Cats and Dogs: Mutts II

Patrick McDonnell's "Mutts" is Krazy Kat for the nineties on up -- pup Earl and cat Mooch in a world of their own, entertained by their cast of fellow characters. What's really engaging is watching these two interact with the "peoples" and animals around them. They're not that different from you or me. Or me, anyway. Who couldn't see herself in Mooch's forbidden leap to the table? Earl tells him cats don't belong up there, to which Mooch proudly dances and sings, "Table, shtable, kitty on the table." There's a sweet thread running throughout that comes to the fore in the story of lost kitten Shtinky Puddin', as well as the tale of the egg who finally pops his shell open to the delight of his proud parents. Let me not forget McDonnell's drawing style, which is absolutely spare, cunning, and evocative (shades of Krazy Kat again). If only peoples everywhere read Mutts; what happier peoples we'd be.

This book was great!!! It combines the cute and funny habits of animals not only Mooch and Earl. It points out their silly perception of humans. It's a funny interpretation of the animal mind. And It's funny.

If more people knew about Mutts, sales of Prozac and Paxil would fall worldwide. It is a very funny (in a shweet way) look at the world from Mooch and Earl's perspective, which often makes more sense than ours. If I had to trade Mutts for the return of The Far Side, Outland/Bloom County and Calvin & Hobbes, I wouldn't do it, and those three were my favorite comics until Mutts came along. Patrick McDonnell is an amazing artist in a subtle way. Look at how much mood, and escpecially facial expression, can be expressed with how few lines. Dead dinosaurs of the Mary Worth genre have as much line work as the average $100 bill, and it's all flat and busy and conveys nothing. I think you have to follow the strip for a while, or go back to get the first book, to really get into the mindset of Mooch and Earl. Even though there are other characters, they, and especially the "peoples" are shown from the world view of Mooch and Earl. I've reread both books many times, and just got the recent ones. They are perfect antidotes for CNNitis (chronic inflamation of the cerebrum due to Bill & Monica, Bill & Newt, Netanyahu & Arafat, etc. saturation. It is ultimately fatal if untreated.) I can't wait for more...

Sadly, if you look through the comics pages today, you'll notice that most of the comics are worthless crud. Mutts is the happy exception. Mutts is about a cat (Mooch) and a dog (Earl) along with their owners, who, in welcome turn from most animal strips, often play a pivotal part. The drawings and characters are wonderful. And, of course, it's hilarious. The whimsical drawings often contribute to this, and a lot of the time they're the funniest part. The punchlines are usually good. The characters are simply indescribable. Earl is often the voice of reason to Mooch, but he gets in trouble plenty himself. Mooch, who I like better, is a thouroughly irrepressible cat that talks a little funny. Mooch's speech is hilarious in itself("Yesh, that too, also"). Ozzie, Earl's owner is the typically harried dog owner that Earl really does love. Frank and Millie, Mooch's owner, are counterpoints, Millie gentle, Frank curmudgeonly. Word balloons are used inventively, sometimes with a balloon for each word. The ONLY complaint you could have against this is that the jokes are not always hilarious, but hey, who cares! But it's greatest asset is that Mutts probes into life with its jokes. Never before since Calvin and Hobbes has the art-form of comics been raised so high. Yesh, this is a good book.

This book is hiliarious and shows the lighter side of life. All of the things you've ever wondered and pondered about the silly things your pets do are included in this heartwarming and oh-so-adorable sequel to an equally hysterical book. The 2 pets, Mooch the cat and Earl the pup are a great duo, and have there favorite hangouts such as the butcher store, where they hang out 6 feet below the counter waiting for ever-frustrated butcher to toss a steak now and then; there's Ozzie's house (Earl's owner), and Millie and Frank's house (Mooch's owners). Even when the two pets are alone they have they're Laurel and Hardy relationship, while the dog ponders serious matters the cat responds with a lisp and usually a one word answer. The rest of the 'Cast' includes a flock of identical birds, 2 devilish, annoying squirrels, a cute orphan cat ( that really belongs to a rich business man) named Stinky Puddin', a lonely goldfish, a mean, grumpy bull dog, and a crab with an additude. Among the funniest remains Frank and Millie, the bicory old couple. Frank is aggravated by his cat, Mooch, while Millie loves both [the cat and husband] dearly. 'Mutts' is definitly a book any cat or dog owner could appreciate. It takes away the steriotypical cat and dog fight, and reveals the real thing. I would definitly recommend this book to anyone at all.