Notes from the undergrounds: Fat Freddy's Cat

[alicemacher]

Back cover of Fat Freddy's Cat #1 (1988)

Hey cats, and cats' owners servants humans! Ever been frustrated by your inability to communicate with each other? Well, Fat Freddy Freekowtski (of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers), and his cat he was apparently too lazy to name, can identify with you.



Gilbert Shelton's Fat Freddy's Cat began circa 1969 as a tiny bonus strip below those starring the Freak Brothers, in various underground papers and their own comic. He became so popular that within a few years he got to star in stories of his own, and eventually headlined a seven-issue series of his own (Rip Off Press, 1977-1993). The following black-and-white strips are from Issues 4, 5 and 7, respectively.











The colour selection below is from "The Burning of Hollywood," which appeared in the standalone Thoroughly Ripped with the Freak Brothers (July 1978). Fat Freddy's Cat tells his "nephew" kittens about the time Freddy wrote a screenplay, Disco Kitty Meets the Meowbeasts of Mars, as a star vehicle for his pet, and took him to Hollywood to try selling it.

Finding no takers, Freddy decides to enter the cat in a talent show, in hopes of attracting a Hollywood scout's attention. The cat is eager to do his dancing act...until Freddy makes the mistake of billing him as "Dingleford the Dancing Cat."

Comments

[icon_uk]

Somehow or other, I've never actually read Fat Freddies Cat, and that's just... odd, when I think about it.

The "Mackle! Furrtz! Sniwk! Froop! Zix! Yacka Yacka Yacka! Farkle! Squwow" panel made me laugh out loud, which isn't an easy thing to do on a Monday, so thank you for that!