Do you think you know everything that happened in Russia before the creation of the Soviet Union? Then hear about a cat named Ivan. Its history has certainly changed the course of events and will surprise you a lot.
For Mother Russia!
Ivan Kotovich was born on June 30, 1908 in a small village on the border between Russia and Azerbaijan. His father, Sergei, once served in the tsarist army. He was always devoted to his country and ready to die for it. He liked the vision of communism very much. Therefore, when he met his old friend who was looking for people to build a better country, Sergei did not hesitate for a moment to join him. Of course, he took Ivan with him so that he could also serve Mother Russia. The young cat was very eager to go out into the world with his father. However, it soon turned out that the mysterious substance known as Stalinium would leave a mark on the life of the Kotowicz family and the whole world.
Black and red humor
The Unheard-of Fate of Ivan Kotowicz is a comic book by Kajetan Kusina and published by Kultura Gniewu. This is a weird fiction story. Its main character is an anthropomorphic cat. Although the action takes place in the real world, there are plenty of unusual creatures here. Like Ivan, his mother, village pop, and many other locals are two-legged and talking kitty-talkers. To point out that this is by no means strange, the author shows us a scene in which a group of kids laugh at Ivan not because of the tail or fur, but because of his short height. Later in the book, there are also pigs – including Ivan’s best friend, Swinoyev – who were also given human characteristics, and at the same time allowed to run a bar and drink with customers. It is also worth adding that Sergei, in turn, is a man who became involved with a female cat.
The action of Unheard of fate by Ivan Kotowicztakes us back to the interwar period. Our hero and his father go deep into Russia to help extract Stalinium – an unusual substance whose power is enormous, although not yet fully explained. It is known that he can kill masses, blow up towns, but also communicate with people telepathically. Ivan, in turn, has amazing visions in which absurdity is mixed with events from the future. I must admit that the author has perfectly combined dark humor and interesting action. Anyone who has been at least a bit careful in history lessons will immediately notice the mockery directed at communism. Although the heroes praise the system, read Karl Marx, and are ready to give their lives for their country, Kusina is by no means a supporter of it. Every now and then he winks at the reader, and the reader may smile, seeing the dark humor contained on the following pages. As for the action itself, it is built very slowly. For the first dozen or so pages, we can enjoy the rural idyll with Ivan. At some point, however, we start off the hoof (quite literally, because our heroes go into the world on horseback) and we do not stop until the very end. On the way, we also meet the piglet Świnojew, who in the future will become the most faithful friend of young Kotowicz. It is known from the very first meeting that they will make an extraordinary pair of friends. Reading is really captivating and does not let you get bored. And the first volume ends at such a point that you want to immediately reach for the continuation. At some point, however, we start off the hoof (quite literally, because our heroes go into the world on horseback) and we do not stop until the very end. On the way, we also meet the piglet Świnojew, who in the future will become the most faithful friend of young Kotowicz. It is known from the very first meeting that they will make an extraordinary pair of friends. Reading is really captivating and does not let you get bored. And the first volume ends at such a point that you want to immediately reach for the continuation. At some point, however, we start off the hoof (quite literally, because our heroes go into the world on horseback) and we do not stop until the very end. On the way, we also meet the piglet Świnojew, who in the future will become the most faithful friend of young Kotowicz. It is known from the very first meeting that they will make an extraordinary pair of friends. Reading is really captivating and does not let you get bored. And the first volume ends at such a point that you want to immediately reach for the continuation. Reading is really captivating and does not let you get bored. And the first volume ends at such a point that you want to immediately reach for the continuation. Reading is really captivating and does not let you get bored. And the first volume ends at such a point that you want to immediately reach for the continuation.
Ręka, noga, mózg na ścianie
Za warstwę graficzną komiksu odpowiada Michał Ambrzykowski. Widać, że współpraca artysty i scenarzysty musiała się dobrze układać i obaj panowie wiedzieli, do czego dążą. Początkowo bardzo dobrze widoczne jest spokojne, wiejskie życie Ivana. Cały czas mamy jednak tę komunistyczną otoczkę, która nie pozwala nam zapomnieć, gdzie właśnie się znajdujemy. Nie brakuje też odpowiednich rysunków dotyczących żartów z ustroju. Podczas gdy Kusina pisze, jak to dzielni ochotnicy sprawdzali, czym jest stalinium, rysownik pokazuje nam grupkę ludzi, za którymi stoją inni z wycelowanymi w nich karabinami. Świetnie udało się także uchwycić psychodeliczne wizje Ivana, które w odbiorcy potrafią wzbudzić niepokój. Ambrzykowski płynnie przechodzi również z kolorowych rysunków, pokazujących chociażby karczemną libację, do scen, w których ludzie giną w męczarniach, a krew leje się strumieniami i wnętrzności przykrywają podłogę. Nie ma tu delikatnych scen śmierci. Gdy ktoś strzela komuś w głowę, to zaraz widzimy, jak kawałki mózgu wylatują z drugiej strony. Z jednej strony nieco makabryczne, ale z drugiej – trafne i pasujące do całego zeszytu.
What’s next, Mr. Ivan?
The unheard-of fate of Ivan Kotowicz they have one big disadvantage – they end too quickly! The first volume is, of course, an introduction to the whole story. The reader slowly gets to know the main character, but also very quickly starts to like him. This kitten is simply great and can confidently compete with his YouTube friends. By the way, the authors throw in more threads that they do not explain yet. After all, it is not known what exactly Stalinium is and how it works. Even more intriguing to me is how the friendship between Kotowicz and Świnojew developed. On the first pages you can see that the cat and the piglet are life and death companions, while reading, we learn about the beginnings of their relationship and from that moment on, they form a duo much better than Ivan and Delfin. I hope we will have the opportunity to see more of their collaboration in the coming volumes.
