Matt and the Cat: Difference between revisions
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<noinclude>{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Matt and the Cat''}}
{{Comicinfo
|seriestitle=''Matt and the Cat''
|logo=Matt and the Cat logo.jpeg
|bgcol=#fffb00
|format=Half-page gag strip
|TFUKfirst=[[The Transformers issue 5|Issue 5]]
|TFUKfinal=[[The Transformers issue 73|Issue 73]]}}
'''Space-age problems for a kid and his feline friend!'''
__NOTOC__
==History==
In March 1979, after several phone calls, cartoonist [[Mike Kazybrid|Mychailo Kazybrid]] met up with Mike Priestley and John Hewitt of the [[w:Telegraph & Argus|Bradford Telegraph & Argus]] to pitch a daily comic strip. Though the pitch was rejected, Hewitt was taken by a drawing in Kazybrid's portfolio of his then-two-year-old son, Matthew. If Kazybrid could adapt the drawing into a daily strip, Hewitt would accept it. Kazybrid did so in short order, and the first strip of this new comic, titled ''Matt'', ran in the newspaper on 18th April, 1979. With the strip centred around the existential ponderings of [[Matt]] and his young pals, as well as the bizarre exploits of his quirky bipedal cat, [[Humph]], the influence from ''[[w:Peanuts|Peanuts]]'' was obvious – though just as often, strips would instead facilitate plays on words or absurd slapstick. ''Matt'' ran in the Telegraph & Argus, and later the [[w:Manchester Evening News|Manchester Evening News]], until 1985.<ref>[https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/04/blast-from-past-matt-cartoon-strips.html "Blast from the Past: Matt cartoon strips 1979/85" on Mychailo Kazybrid's Character Creation]</ref><ref>[http://mychailokazybrid.blogspot.com/2007/01/early-days.html "The Early Days" on the Humph the Cat Blogspot]</ref>
In 1984, Marvel UK's {{TF|Sheila_Cranna|Sheila Cranna}} accepted Kazybrid's humour strip into ''[[The Transformers]]''. In concession to the book's theme, Kazybrid's characters went on more space adventures with robots than they would in the newspaper. With Humph stepping into a larger protagonist role, this new incarnation of the comic was named '''''Matt and the Cat'''''.<ref>[http://mychailokazybrid.blogspot.com/2007/01/its-november-1984.html "It's November 1984..." on the Humph the Cat Blogspot]</ref> It was first published in [[The Transformers issue 5|issue 5]], and ran until [[The Transformers issue 73|issue 73]] in 1986, with only a few interruptions – though its last couple of strips provided something of an abrupt resolution, with several story threads left hanging. ''[[Robo-Capers]]'' shortly took over the half-page gag strip slot.
This was not the end of breakout character Humph, but the exact details of his further adventures are difficult to pin down due to print-only information and dying turn of the millennium websites. One thing we know is that, on 20th April 2000, Kazybrid attended the UK ''Transformers'' convention Transforce; his contributions to the con's exclusive magazine included a "Matt and the Cat/Megatron pin up" and what the Transforce website promoted as "a brand new Humph the cat story".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20001024231430/http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/primus/exclusives2000.htm Transforce 2000: The exclusives of the millennium (archived)]</ref> The story acknowledged the resolution of ''Matt and the Cat'' and set Humph up in the home city of Do-Do Man, another Kazybrid creation. In 2011, Kazybrid made the strip available to read on his Blogspot under the title of "Humph the Cat in Shefferham";<ref>"Humph the Cat in Shefferham" [https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/09/humph-cat-in-shefferham-page-1.html page 1], [https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/09/humph-cat-in-shefferham-page-2.html page 2], [https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/09/humph-cat-in-shefferham-page-2_06.html page 3], and [https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/09/humph-cat-in-shefferham-page-4.html page 4] on Mychailo Kazybrid's Character Creation</ref> in introducing the story, Kazybrid implies it to have been printed in the fourth issue of his ''Do-Do Man'' comic series.<ref> [https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/09/humph-cat-in-shefferham.html "Humph the Cat in Shefferham" on Mychailo Kazybrid's Character Creation]</ref> ''Do-Do Man'' began in January 1997,<ref name=sydney1>[https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/08/sidney-in-reservoir-sidney.html "Sidney in Reservoir Sidney." on Mychailo Kazybrid's Character Creation]</ref> and apparently usually featured short back-up strips starring characters other than the eponymous superhero in a similar format to the aforementioned Humph strip.<ref name=sydney1/><ref>[https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/08/blind-date-sidney.html "Blind Date Sidney" on Mychailo Kazybrid's Character Creation]</ref><ref>[https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/08/missing-links.html "Missing Links" on Mychailo Kazybrid's Character Creation]</ref> At present, neither the contents nor even the publication date of ''Do-Do Man'' issue 4 are noted anywhere online.
