Very pretty art. The story didn't need the art history bits though. Hope this author continues making more comics.
October 24, 2014
This was cute! A short GN about stray cats, art history, Venice, and metaphysics.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews