Preview: Coffee and Donuts

Coffee and Donuts
by Max Estes
Top Shelf. $10.

Dwight and Jules are a couple of anthropomorphic junkyard cats, down on their luck. Tired of living onthe streets, they hatch a plan to rob an armored truck, but not being professional criminals it doesn't go well. Even worse, they run afoul of a couple of real criminals who were planning on robbing the truck themselves.

Truth be told, this is not exactly my cup of tea. The story is very straightforward: the things that happen, just happen. The book is over 100 pages long, but with just one or two panels per page it makes for a rather quick read. But even with that limited layout, Estes tells the story clearly and manages to get a lot of dynamism across. He uses a purposely crude drawing style, with thick lines and distorted proportions. It's the sort of thing that would fall into the Kochalka 'craft is the enemy' camp; if that's the sort of thing you're after, and want it in an all-ages way, then you'll probably want to give Coffee and Donuts a look. (It's in the current Previews for ordering now, and is scheduled to go on sale in February.)

Rating: 3 (of 5)

(A preview copy of Coffee and Donuts was provided by the publisher.)