Cats apparently have nine lives. Philippe Geluck’s is 40 years old and he has clearly not aged a bit. Despite his chubby physique, a large nose planted in the middle of his face and small pointed ears, the gray-furred feline, born in 1983, has won over millions of readers. What a long way we have come since its first notable appearance in the pages of the Belgian newspaper The evening ! Here he continues to mark people’s minds with his absurd and biting repartee.
We had to wait three long years after the release of the excellent The Cat is among us so that the 69-year-old Belgian designer, a multi-talented artist, finally returns to us with an opus. The book, 64 pages instead of the usual 48, is simply titled The Cat and the 40 Candles. As falsely impasto as it may be, the most famous mascot of French-speaking comics has lost none of its appeal or its verve. We also find her in great shape, speaking out of bounds and on all subjects, even the most delicate, not hesitating to go from cock to donkey.
It must be said that this famous forty-year-old cat in the two-piece suit – a big fan of new Muscadet – has always known how to renew himself with finesse and intelligence. It evolves smoothly over the albums and changes in society, tackling religious fundamentalism, social injustices and human stupidity. This is one of the great qualities of the character, a bit of a counter philosopher, sometimes lecherous, but often very funny, who has now become iconic. For those who still doubt it, know that before the opening in Brussels of a museum which will soon be dedicated to him, the Cat was exhibited in giant size on the Champs-Élysées, in Paris, and in several other capitals European. Who says better ?
Note also that all the drawings and gags are completely new in this new album. Everything goes, without limits or barriers, like Geluck who always takes great pleasure in making fun of political correctness. The creator promises us a frank laughter that requires no permission. And then, the absurd is never far away. “Didn’t you go see the dinosaur exhibit?” » asks the Cat to a friend. “No, I’m vegetarian,” the latter replies point-for-tat. The designer also knows how to make people laugh with witticisms and naughty jokes. A mixture of genres in itself liberating. “You have very beautiful buttocks,” says the Cat to a young woman sitting at a bar, who retorts: “Your compliment goes straight to my ass!” » What a shock!