Broken Frontier

Four cats, a security dog, a truck full of loot and a mysterious benefactor. How do they go together?

Have you ever been down on your luck? In the face of desperation, where the choices are slim, a little bit of charity can go a long way. In Coffee and Donuts, Max Estes’ second release from Top Shelf, two pairs of cats vie for a dangerous stolen prize.

Down in the alleys, Dwight and Jules are two lost souls; two strays living from scraps and bits of food left in the garbage. When a passing armored car starts to look like a chance to escape from homelessness, the scheming Dwight throws together an ill-considered plan to grab what they need. On the rooftops above, two seasoned crooks named Myles and Moose see an opportunity for easy money. Coffee and Donuts is a light-hearted look at desperate living.

It begins with a knowing wink from our two heroes and a quote from Kahlil Gibran. For an all-ages tale, Max Estes has created a story which asks some very mature questions. A little like Top Cat crossed with Les Miserables, the Junkyard Cats find themselves in situations which might be morally questionable, if their situation weren’t so dire. The crafty Dwight and his quiet compatriot Jules make a choice that would be morally wrong, but there seems to be a large difference between the kind-hearted hoboes and the weathered criminals spying on them from the rooftops above. There’s a clear line between the desperate and the mean-willed and Estes draws it. Meanwhile, a mysterious benefactor has a connection to both pairs of cats.

The look of the book seems fairly unique. The cartoonish look of the characters has an almost childlike quality to it. At the same time, the world of Coffee and Donuts looks almost as if it were printed from a woodcut carving. Everything is lovingly designed, from the lights and the darks, to the way the words hang in the air. Through the entire tale, Estes uses bubble-shaped cartoon panels, a tubular view of the world, with action occasionally exploding from beyond the borders. Dwight at one point even tries to break the bounds of an almost claustrophobic or myopic viewpoint.

Coffee and Donuts is a parable disguised as a heist story. It has a lovingly crafted design, and a unique look. The tale of two homeless, dumpster-diving cats paired up against a gangster and his henchman asks some important questions and could be the start of some interesting conversations with the little ones.