Farfel and Bob’s universe now consists of 5 ebooks, a handful of short stories on the website, and a number of comics. Their art style has changed (and improved!) a lot since the beginning. And of course, there are many things I would have done differently. (Such as, don’t name the kitten Rooster! Ahem, besides that…)
For the last year I’ve been researching comics and graphic novels while developing a new series: How Cats Find Their Hoomans. Researching this has made me realize I should have targeted Farfel & Bob as an all ages series from the beginning.
The dominant themes are friendship and accepting others for who they are. These themes are not often the focus in adult-targeted projects, but they’re not especially middle grade or YA themes either. Farfel and Bob have most in common with the slice-of-life genre that is more common in anime, manga, and webcomics.
The last three Farfel and Bob books, plus the email list freebie, are all-ages friendly. However, the first two stories were really written with adult cat owners in mind. And while I have been told they are fine for kids, I would have done them differently if that were my intent at the time.
Hmm… on second thought, even the Christmas one, with the catnip intoxication, that warrants at least a PG-13 rating, doesn’t it?
So, what WAS I thinking? Mostly, I was thinking about being a neurotic cat lady (like Bob’s Marcia) myself. 😉
What Cat Ladies (and Men!) Can Learn
I sought Bob’s counsel on the value of the Farfel and Bob series to adult cat owners. This is what he had to say:
Me: Hey Bob, what do the Farfel & Bob stories teach cat ladies and men?
Bob: Our books teach cat ladies how to relate to the plight of the domesticated cat.
Me: Plight? You’re over-stating it a little, aren’t you?
Bob: Not at all. Managing humans is hard work! People think they’re the only ones who struggle to adapt to life with us cats. Not so!
Me: I see. Your fictional life is actually a bit complicated…
Bob: Indeed! See here, I’ve made a list of what cat ladies can learn from each book.
Farfel and Bob’s Summer Bromance
BOB: This story teaches cat ladies that cats have important social lives of their own. And also, we are very busy.
Farfel and Bob’s Super Stressful Weekend
BOB: This story was supposed to be called Too Many Mouses, as you may recall, and it teaches that cats sometimes accidentally (or accidentally on purpose) kill mice and, say, parakeets. And yet, you have to love us anyway.
Me: Hm. I don’t remember that being what that book is about.
Bob: Well…maybe you should read it again.
Farfel and Bob’s Cats vs. The Internet
BOB: This story shows humans what cats really think of cat circles, Internet fame, and sleeping cucumber memes. People could be a little more considerate, really.
Farfel and Bob’s Christmas Catastrophe
BOB: This one taches how stressful it is when our humans leave us with strangers! Also, you learn how the ‘nip can be a double-edged sword.
Farfel and Bob’s My Favorite Kitty
BOB: This book is my favorite. It teaches humans how to prioritize relationships. Namely, the cat you live with must come first!
Me: Wow, okay. I didn’t realize there was so much. Next time, we’ll talk about what the books teach our feline readership.
Bob: For that, I have a whole other list.
Me: I’m sure you do. ❤
What’s next for Farfel and Bob?
An anthology might be nice. I would like to update the first two stories, making the art in color and more reflective of how I draw the cats now. Possibly I might lengthen the stories to match the others as well.
Then there is unfinished material on the workbench:
- The story of how Farfel and Bob first met (hint: Bob didn’t think much of Farfel at first!)
- A story where Bob dreams he’s a corgi–I’d have to learn to draw dogs!
- Farfel’s Kitten Training Bootcamp (a project long on hold for content formatting reasons)
- The comic where Farfel dreams everyone’s turned into zombies!
- And an instagram-sized series where Bob waxes poetic about tuna, time travel, and transporters.
Several of these I would like to get to some day…
Got a comment about Farfel and Bob?
I’d love to hear readers’ thoughts about them. Give me a shout here or via the handy contact form. 🙂
