Penny: A Graphic Memoir by Karl Stevens

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Penny, as is obvious from the cover, is a tortoiseshell cat with lots of dreams—of herself, mostly, since she is the center of the universe. I was captivated by the expressions on the cat’s face, so I had to pick this book up without really knowing what it was about except, well, a cat.

The opening panels tell briefly of Penny’s origin, born outside to a stray (or feral) mother, becoming aware of the beauty around her, before being kidnapped by humans and taken to their place.  The wet food is plentiful but there isn’t much to do except eat, sleep, and think. Or as Penny puts it, “So much thinking.  So so much thinking.”

Which is actually pretty lucky for us, because Penny’s thoughts are most entertaining even when she is suffering an existential crisis. She questions reality. She seeks meaning.  She catches a mouse. The humans think she is dense and demanding, never dreaming of the philosophical musing going on beside them, intense thoughts only derailed by the thought of food, or a nap.

She definitely has her priorities in order.

There’s not much in the way of a narrative, expect for a couple of episodes such as “The Vacation” where the people have gone away and it has gotten dark and light and dark again (“I must accept that they are dead”) and “Penny’s Escape,” in which she steps through the magic portal into another world, i.e., she gets outside the apartment building. Most of the scenes are one or two page thoughts, self-contained moments as if they had run individually in a magazine or online post, but that doesn’t make them less wonderful.

Otherwise, this book is a bit hard to explain.  All I can say is that I love it. The tone of the book reminds me a great deal of Henri, Le Chat Noir of blessed memory.  If you have seen any of those videos, you’ll know the type of dead pan, overly serious humor I mean. 

The expressions on Penny’s face are perfection.  Stevens is the author of other graphic novels and his work has appeared in the New Yorker and The Village Voice, according to his bio.  From my perspective, he is a close observer of the feline condition and an artist sensitive to nuance of expression. I think this work is brilliant. It's beautifully realistic and detailed-- well, except for the times Penny goes into the Portal-- and the color palate is lovely.

Kristin says that this book is really about her cat PB, but I am sure that this is my judgmental looking Tessa, who could have been the model for “Resting Cat Face.” The cat thoughts ring true.  I am sure this is what Tessa is thinking and am grateful for the insight. I have no doubt that other cat servants will think the same thing.

I am buying my own copy of this book.  I may have Tessa autograph it.

Highly recommended!

 Tessa is not amused.