We come here today because of kittens. It seems the Kitten Collective has struck again, and is busy assimilating Penny Arcade. No doubt Tycho and Gabe will be scratching their heads and wondering what the heck happened to their sofa and fridge once the little blighters clear out, but when we have kittens in not one, but two straight updates for PA… well, it calls out for a Secant. Which when you think of it, is a bit amusing. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: gag-strips aren’t my forte. Even so, there is something about PA that drags me in, screaming and kicking, forcing me to read even as I lament the lack of storyline within the comic.

It’s not the art – or at least, not completely the art. Don’t get me wrong; Gabe’s an excellent artist. Unfortunately, he’s addicted to copy-and-paste, which leaves me scratching my head. I mean, PA comes out thrice a week in a newsstrip format. Does it honestly need to use CaP? Fortunately, the use of CaP isn’t an everyday (or every week, at least) occurrence. And when he stretches himself, Gabe shows a level of creativity and imagination that is truly staggering. I’m not big into computer games so I’m unsure as to what is adapted from the gaming industry and what springs Athena-like from Gabe’s brow, but when those shining jewels do appear… then they’re well worth treasuring.

No, what keeps me coming back each update is the creativity that goes into the strips. That and the rants (which are easily as enjoyable as the comic is), but in that they’re linked. Perhaps that’s why we’ve had kittens in two strips now, popping out of the PS3 every twenty minutes and raiding their pantries. No doubt in the background sometime we’ll see the Fruit F##ker trap a couple of kittens in the corner of the kitchen and next thing you know we’ll have kitten juice being served. But with Tycho and Gabe behind it, people will laugh, and come back for more.