The Cat with a Really Big HeadReview by Paul Fiander
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STORY BY: Roman Dirge
ART BY: Roman Dirge PUBLISHER: Titan Comics PAGECOUNT: 96pp COVER PRICE: £13.99 RELEASE DATE: 30th June 2015 |
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Ramon Dirge is an interesting cat (pardon the pun), his works are dark and interesting and have a despairing theme running through them. He is well known for “Lenore” (which we have covered here), but this is a different kettle of fish. The stories contained within are one and done’s and come from two different muses.
The first story and title of the book is The Cat with a Really Big Head and it is a take on the story of John Merrick (The Elephant Man). Dirge at the end of the story adds a dedication to Merrick and an apology as well which reads Apologies to John Merrick – whose heart was far bigger than his head. The tale itself plays out by telling us the trials and tribulations of the cat, some parts are sad but it is the very dark humour that makes this a great read. Things are played for laughs and you will find yourself chuckling at certain points though at times it is through pursed lips. The artwork is single image with a mirror page of writing, this makes the imagery feel static but the storytelling is cohesive thanks to Dirge’s craft. Here there is a slight interval with A big question it’s a four page short with a more sequential feel to the art and acts as a great buffer between the Cat and the monsters to come 
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Our second main story is called Monsters in My Tummy and is my personal favourite of Dirge’s work that I have so far consumed. It was created after a break and sets about explaining why we feel so bad after the end of a relationship. The monsters in the title are analogues for our emotions and they do battle for Dirge’s emotional state. The image structure is the same as within The Cat but the writing begins in a poetic form, this is soon dispensed with and what’s left is a dark tale of the battleground of the soul. If you have ever suffered through the end of a relationship then this story will give you a nice lift safe in the fact that you are not alone and goes a long way to explaining (the not so real) why you felt so bad.
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This is a great collection to own it is funny and dark and is a very tactile experience thanks to nice thick paper and a vary surface for the cover. Ramon Dirge continues to be a writer I enjoy and if you are new to his writing then this will be a great place to start.
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