Strayed #1 Review: Meow

Cats are either great creatures or monsters depending on who you ask. All you have to do is make the cat talk and give it the ability to astral project and you’ve got Carlos Giffoni’s “Strayed” with art by Juan Doe and it’s both heartbreaking and trippy. Dr. Kiara Rodriquez invented a device that allows her cat Lou to speak using brain brains and she discovers Lou has the ability to astral project himself anywhere.

The military, however, has plans to exploit this ability to further their goals. The basic plot is a brilliant idea, but the first issue makes the story seem OK. Giffoni does a nice job of showing the loving relationship between Kiara and Low which gives what’s going on between the two even more weight.

However, the military wants to use a weapon to exploit the resources of another country/planet has been done before. The only reason to read this comic is because of the relationship between Kiara and Lou.    

The best character is Lou. Yes, the cat is the best character, why? He’s nothing more than an innocent victim of circumstance who can’t really do anything. Also, cats don’t understand what’s going on in the human world or what humans are saying so Lou comes off as confused and scared. You want to just pull him out of this universe and give him plenty of hugs, catnip and canned tuna because cats, like all animals, aren’t evil. Doe’s art is pretty creative. The number one thing that makes it creative is the colors look groovy. Groovy in the sense that these colors should not be used together because they give off a psychedelic look.

That’s not a terrible thing, either. It makes Lou’s astral projection look weirder because it’s humans looking through the eyes of a cat that’s having basically an out of body experience. It’s pretty cool. The only other stand out with the art is with the characters that are meant to look like monsters. These look absolutely terrifying, which is most likely the point. 

The first issue of “Strayed” has a great plot but the story so far is OK. Kiara and Lou’s relationship is the main draw of the series and that’s what will make readers want to finish this comic. The art is a trip that works well in the comic’s favor. Just don’t expect to look at colors the same again.