| "Omaha" the Cat Dancer | |
|---|---|
 Omaha the Cat Dancer No. 1, featuring the principal characters, Charles Tabey Jr. aka Chuck Katt and Omaha. | |
| Author(s) | Reed Waller andKate Worley |
| Website | omahathecatdancer.com (archive) |
| Launch date | 1978 |
| Alternate name(s) | The Adventures of Omaha |
| Publisher(s) | Kitchen Sink, SteelDragon,Fantagraphics,NBM |
| Genre(s) | Erotic,funny animal,soap opera |
"Omaha" the Cat Dancer is aneroticcomic strip and later comic book created by artist Reed Waller and writerKate Worley. Set in fictional Mipple City,Minnesota (derived from "MPLS", the old postal abbreviation forMinneapolis) in a universe populated byanthropomorphic animal characters, the strip is asoap opera focusing on Omaha, a felineexotic dancer, and her lover, Chuck, the son of a business tycoon.[1]
The strip debuted in the funny animal magazineVootie, and it was subsequently published in a number ofunderground comix in the late 1970s and early 1980s."Omaha" the Cat Dancer became the subject of the eponymous comic book series published from 1984 to 1993 byKitchen Sink Press; it was relaunched byFantagraphics Books through 1995. The final chapters of the strip's storyline were published inSizzle magazine, beginning in 2006.
"Omaha" the Cat Dancer was the first of several comic books published in the early 1980s which integrated explicit sex into their storylines, rather than using sex for shock value. The comic was the subject of a number of obscenity controversies, and it was nominated for multipleEisner Awards in 1989 and 1991.
In 1976, Reed Waller foundedVootie, afanzine intended to promotefunny animal comics.[2] He began developing the concept for"Omaha" the Cat Dancer after one of the magazine's contributors said that there was not enough sex in the genre.[2] Inspired byRobert Crumb'sFritz the Cat,[3] Waller began looking for a theme for his new comic. He visited localstrip clubs inSt. Paul with his sketchbook, and read newspaper articles about attempts to shut the bars down. Another contributor to the magazine, Jim Schumeister, proposed a comic calledCharlie's Bimbos, in which "a bevy of strippers champion liberty in the face of Puritan oppression". This proposal sparked the idea forOmaha.[2]
The character debuted inThe Adventures of Omaha, which was published inVootie in 1978.[2][4] The first chapter of"Omaha" the Cat Dancer was published byKitchen Sink Press inBizarre Sex No. 9 in 1981.[5] A five-page untitled story appeared inBizarre Sex No. 10 in 1982, as a followup to the first chapter.[2][4] In 1983, a one-page parody strip starring Omaha, titled "Hotsizz Twonkies" (a parody ad ofHostessTwinkies), was published inE-Man No. 5 byFirst Comics.[4] Another five-page untitled story, identified as "Shelly and Omaha" inThe Collected Omaha Volume 1, appeared inDope Comix #5; it was reprinted inBizarre Sex Series No. 5.[4] In 1991, theOmaha story "A Strip in Time" appeared inMunden's Bar Annual No. 2, published by First Comics.[4]
In 1984, SteelDragon Press published the first issue of"Omaha" the Cat Dancer, which featured the second chapter of the story.[2][4] Waller then was unable to continue with the story. The third chapter was completed with help fromKate Worley, who continued to write the series thereafter.[2]
TheOmaha series began more regular publication in 1986 through byKitchen Sink Press, which published 20 issues through June 1994. However, in August 1988, Worley was injured in a car accident; the series' frequency slowed as a result of her recovery process.[4] In November 1991, Waller was diagnosed with colon cancer; two issues ofImages of "Omaha" were published in 1992 to pay for Waller's medical expenses, featuring art and writing by several major comic creators.[4] In 1995, Waller and Worley ceased production of the series.[6] In 2002, Waller and Worley agreed to complete the story; Worley was diagnosed with lung cancer, and began chemotherapy and radiation treatments in that year.[4] On June 6, 2004, Worley died before completing the story; her husband,James Vance, began to edit and complete the final chapters.[4]
