Segura reviews Sfar, Young, Vaughan

My latest batch of graphic novel reviews are up. Sorry, registration required:

• The Rabbi's Cat. Joann Sfar. Pantheon. 152 pages. $21.95.
It's a rare talent that can create a challenging and entertaining adventure while still subtly informing the reader of a bigger issue. The Rabbi's Cat from French artist Sfar is such a work. Part comic strip, part fairy tale and part religious debate, the story begins innocently enough. The reader is ushered into the life of an endearing rabbi, his sharp-witted daughter and their wide-eyed and thoughtful feline. But when the cat takes the family's cantankerous parrot out of commission, he develops an unexpected talent: he can talk. Brutally honest, cunning and sly, the cat challenges his master's every belief. Warm and pensive from the first page, Sfar's fantastical language and pleasantly messy artwork transport the reader back to a time when it was OK for animals to speak, and the unbelievable was the norm.