WOTN Review: Strayed #1 (Dark Horse)

Strayed #1: A Tale of Cats, Space, and Loyalty

Strayed #1 is the beginning of a new tale from Dark Horse comics. It follows Lou, a gifted cat, and his owner, Kiara Rodriguez. Their tale is one that’ll be perfect for comic book fans and cat lovers alike. Oh, and did we mention it’s set in space?

This series has caught a lot of attention between the cat elements and the absolutely striking artwork. And that’s not terribly surprising. It’s not every day you get to find a series revolving around a loyal cat, is it?

Writing

Strayed #1 takes an interesting premise and brings it to life. Carlos Giffoni is the one who came up with this unique story, and we just can’t wait to see where it takes us. The series doesn’t waste much time in introducing the setting. And it doesn’t take us very long to connect to the furry feline of a main character.

To be completely fair, it did feel like the first issue was missing something. I think it focused so much on setting things up and not enough on the central plot. I think this is a problem that will fix itself in time. And despite this complaint, I still enjoyed the read.

The issue did a great job of pulling emotion from its readers – though perhaps crazy cat ladies will be more strongly affected than others (guilty). It’s impossible not to feel for Lou and his owner, to hope to see them in a better situation.

Strayed #1 proves that this series has a lot of potential. This issue had a lot to establish, from the setting to the characters involved. Yet it appears they’ve gotten through the heavier lifting and hopefully can now focus on the main plot itself.

Art

The artwork in Strayed #1 is…absolutely and completely striking. The cover alone should give you a good idea of what you’re in for. Lou is a vibrantly drawn cat, and the worlds he visits are even more colorful.

Juan Doe provided the lines for this issue, while Matt Krotzer did the coloring. Together, they brought us something out of this world – literally. The scenes in which Lou is astral projecting are clearly the issue’s highlights, though the rest of the panels are also nicely done.\

The vibrant color palette actually lends well to the whole astral projection plot. And the greener tones are a nice hat tip to previous incarnations of space exploration tales. And perhaps it lends just a bit of foreshadowing as well.

Conclusion

Strayed #1 did a solid job of introducing our two main characters and the world in which they’re trapped. The tale will surely tug at many cat lovers’ heartstrings, and with good reason. Meanwhile, only time will tell what the main plot has in store.

This issue may not have been the strongest start ever seen, but I sincerely think this series will be one worth keeping an eye on. I know I’m going to continue reading it. I just hope it doesn’t break my heart with Lou’s tale.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

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