I enjoyed the book as an easy, entertaining read. I felt connected to the main character because of the subtle hints of his sloppiness possibly being connected to depression or a directionless feeling. The wordless content with Manfried did "show-don't-tell" well. The visual style was pleasing to me and I look forward to reading the web comic. I give it 3/5. I follow the Goodreads rating system so 3 stars= "I liked this".

Manfried the Man is a lot of fun, I have a lot of appreciation for this hilarious and creative idea. The illustrations are adorable and so so funny. I think a lot of people will get behind this unusual and adorable graphic novel. The best parts of the comic focus on Manfried and the other men, their world and the things they do are what make this book stand out. The story is sweet and touching, but it felt a bit drawn out, and while I understand that the graphic novel needed to have a plot with a story arc and tension, I wanted to see more Manfried and less Steve Catson. I think this book will be wildly popular because of it’s creativity and humor. I’m excited to recommend this one to comics fans and pet fans.

Oh please don’t stop, this new series is instantly purrrfect. I am not even a cat person but see the overlapping hairy humor to be outrageously on the mark. I can related as I live with three of my very own Man Pets!!!

Quirk Books proved to be an apt publisher for this quirky graphic novel about cats and humans having their roles reversed.

Steve Catson is a slacker who has a dead-end job but loves his man, Manfried. When his chubby ginger disappears out a carelessly left open window, Steve is distraught. He needs to own up to his failings and find his man, and in so doing he is able to help the local Man Shelter and find a new career path.

The artwork is clean, simple and attractive; typically with a six panel layout per page. The cats who portray the pet-owners walk on their hind legs and live just as you would expect humans would. It’s the little men, that will make you pause and laugh, as it’s quite odd to see naked men acting like cats. While the artist draws that cats in various colors as you’d expect to see, it’s the men (never women) drawn with different body types, ages, and nationalities that make the panels distinctive. And instead of a meow, the men always say “hey” to one another or to their cats to get their attention.

The book proved to be a more nuanced than I originally thought it might be. The front cover let’s you know this is a graphic novel, not a collection of strips , as many might expect. While stand alone strips with this role reversal would certainly be funny, this longer narrative lets you move past the juxtaposition of the roles, and you really start to connect with the characters. The story makes you root for Steve to grow up and get Manfried back. I definitely would welcome more stories about these two. Thanks to NetGalley for this clever book!

I was a little bit shocked that no one had done this before! The concept of cats and humans switching places is hilarious, and very well executed by Major and Bastow. It's a surprisingly touching story about the love between one and ones pet.

Quirky, original and very off centre. This was a fun, bizarre read.

I wasn't expecting to have quite so many feelings while reading this - from the cover, I was expecting a collection of short comic strips and I was pleasantly surprised to find a complete, multipart story instead.

The gimmick is that the world is run by cats, some of whom have pet men (for your information, the pet men aren't wearing any loincloths so you may want to hide your blushing eyes if you're offended by manly giblets).
This is a universal story about growing up, getting your s* together and getting things done instead of letting things just happen around you - Steve is a lazy and pretty self absorbed cat who absolutely adores his pet man, but when Manfried goes missing he realises he needs to make some changes in his life. How this manages to be so moving, I don't know but I'm glad I read it!

The illustrations are fun and easy on the eye, perfectly complimenting the story.

This is a quirky little book with a lot of heart and a very creative storyline. Steve Catson is an anthropomorphic cat with a pet human called Manfried. While the premise is very clever and the art style is great, I don't think this is a book that will have a very wide appeal. Apart from the fact that he's cat sized, and weighs only 18 lbs, Manfried is still, anatomically, very much a man, and while this is handled well, it could still be a bit uncomfortable for some readers.

However, my only real complaint with the book is that it deviates quite drastically from the original webcomic that inspired it. The webcomic was sort of like Garfield, with the roles reversed. The premise of a tiny human doing cat-like things was adorable and hilarious. This book takes a different turn, focusing more on Steve, his own insecurities, and struggles. While this is a topic that is expressed well in this format, it felt weird in this situation, considering how lighthearted Manfried comics usually are. It would be like reading Garfield, but instead of having Garfield gobbling lasagna and kicking Odie, it would be all about how Jon feels like a loser with no job and no girlfriend, and the reader is left waiting for a punchline that never comes. As I said, a very important topic to discuss, but this was not the right venue for it. Fans of the comic will find this very different than expected, while new fans to the series might have trouble getting past the depressing plot line and images of tiny naked men.

