Matt and the Cat: Difference between revisions
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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. What we do know is that, on 20th April 2000, Kazybrid attended the UK ''Transformers'' convention Transforce; his contributions to the con's exclusive magazine included "a brand new Humph the cat story" and a "Matt and the Cat/Megatron pin up".<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> In August that year, 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."<ref>[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 con report after Transforce 2001 disclosed that a ''Matt and the Cat'' strip appeared in that year's magazine, {{TF|Alignment|Alignment}} Book 1.<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>
This was not the end for breakout character Humph, and he would appear in his own 23-page sequel story online in 2010.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130504040529/http://mychailokazybrid.blogspot.com/ Humph the Cat Blogspot (archived, 2013)]</ref> In 2011, Kazybrid would post a four page prequel to that story that directly referenced Humph's ''Transformers'' cliffhanger and set him up in the city of Shefferham, home to another Kazybrid creation, Do-Do Man.<ref>"Humph the Cat in Shefferham" [https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/09/humph-cat-in-shefferham.html introduction], [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> By 2015, the sequel story was removed from Kazybrid's blog<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150720205441/http://mychailokazybrid.blogspot.com/ Humph the Cat Blogspot (archived, 2015)]</ref> (save previews of pages 5 and 6<ref>[https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/01/humph-cat-page-5.html Page 5] and [https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/01/humph-cat-page-6.html page 6] on Mychailo Kazybrid's Character Creation</ref>) to instead be published in colour in volumes [https://www.acesweekly.co.uk/vol17-issue1 17] and [https://www.acesweekly.co.uk/vol18-issue1 18] of [https://www.acesweekly.co.uk/home-aces Aces Weekly], a digital comics anthology series established by [[w:David Lloyd (comics)|David Lloyd]] to which Kazybrid frequently contributes.▼
Exactly ''what'' was published by Transforce is currently unknown. In late 2000, the revamped main page of the Transforce website advertised the "official" ''Humph the Cat'' site using a panel<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> from "Humph the Cat in Shefferham", a strip printed in the fourth issue of ''Do-Do Man'', another Kazybrid creation.<ref> [https://kazybridscharactercreation.blogspot.com/2011/09/humph-cat-in-shefferham.html "Humph the Cat in Shefferham" on Mychailo Kazybrid's Character Creation]</ref> The ''Do-Do Man'' series had 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.<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> "Humph the Cat in Shefferham" directly references Humph's ''Transformers'' cliffhanger and sets him up in the city of Shefferham with plans to pursue Do-Do Man's cat, Amy. In 2011, Kazybrid made the strip available to read on his Blogspot.<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>
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==''Matt and the Cat'' strips in TFUK==
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