Jim: The Nine Lives of a Dysfunctional Cat

British cartoonist Appleby turns his attention to his cat Jim in this slightly disappointing addition to his well-regarded comic oeuvre (Encyclopedia of Personal Problems, The Truth About Love, etc.). Though the drawings themselves are charmingly scraggly and inventively composed, the book's story line lacks resonance and satirical bite. Jim, a housecat who believes that""the world exists purely for him,"" quickly runs through his nine lives of sloth, gluttony, deception and contrition, confronting""the double-edge sword of LOVE"" and dressing up in human clothes along the way. The book's inclusion of subplots involving adultery and boozing make it a poor choice for children, yet the jokes are a bit too flat-footed for adults--unless, of course, they're diehard cat lovers, in which case they'll think it's all very well and good, except for the bits when Jim keeps getting killed (he comes back, of course).