Kat & Mouse

When Kat's dad gets a job as a science teacher at a posh private school, things seem perfect—that is, until Kat's rich, popular classmates shove her to the bottom of the social heap just for being smart. And bad turns to worse when an anonymous student blackmails Kat's dad to give the class better grades! Can Kat and her new friend, the rebellious computer nerd Mouse, find the real culprits before Kat's dad loses his job?

This is Kat & Mouse, a new manga from TOKYOPOP, created by innovative Alex de Campi (Smoke, Agent Boo) and Federica Manfredi (Hack/Slash, Vampire by Night, Magenta). I'm not sure why I like this one. Maybe its because I was a Nancy Drew nerd during my childhood. Maybe its because I so completely believe in the idea of marching to your own drummer. Whatever the reason, like it I do and I'm betting you will too.

Kat is your average teenage girl with above-average smarts. When her dad gets a job as a science teacher at a ritzy private school, Kat thinks she has it made. But as it turns out, the kids at this school don't appreciate her intelligence as much as she had hoped. To teach her a lesson, someone frames her dad for stealing school property and now his career is on the line. But instead of hiding her I.Q., Kat uses it to her advantage and partners up with computer-nerd "Mouse" to help solve the mystery and save her dad's job. If you read the editor's intro to this, you'll see this line: "Think of the difference between "because I said so" and "because you made it happen" - which can you respect more?"

Now how can you argue with that?

Kat & Mouse is currently available at your favorite manga stores or you can buy it online here. For a sneak peek, check out TOKYOPOP's online manga player.