What's Michael? Fatcat Collection Volume 1 Cat Manga Release Details

Date: 2019 June 25 20:45

Posted by Joe

Fans of cat manga can rejoice as publisher Dark Horse are re-releasing the classic What's Michael? as a special fat cat collection.

The manga was originally released in English by Dark Horse in 1997 and has been out of print for a long time, with many fans thought a reprint of Makoto Kobayashi's manga in English unlikely. We're massive fans of the comic antics of this cat manga as it blends slice of life tales (or should that be tails?!) along with amusing fantasy incorporating cats. The light hearted title is due out in the US on January 29, 2020.

You can pre-order it from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

We've also been told that translator Zack Davisson is involved in this project and will write introductions for each volume. Zack is not only a manga translator, but a cat fan so it an appropriate choice for this series.

Why is the cat called Michael? Well Michael is used in Japanese as causal slang for cat, kind of like moggy.

Full Story

Press release as follows:



The Award-Winning Cat Manga Hilarity Returns

MILWAUKIE, Ore. (June 25, 2019)- In 1997, What's Michael? arrived at Dark Horse with its very first English translation. Now, the New York Library Award series returns to print with its first-ever English collection in What's Michael? Fatcat Collection Volume 1!

Described as "Japan's version of Garfield, Heathcliff, and Krazy Kat all rolled into one," Makoto Kobayashi's What's Michael?, the original cat manga, mixes slice-of-life cat reality with out-of-this-world cat fantasy into one tasty dish of laughter!

What's Michael? FatCat Collection Volume 1 contains the out-of-print original What's Michael? Volumes 1- 6. The 520-page oversized collection includes the out-of-print volumes Michael's Album, Living Together, Off the Deep End, A Hard Day's Life, Michael's Favorite Spot, and Michael's Mambo.

What's Michael? FatCat Collection Volume 1 arrives in comic shops on January 29, 2020, bookstores February 11, 2020, and is available for pre-order now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at your local comic shop.

Praise for What's Michael?

"The humor in [What's Michael?] derives from his consummate catness running up against his owners' everyday humanity in ways any cat lover (or hater) will recognize." -BookList

"Sometimes fanciful, sometimes very well observed, and always humorous." -Library Journal

About Dark Horse Comics

Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics is an excellent example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and transform a company with humble beginnings into an industry giant. Under a new partnership with Vanguard Visionary Associates, Dark Horse is positioned to further expand its reach globally with publishing, products, and filmed entertainment. Over the years, Dark Horse has published the work of creative legends such as Yoshitaka Amano, Margaret Atwood, Paul Chadwick, Geof Darrow, Will Eisner, Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons, Faith Erin Hicks, Kazuo Koike, Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, Mike Mignola, Frank Miller, Moebius, Chuck Palahniuk, Wendy Pini, and Gerard Way. In addition, Dark Horse has a long tradition of establishing exciting new creative talent throughout all of its divisions. The company has also set the industry standard for quality licensed comics, graphic novels, collectibles, and art books, including Aliens, Stranger Things, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, Predator, Minecraft, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Dragon Age, James Cameron's Avatar, Game of Thrones, Mass Effect, StarCraft, The Witcher, and Halo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is one of the world's leading entertainment publishers.