THE CASE OF THE CURIOUS CANARY

In this tale translated from French, a young detective in a cat suit takes on a case involving a talking canary and a fabulous jewel.

Going for a noir tone and with tongues firmly in cheeks, the creators send their small, hooded sleuth on the urban prowl at the behest of Mr. Maximus, a sad gent who reports that his beloved bird has been stolen. Miss Cat interviews Mr. Maximus’ daughter-in-law, Doris, a very skinny and oddly hissy suspect with a bulldog named Wolfgang who barks in a Norse accent (“WØØFF WØØFF”). She returns that night to overhear Doris and Wolfgang conspiring with the fugitive bird to rob Mr. Maximus—who (a bit of archival research reveals) is actually retired magician Mixus the Magnificent, owner of a jewel known as the Eye of Elzob that can transform people into animals and back. It all turns out to be a family affair, as the climactic denouement reveals. Settling that situation amicably not only requires further use of the Eye but also leaves the magic gem in Miss Cat’s charge. What will she do with it? Human figures are uniformly light-skinned; the cast includes a helpful archivist in a wheelchair, and in place of the requisite barkeep confidant, there’s a soda fountain jerk who happens to be an octopus.

A sly caper featuring a particularly clever, observant, and memorably clad sleuth.