There's a missing puzzle piece here that we'll shortly get back to. First, we'll look at Kazybrid's second Transforce appearance in 2001. That year's magazine, ''{{TF|Alignment|Alignment}}'' Book 1, included another strip focussed on Humph's adventures.<ref>[https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/RmjT-MyMAM8/m/UmsUcYH5pjwJ (Convention) Transforce 2001 Report already! - possible spoilers for the magazine on alt.toys.transformers]</ref> Much more in line with its form of publication, this story featured Humph actually ''at'' the Transforce convention – or did it? With Humph revealed to still be in the clutches of the [[Slave-Master]], readers were encouraged to go to the Humph the Cat website to find out more.<ref>[https://twitter.com/mellowshade/status/1797363763592437937 Humph the Cat's ''Alignment'' strip, courtesy of mellowshade on twitter]</ref>
Which brings us back to that missing piece. In August 2000, Transforce organiser Paul Cannon took to alt.toys.transformers to advertise his new "official" ''Humph the Cat'' website featuring a new story: "This is not the story featured in the Transforce magazine," – i.e., not "Humph the Cat in Shefferham".<ref name=goog>[https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/qy27g9PZCEQ/m/ARnAxgNJXm8J "(UK COMIC) Humph the Cat, a new strip" on alt.toys.transformers]</ref> A panel from the "Shefferham" strip ''was'' used to advertise the subsite on the revamped main page of the Transforce website in late 2000.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000915080802/http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk:80/primus/comics.htm Transforce: The home of UK Transformers and Beast Wars (archived, 2000)]</ref> The text on the ''Humph the Cat'' website references a four page appearance in ''Do-Do Man'' issue 4 before being "pleased to offer just a taste" of the Humph-centric storyline due to appear in ''Do-Do Man'' issue 5.<ref name=humphweb>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010708134320/http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/primus/humph.htm Transforce's ''Humph the Cat'' website (archived)]</ref> ''Do-Do Man'' issue 5 does not appear to have actually been published,<ref>[https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/01/do-do-man-issue-4.html "Do-Do Man issue 4"], [https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/04/do-do-man-cover-artwork-for-mobile.html "Do-Do Man cover artwork for mobile phone strips"], and [https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/05/do-do-man-series-1.html "Do-Do Man the series #1"] on Mychailo Kazybrid's Character Creation. Note that the four published issues were preceded by [https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/01/do-do-man-limited-edition.html a stand-alone limited edition], explaining references made to "all five published issues".</ref> and archives of the ''Humph'' website have not retained any images,<ref name=humphweb/> so exactly what was published on it is entirely up to speculation.
==''Matt and the Cat'' strips in TFUK==
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<li>[[The Transformers issue 73/Matt and the Cat|issue 73]]</ul>
<noinclude>
==Reception==
*In [[The Transformers issue 16|issue 16]]'s Openers, Jaime Ward of Winchester writes in to ask for more ''Matt and the Cat''. "Great!"
*[[The Transformers issue 20|Issue 20]]'s Openers includes fan art of Humph by Jamie Woodruff of Pecklington, York, in which the cat is holding up a sign greeting the artist's friend Robert Parsons. The "More Readers' Favourites" section includes Stephen Goldstein of Norwich, Norfolk, naming Humph as the best Fact File (alongside {{TF|Skywarp_(G1)|Skywarp}}).
*In [[The Transformers issue 21|issue 21]]'s Openers, Simon Keeling (aged 14) of Littleover, Derby, writes in with a list of bests and worsts: "Worst Things Ever Done in ''The Transformers'': 1. Putting the price up 2. ''Matt And The Cat'' 3. ''[[The Chromobots]]'' 4. ''[[Machine Man (comic)|Machine Man]]''". He also offers some constructive criticism: "Best Thing That Could Be Done In ''The Transformers'': More of ''[[Planet Terry (comic)|Planet Terry]]'' and ''The Transformers'' and no ''Matt And The Cat'', ''Chromobots'' and ''Machine Man''."
*In [[The Transformers issue 22|issue 22]]'s debut [[Soundwaves]], Richard Hunt of London NW2 calls ''Matt and the Cat'' "hilarious!"
*In [[The Transformers issue 25|issue 25]]'s Soundwaves, Jason Morris of Virginia, U.S.A. says he's "not too keen on ''Machine Man'', ''Matt and the Cat'', and ''Chromobots''".
==References==
<references/>
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