A Cat Named Tim and Other Stories - Hardcover

John Martz is a cartoonist and illustrator in Toronto, Canada. He is the creator of the wordless online comic strip Machine Gum, and the illustrator of several picture books including Abbott & Costello's Who's On First? (Quirk Books, 2013). His comics and illustrations have appeared in The Globe & Mail, MAD Magazine, Maisonneuve, Canadian Notes & Queries, and kuš! He was a founding editor of the illustration blog Drawn.ca, and makes up one quarter of the jam comics collective Team Society League. He won the 2013 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Story for his comic book Gold Star (Retrofit Comics, 2012).

Shortlisted for The Governor General's Literary Awards

Nominated for the Eisner Award for Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)

"Kids will love the cute animals and their silly antics. It is perfect for early readers and visual learners and will be a welcome addition to any early readers' collection." - Lori Henderson, Good Comics For Kids, School Library Journal

"A very enjoyable read, kids no doubt will have fun with Martz's creations." - Cameron Hatheway, Bleeding Cool

"To my eyes it has two things going for it, humor and cuteness. That's an impressive one-two punch for kids." - Travis Jonker, School Library Journal

"The range of varied layouts and sumptuously coloured spreads, coupled with the injection of humour and utter absurdity, will appeal to young children and many an adult." - Sarah Yewman, picturebooksblogger

"This book could be for kids who cannot read or kids that can but like to tell their own story. The pictures are fun for anyone to look at." - Adam, Age 7, San Francisco Book Review

"This colorful book is destined to be a hit with imaginative little ones." - Allyce Amidon, Foreword Reviews

"You'd be hard pressed to find a better example of a superb children's picture book." - Zainab Akhtar, Comics and Cola

"Martz certainly has his Jim Flora on overdrive here, mixed with a charming playfulness plus an abstraction and immediacy that can sometimes be hard to find in children's picture books. It's fun to see his simplicity unfold, while keeping its core." - John Seven,Vermicious

"I tested the book on my five-year-old daughter to see if she could follow it (she's just learning to read), and the way that Martz continually subverted audiences expectations led to laugh after laugh - Martz's cartooning rhythm is so steady that even an inexperienced reader could pick up on how to follow it." - Rob Clough, High-Low

"Martz' illustrations are crisp and candy-colored and a joy to look at." - Rich Barrett, Mental Floss

"Visual learners and younger children alike will pore delightedly over these nearly wordless sequences." - Kirkus

"John Martz is a master of inventive comics storytelling, and this is the kind of book I wish I'd had when I was a kid: inspiring, eye-opening, and never not fun. A Cat Named Tim is a treasure chest of wonderful." - Ryan North, Adventure Time, Dinosaur Comics

Praise for Who's On First?

"Martz's clever graphics make the premise clear to the youngest readers...Parents can now introduce the routine earlier than has been traditional for young fans and, as we all know, participating in tradition is the essence of the love of baseball." - Newsday

"Martz's expressive characters cavort on backgrounds that pop with appealing color. Clever page formatting conveys the pacing that is such an integral part of the laughs." - School Library Journal

Praise for the Ignatz Award winning Goldstar

"This was my favorite of Martz's comics. It's sharper and meaner than his other works, and the intricate structure has quite a payoff." - Rob Clough, High-Low

Praise for Destination X

"Reading Mart'z work is always a singular pleasure and Destination X is no different: a funny, neat and nuanced tale, nicely offset by the galactic feel of the purple toned hues and clear line style. I greatly enjoyed reading this, and have no doubt that you will, too." - Zainab Akhtar, Comics Beat