THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2024! One of the many joys of the yearly Thought Bubble convention is discovering small press and indie creators. It’s especially exciting to see completely new creators experiment with graphic novels and zines – one such creator is C A Strike, who has been posting their art and comics on Instagram and their website for some time, but who will be debuting their first physical small press comic Meryl at Thought Bubble this year. Meryl was originally published digitally in Shortbox’s now-renowned digital Comics Fair last year, but this is the first time readers can hold and pore over the print book in all its technicolour glory.
Illustrated in a vivid ceramic mismatched style, the subject matter of Meryl will immediately appeal to feline lovers, with its preening tabby on the front, and its sweet subtitle ‘Little Comic about the Best Cat Ever’. Using an experimental art style with no strict formatting or panelling, Meryl is able to brilliantly shine a light into the absolute chaos that is parenting your little feline friend. Whether they are playing hide and seek, planning a sneak attack or the peril that comes with introducing your new kitten to your older cat, Strike so aptly and humorously captures the temperaments of their newest addition Meryl and their older kitty Lillian. The way in which the cat’s facial expressions are drawn, while stylised, is beyond accurate – big wide eyes, a little smirk here and there and a self-satisfied grin when Meryl is able to place herself in the box she’s been eyeing up.
Something all cat owners suffer from is a skewed sense of perception when they adopt a little kitten – suddenly, all other cats look insurmountable huge! Strike’s illustrations when depicting this are laugh-out-loud funny – little Meryl appears as small as a hamster next to the colossal Lillian (who is, in reality, just a normal-sized cat). On a more serious note, there was one aspect of Strike’s work that particularly resonated with me, and that was her anxiety around Meryl. I also own a kitty with a penchant for naughtiness, which, much like Strike’s character in Meryl, can make me overreact or worry. Pet anxiety is often overlooked or dismissed, so it felt wonderful to have some representation – Strike accurately surmised just how much our pets are a part of our family.
At only ninety pages, Meryl was a short but sweet graphic novel, with a big impact, being simultaneously heartwarming, heartbreaking and hilarious. By combining digital and traditional illustration, Strike has managed to create a unique, stand-out art style, which most reminded me of the multicoloured beauty of a patchwork blanket. Both visually and through its narrative, Meryl is a gem of a comic that you should be keeping your eyes out for at Thought Bubble this year.
C A Strike (W/A) • Self-published
Review by Lydia Turner
C A Strike will be at Table C16b in the Redshirt Hall at Thought Bubble.
Thought Bubble 2024 runs from November 11th-17th with the convention weekend taking place on the 16th-17th. More details on the Thought Bubble site here.
Read all our Thought Bubble 2024 coverage so far in one place here.
Art by Rocío Arreola Mendoza
