Catboy: a soft-colored ode to friendship and unintentional rebellion

Catboy by Benji Nate (2016).

Originally published on VICE (where the author still publishes new content), Catboy also got a physical release — containing all of the strips originally published online, plus some brand-new comics and a lovely series of drawings focused on the fashion showcased on Catboy — which can be purchased through the Silver Sprocket website.

At its core, Catboy is a story about friendship and — as it happens with most stories about friendship — it begins with a character wishing they had a special friend or, as the first page of the comic puts it, someone to hang out with. In this comic’s case, the person making the wish is Olive, a young woman who — like many other young adults — deals with stuff like social anxiety or the (often self-imposed) pressure of trying to become a full-fledged artist while also making sure she’s making enough for rent.

Catboy by Benji Nate (2016). From the very first strip, it is pretty evident that Olive considers Henry her closest friend. But when her wish to hang out with him comes true, it also brings a drastic change to their lives.

Olive’s wish comes true in an almost fairytale-like way, but it also takes her life in an unexpected direction. As soon as he gains the ability to speak and walk like a human, it also becomes obvious that Henry is completely unaware of most social conventions, which usually ends up becoming the catalyst of a series of mundane yet incredibly charming adventures.

Catboy by Benji Nate (2016). One of the most defining traits of Olive and Henry’s friendship is how something as simple as exploring a house (while running away from the party hosted in it) feels like a big adventure for the duo.

Said adventures take the duo to different events and locations such as local parties (hosted by rich, popular kids in their fancy houses), local art fairs, the vet’s office, and even back alleys where Henry’s feline friends host what he describes as “the hottest party in town”. While this might sound a bit mundane at first, Nate’s art captures all these situations and places in a way that feels both lively and filled with little details to explore, something that makes the whole comic feel like the reader is experiencing human life filtered by Henry’s — inherently feline — sense of curiosity. With is in mind, the small town-like landscapes in which the comic takes place work as the perfect environment for the titular catboy to adapt to his new human-like life.

Catboy by Benji Nate (2016). The environments in Nate’s comic are often packed with little details like these. A constant reminder to the reader of there being several things, and people, surrounding Henry and Olive’s lives.

From the very first strips, it is evident that Henry (whose face happens to stand for mine in several of my social media accounts) is not only genuinely attached to Olive, but he’s also completely unaware of most social conventions or of the reason why they’re so important, to begin with. After a dubious upgrade from pet to roommate, Olive decides Henry needs to find a job so that he can help her with rent expenses. One quick search later, the comic’s feline protagonist finds himself with a dog walker job, a job that will greatly contribute to his insertion into society.

Catboy by Benji Nate (2016). Be it through his wardrobe choices (consisting almost entirely of “lady” clothes — a term Henry himself doesn’t seem to be bothered by — or through his disregard of Olive’s (often biased) understanding of social conventions, Henry often manages to come across as someone who’s not only rebellious but also decided and confident. This, added to his evident struggle to balance out his feline and human traits make him a particularly endearing character.

Henry’s newfound vocation earns him both money and opportunities to expand his (human and animal) social circles. More often than not, these opportunities end up including his best friend. Be it because of his job, or by tagging along to the girl’s plans, Henry is often the reason why Olive ends up invited to hang out with people she normally wouldn’t, or going to parties she wouldn’t get invited otherwise (interestingly enough, The cat’s unintentionally rebellious presence is also what usually gives Olive the extra push to leave these same events). This makes Henry’s gradual integration to society rather amusing, while also allowing the comic to explore Olive’s insecurities, many of which she gradually starts to overcome (with or without her cat friend’s help).

These insecurities, along with Henry’s slow adaptation to balancing out his animal and more human-like traits, also give Nate the space to explore different aspects of the two character’s friendship, which, for a comic about a magically humanized cat, manages to feel like a pretty realistic portrayal of this kind of relationship. While generally sweet and lighthearted in tone, Catboy doesn’t shy away from picturing less than ideal aspects of its main relationship, like their occasional bouts of playful insensitivity towards each other, or Henry’s occasional disregard for Olive’s concerns (or physical comfort). Despite these occasional slips, both Olive and her feline roommate are portrayed as sincerely caring a lot for the other, often enjoying each other’s company (even in situations that might make either of the two less than comfortable), while also trying their best to provide comfort and support to each other).

Catboy by Benji Nate (2016). Despite being so close to each other, it is not uncommon for Henry and Olive to get on each other’s nerves, something that makes the portrayal of their friendship even more compelling.

At the beginning of this entry, I describe Catboy as a comic about friendship (a pretty cute and fun one, at that), but Nate’s writing makes it go beyond just being a saccharine portrayal of absolute, unquestionable devotion between the two main characters. Instead, the artist makes this series an amusing collection of vignettes about adapting to the many changes that come with adult life, all while overcoming the new difficulties product of growing even closer to people (or humanized cats) you already hold dear.