by James Kochalka
ISBN: 0966536347
Kochalka interweaves the quirky love story of his comic persona Magic Boy with girlfriend Amy, and Spandy (their cat) with a neighborhood bird.
He creates perfect pictures of embarrassment, awkwardness, and yearning with this book. I love the way he draws: fluid, simple lines that capture the essence of scene with sometimes suprisingly subtle expressions. Plus, Kochalka’s cats rock. (“Peanut Butter and Jeremy” fans take note, Spandy is a cat you need to see.)
The book came packaged with a CD, which I must confess I have not listened to yet. I think this is because I know what I like about Kochalka’s work (the cover art, taken from his more realistic in style paintings, isn’t it) and I’m afraid I won’t like the music, so I’m still in that “prefer not to know” mode.
If you are curious about Kochalka’s work, this is a good place to start because you can see both his “people” stories (Magic Boy and Amy) and his animal stories (Spandy and the bird.) You won’t be disappointed if you are already a fan.
