I had no idea what to expect when I picked up the first two volumes of Everything Sucks from Michael Sweater and Silver Sprocket. Sure, the covers are pretty jazzy; All Cats Go to Hell! in particular features a multitude of candy-coloured cats exploding from the mouth of one giant cat, whilst three non-cat imposters look terrified, caught in the centre of it all. But why do the cats look so peeved? What series of events led to the anthropomorphised characters being their target? And why does a cutesy comic about cats have a parental advisory sticker for explicit content?! I can’t explain how excited I was to find out more.
Everything Sucks: All Cats Go to Hell! is a follow-up to an original short published in 2022, Everything Sucks. A short, saddle-stitched comic book coming in at thirty-two pages, the first issue of Everything Sucks centers around an anthropomorphised pink cat (Calla), and bluebird (Noah), who are stoners: “Noah and Calla are high, hungry, and should probably go outside”. Only one thing can arouse them from lazing around and smoking pot – a burger from Burger Castle! Skateboarder wanna-be Brad the rat is picked up along the way, but their dreams are crushed when the restaurant is unexpectedly closed (due to someone taking a dump on the floor). Customer service workers… we know you can sympathise. There’s an unexpected humorous twist at the end as everything erupts into chaos (as foreshadowed by the title), but this dose of deadpan, stoner humour is a perfect opener to what would become an ongoing series from Sweater.
As a follow-up to a perfect opening edition, All Cats Go to Hell! had a lot to live up to. In this volume, Noah and his cat Garth are pretty irked when a bunch of cats show up at their home, and even more annoyed when they manage to kick Noah out and lock the door. But where have the cats come from, and what will happen now they have full control of the house? With side stories involving Calla and her needy ex-boyfriend, and Brad having the time of his life searching for money in the sewers, the slice-of-life narrative is both light-hearted, comical and of course, explicit (who knew bluebirds swore so much!).
What I loved about Everything Sucks is that there are no high stakes. Whether it is being unable to get the burger you’re craving or having a cat poop on your porch, the misadventure has no real implications or repercussions. Alt comics like this are becoming increasingly rare, especially those catered towards an adult demographic, so it was great to see Sweater having such fun with it. His staple cartoon-style art really shines in this format, with the pastel colours and cutesy animals hilariously contrasting with the bad language and stoner lifestyle.
There are a series of one-shot comic strips at the back of the comics, that were drawn in more experimental art styles, often involving Noah and his cat, with hilarious punchlines. Everything about Everything Sucks feels so personal; from the author’s ‘Sweater Letter’ at the front of every issue addressing the readers, to ‘Michael’s mixtape’ in which he recommends tracks to listen to whilst reading, to his personal graphic novel recommendations; this floppy little comic is curated perfectly. There’s even continuity between the comics, which, even though there isn’t an overarching narrative, is fun to see (note the desolate snowman in the back of Noah’s car in issue one, displayed proudly outside the house in issue 2!). This isn’t something that was necessary, but something which makes the world more elaborate and detailed.
Since the publication of All Cats Go to Hell in early 2023, Sweater and Silver Sprocket have gone on to publish more issues of Everything Sucks. If they’re even half as dead-pan and hilarious as the first two volumes, I can’t wait to pick them up, as well as Sweater’s array of other comics separate from this series.
Michael Sweater (W/A) • Silver Sprocket, $4.99/$7.99
Review by Lydia Turner