The series lasted 20 issues before being cancelled in 1993.[3]Fantagraphics Books later relaunched the series, but it only lasted four issues, the last published in 1995.[3][4] In 1994, Rob, a supporting character from the series, appeared inGay Comix No. 22.[4] The final chapters of the story were serialized inSizzle, beginning in 2006.[4]
From 1987 until 1998, Kitchen Sink, and later Fantagraphics, published six volumes of theOmaha strips under the titleThe Collected "Omaha" the Cat Dancer.[4][7] From 2005 to 2013,NBM Publishing imprint Amerotica published eight volumes of strips under the titleThe Complete Omaha the Cat Dancer.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
"Omaha" the Cat Dancer takes place in the fictional Mipple City, Minnesota. The comic's universe is populated byanthropomorphic animal characters.[16] The story began as a satire of localblue laws, before evolving into a comic book soap opera.[2][16]
Susan (Susie) Jensen is an aspiring model from theMidwest and new in the town of Mipple City,Minnesota. The story starts out as Susie uses her modeling to begin working at the strip club "Kitty Korner Klub" with her newfound friend Shelly Hine, where she now goes by the stage name of "Omaha".[17] Omaha starts to become well known after she is featured for the first time inPet Magazine, an adult entertainment magazine, as the centerfold "Kitten of the Month".[18]
After working as a locally popular dancer, she and Shelly meet Chuck Katt, an artist who begins to fall in love with Omaha and whom she considers "normal".[19] After a newblue law is passed, "allstrip clubs are to be closed down", Omaha and Shelly are put out of work. Shelly soon finds a hidden sub-basement at a restaurant that is owned by a man named Charles Tabey, a powerful, yet mentally ill business tycoon, with Shelly as his lover in secret. With Omaha out of work, Chuck Katt starts working for his former boss, Andre DeRoc, a media mogul in the town and the arch-rival of Charles Tabey.
"Omaha" the Cat Dancer was the first of several comic books in the early 1980s which integrated sex into their storylines, rather than using sexual explicitness for shock value.[3][20] In 1988, Friendly Frank's, a comic book store in suburban Chicago, was fined $750 for selling "obscene" material, including"Omaha" the Cat Dancer; as a result of the obscenity controversy, theComic Book Legal Defense Fund was formed.[4][21] In 1990, issues of"Omaha" the Cat Dancer were seized by New Zealand authorities; the country's Obscene Publications Tribunal declared that the series was not indecent.[4] In the same year, police in Toronto seized issues of the comic, claiming that it depicted bestiality.[4]
Martin A. Stever reviewedOmaha, The Cat Dancer forSpace Gamer/Fantasy Gamer No. 83.[22] Stever commented that "the plot is so rich that it would be a disservice to attempt to sum it up in the small space available here. It is better said that it is a story that does not pull punches and in its essence rings more true to the values of our time than anything short of Tom Wolfe".[22]
InGraphic Novels: A Bibliographic Guide to Book-Length Comics, D. Aviva Rothschild praised the series, finding the plot as strong, and the characters as three-dimensional and appealing.[23]Entertainment Weekly writer Alex Heard panned the comic, writing that "the story moves very slowly [...] one can readily agree with the disgruntled fan who wrote, 'My God! Where did you dredge up those horrid characters?'"[16]
In 1992, Kitchen Sink published two volumes ofImages of "Omaha" as a benefit to pay for the treatment of Waller's bowel cancer. The volumes featured contributions by major comic book artists, such asDave Sim,Alan Moore andFrank Miller.[23]Trina Robbins,James Vance andNeil Gaiman have provided introductions to collected editions of the series.[23]"Omaha" the Cat Dancer was nominated forEisner Awards for Best Continuing Series, Best Black-and-White Series, and Best Writer/Artist in 1989; and Best Black and White Series and Best Writer in 1991.[4]