This was a quirky but fun comic and the concept of cats and humans being in reverse roles made it even more so. Some of the antics of Manfried made me laugh out loud, others made me cringe and want to yell at him. That goes double for his owner. I have to admit, I found it a little strange to see the man-pets running around naked with (albeit very non-descriptive) things on display. And where were the female man-pets? Not a one did I see.

I'm sure this will have a following, but I see this as being rather niche.

While the story of this book was pretty much just simple, daily life, switching cats and humans made the comic funny and unique. It was weird seeing cats owning people as pets, but it made the comic quirky and fun. The illustrations also really were great and gave each cat and man their own unique look.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this comic in return for an honest review.

Cute! I figured (based on the cover art) that this would be similar to other comic collections I've seen recently, like Sarah's Scribbles and Heart and Brain. I thought that it would just be random panels and relatable jokes, rather than have a cohesive storyline to follow. However, the plot is still very relatable if you love your cats or other fur-babies. In a role-reversed world, the book tells the story of a cat, Steve, mindlessly going through adult life, not really getting anywhere. The one thing he's really happy about in his life is his man-pet, Manfried. Steve is on a downward spiral and when Manfried gets out one day, he finally has to take responsibility for his actions, for himself and his beloved pet. The art style was very cute and somehow familiar to me as well. It was a bit cringe-worthy for me at times to see the little naked men doing kitty things, but it's also really funny to see the artist's interpretation of what a man would be like if he were a small pet.

I laughed and cried. For anyone who loves cats or has their very own man child. 5 months out and I have already placed on order for the store.

I adore this graphic novel and inhaled it in just over an hour.
The idea of cat-people, looking after little man-animals was cute, bizarre and utterly hilarious.
Little Manfried is a little chubby ginger man who only says "Hey" doesn't wear any clothes and demands food and attention AKA your normal domestic cat. Steve his owner is dealing with a period in his life, when he is lost in his career, not married, has no kids but loves his pet man. A situation I think a lot of us could relate too! Me for sure.
He eventually comes to realise that you don't have to conform to societies norms to be happy and for your friends to accept you, just as you are. Even with your crazy man-pets.
Adorable story.

Interesting concept. But I have lots of remaining questions.

I went into this book honestly anticipating a story that was little more than easy joke stacked upon easy joke about a world where cat and man's roles are reversed. But what I got instead was a very lovely story about Steve, a fellow who feels like the only thing he has going in his otherwise slog of a life is his beloved pet.....until said pet accidentally gets out, leaving him first hopelessly unmoored, then determined in ways he couldn't have imagined that lead him to places and people he couldn't have expected either. That, and a very creatively constructed world to boot.

You don't have to be a cat person to enjoy this. You can have a strong attachment to any pet, or merely be someone who has had that moment of "What on earth am I doing with my life?" You fit that basic criteria, and just like that you're all set for what will be a very enjoyable read.

This is adorable!
It's basically the story of an underachieving 20-something who has a crappy job and is a little too in love with his pet... except the underachiever is a giant cat and the pet is a little chubby ginger balding man.
I do have one glaring question though - all the pen men are... well.... MEN. There are no WOMEN man-pets, yet a big part of the story revolves around there being a bunch of strays on the streets... so how are they getting all these men if there are no women? Mmmmm.. PLOT HOLE! LOL!

In the world of this story, cats rule. They often keep a man (or a few men) as pets. Manfried the Man is particularly treasured by his owner, Steve, though Steve also worries about being branded a crazy man-cat. Manfried escapes through an open window and panic ensues for Steve, who embarks on a frantic search for his man . . . and discovers a lot about himself along the way. It's a delightful concept, but I did find myself a bit unsettled by all the tiny nude men behaving like cats. They're fantastically drawn and *very* cat-like, but definitely a bit disturbing.

A cute graphic novel. Not quite my style, but I'm sure there will be a following for it.