Little Scrowlie #1 is actually a reprint - this originally appeared back in 1999 as a self-published title.  The plan is to reprint the four existing issues, and then start running original material with issue #5.  And boy, it's odd.  Lime green monsters, talking cats, overfunded goths, and seriously squiggly artwork.

It's also great.

Despite the bizarre style of the book, there is a plot here.  Scrowlie is a pet cat, living with a pampered, pretentious goth chick.  ("I feel inspired.  I must paint.")   While she remains cheerfully oblivious, Scrowlie is tormented by little floating demons who want to take him to hell.  But that's not really the selling point.

The book walks a narrow line between nightmarish oddity and fun character comedy.  The entire book has the same psychedelic look as the cover, even down to the lettering, which curls and wobbles all over the place.  Perspectives are skewed, straight lines are bent, and at times the world seems on the verge of melting.  The characters remain fairly consistent, but the backgrounds are nuts.  It's in black and white, but it's more than bizarre enough without needing psychedelic colouring.  It really doesn't look like anything else, and manages it without ever losing sight of telling the story.

Meanwhile, as genuine weirdness continues to collapse around them, the goths remain charmingly oblivious to the whole thing, as the series gently mocks them.  The Hip Gothic clothing store, nestled between Gap and Starbucks, is fabulous.  ("Ooo!  Skulls!")  But despite her awful pretentiousness, staggering hypocrisy, and bludgeoned-into-silence boyfriend, Elisabeth somehow stays just the right line of tolerable.  She is, at least, nice to the cat.

Unique, warped, and funny.  Give it a look.

Rating: A

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