The reviews are in: ¡HOLY GHOST EL GATO! is a classic!

It's never too late to get a rave review. And when you've got great fans like the Flophousers, you'll get 'em, even if it takes them 11 years after publication!

Up in the Bay Area is one of my favorite gents and a longtime Cartoon Flophouser, RICARDO PADILLA. Ricardo was in a good mood, having recently caught the great Tim Burton film ED WOOD at the Castro in SF with his lovely daughter and having enjoyed a nice, gratuitous breakfast at AHN'S BURGERS on Grand Ave. in Oakland. Believe me, Ahn's will never get burned down in any riot: that place is indeed holy and if anyone is ever traipsing through the Lake Merritt area, go, go, GO get breakfast at Ahn's.

But I digress. Mr. Padilla sent me this nice note regarding the second El Gato book, ¡HOLY GHOST EL GATO!

But the main reason...I'm jotting this note....is that the other day....(in an altered state of consciousness) I found & re-read your 1999 edition of "Holy Ghost El Gato". Wow!

What a classic! I have to admit I may have overlooked what a great character El Gato is.....you are quite talented....(u know that, I'm sure) But "Prof. Papp" is awesome as well.....your skewed perspective, your puns, sense of humor......I never really appreciated how talented you really are....It's inspiring to me....But the coup de grace was the back cover quote: "For He who lives more Lives than one, More deaths than one Must Die." --Oscar Wilde (Classic!)

I need more "El Gato" issues!

tu amigo,

relentlessly,

--Ricardo

p.s. What ever happened to the "Muscles of Justice" idea......should I harass Rafael Navarro?

MUSCLES FOR JUSTICE was supposed to be a superteam featuring El Gato, Navarro's SONAMBULO, and Javier Hernandez's EL MUERTO, AZTEC ZOMBIE, but for obvious reasons (busyness? laziness?), that book (or even a story) never came together (except for in some ads). But maybe one day, some hotshot like Miley Cyrus will give us the seed money and us three amigos will get it together and get our JUSTICE on!

Thanks, Ricardo, for the nice note. See you up at the Alternative Press Expo in mid-October, amigo!

And for anyone jonesing to order up some EL GATO, CRIME MANLGER, all four books are available for $5 each (plus $2 shipping) at:

CARTOON FLOPHOUSE
PO Box 25
Santa Monica, CA
90406

Toodles!