Creepy Cat (Creepy Cat #1)

In Valent’s episodic, humorously grim graphic novel, presented in the yonkoma style, Flora, a thin, pale-skinned figure with long black hair and large bloodshot eyes, inhabits a horror film–esque mansion inherited “from a distant relative.” But ever since moving in a month ago, Flora has felt watched—revealed to be a strange creature she soon names Creepy Cat, a large white marshmallow-like feline with overblown black pupils and red irises. With supernatural powers including infinite multiplication of selves, floating, and size transformation, Creepy Cat doesn’t hesitate to get its way as well as play pranks on gullible, mostly lenient Flora. Despite the hijinks, Creepy Cat protects Flora against the mansion’s more malicious beings—such as a vampire, whom the cat cuddles with until it disintegrates in the sunlight—while also helping to deter pale, lovesick local police officer Oliver’s advances toward Flora. Gothic-inflected full-color illustrations rendered mainly in a palette of red, white, and black and influenced by Kunio Katou’s The Diary of Tortov Roddle, per a back matter note, follow earnest, deftly sketched characters and a fast-paced, lightly connected plot in this sprightly slice-of-life series opener. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)