Under Ground Comic - Fat Freddy's Cat

     Among the entire list of underground comics I have chosen this particular one generally is because I am a cat lover, and I read a ton of comic strips such as Garfield and Peanuts. In contrast to what I expected to see, Fat Freddy's Cat demonstrations the worst side of pets. I am seeing a naughty, unfriendly, selfish and destructive animal. Perhaps this is why Fat Freddy's Cat is an underground comic. It truly reveals the hateful nature of a cat, and exaggerate it to an extend that make people mad. There's probably not a single comic that can depict the cat the way Gilbert Shelton did.

     Starting on the discussion about the character design, the cat, whom in most people's eyes are resembled by the term "cute", totally looked something like "uncute". He looks more like the old evil witch from Snow White. Pointy ears, small eyes, big nose, skinny legs and a fuzzy tail, these elements all gave him an unfriendly impression. Comparing to Garfield, who's also naughty and selfish, he was designed much more appealing to the audiences.

    Like cats in real life, Fat Freddy's cat maintain the destructive nature of wild animals, except that he destruct OFTEN and PURPOSELY. It even seems like his life is built on causing trouble for his master just to make himself comfortable. It is indeed quite disturbing "watching" him poop in the shoes, scratching the furnitures and making messes out of everything. It recalls many bad moments of life when my pets were doing that to me. However, what made this comic more interesting is the interaction between him and his master, it's not just a one-sided annoyance from the pet. The cat gets Fat Freddy, and Fat Freddy gets back at him, just like how people deals with each other. They never try to please each other, yet they manage to live together with a style.