My Cage is an American daily comic strip

Comic strip

A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....

 by Melissa DeJesus and Ed Power and was distributed by King Features Syndicate

King Features Syndicate

King Features Syndicate, a print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to nearly 5000 newspapers worldwide...

. The strip debuted on May 6, 2007, and is the first "manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

-inspired" comic to be syndicated by King Features.

The comic is set in a world of anthropomorphic

Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...

 animals, in which the protagonist attempts to juggle a soul-sucking corporate career with freelance writing.

On August 25, 2010 the My Cage web site announced that the My Cage comic strip has been canceled and the final episode of the strip will run on October 31, 2010.

Currently the strip is running in re-runs on Universal Uclick

Universal Uclick

Universal Uclick is an American entertainment company owned by Andrews McMeel Universal. Universal Uclick is the world's largest independent press syndicate and provides syndication in print, online and on mobile devices for a number of lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and cartoons and...

's gocomics

GoComics

GoComics is a website launched in 2005 by the digital entertainment provider Uclick. It was originally created as a distribution portal for comic strips on mobile phones, but in 2006, the site was redesigned and expanded to include online strips and cartoons...

.com.

Characters

• Norman T. Platypus, the strip's protagonist. Norm is a twentysomething aspiring freelance writer
  Freelancer
  A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
  
   who works as a supervisor for the fictitious corporation McGuffin Inc. Despite his income, he believes he was happier before his job ("poorer but happier.") He regularly shaves the fur on top of his head to "make a statement about baldness," though he has yet to explain what the statement is.
• Bridget T. Dog, Norman's girlfriend. is an assistant manager for Video Cavern. Unlike Norman, she enjoys her job. Her interests include painting and Lost
  Lost (TV series)
  Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
  
  . She is often called a "Hippie." On May 10, 2009, Bridget and Norman broke up. However, they have since gotten back together. Two recent strips have shown that she is somewhat stressed over the wedding, cramming massive quantities of food as a way to cope with it. These feelings were later pacified when she ran into a former boyfriend and realized that her love for Norm overshadowed any doubts she might have about their future. It has been revealed that she is pregnant.
• Squishy is Norman's pet amoeba
  Amoeba
  Amoeba is a genus of Protozoa.History=The amoeba was first discovered by August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof in 1757. Early naturalists referred to Amoeba as the Proteus animalcule after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his shape...
  
   who is often depicted with dog like behavior. She first appeared May 24, 2007, when Bridget convinced Norman to adopt her. Despite Norman's self-assured dislike for "toy amoebas," he instantly fell in love with her at first sight and seemingly adores her even more than he does Bridget (in fact the two consider each other rivals for his affection).
• Ashley T. Bengal, one of Norman's employees, Ashley is a self-described "hyper-creative, easily bored Goth chick
  Goth subculture
  The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
  
  ." At work, she often pesters her boss, at one time stapling all his possessions to his desk (including the stapler itself). Norman and Ashley consider each other "work spouse
  Work spouse
  A work spouse is a co-worker, usually of the opposite sex, with whom one shares a special relationship, having bonds similar to those of a marriage; such as, confidences, loyalties, shared experiences, and a degree of honesty or openness...
  
  s" and Norm is occasionally suggested to have a mild attraction to her to the point of provoking jealousy in Bridget.
• Rex T. Doberman is another employee of Norman's, noted for his narcissistic attitude and generally vapid nature. He often talks about himself, oblivious to the presence of his coworkers and considers himself to be "naturally ripped" despite being even more overweight than Norm.
• Violet T. Chihuahua is Rex's wife and coworker. She is equally egotistical but generally more spiteful (she frequently describes those around her as inferior) and is very possessive of Rex. Her main reason for working at McGuffin was so she could keep an eye on him. Violet gave birth to her and Rex's first child Sunny on May 19, 2010. Recent strips have depicted her and her daughter as being the embodiment of evil (e.g., an ultrasound during Violet's pregnancy picked up a fetal heartbeat to the tune of the "Jaws" theme).
• Sunny Rex and Violet's infant daughter, born May 19, 2010. Despite her seemingly innocent exterior, Sunny is even more sinister in nature than Violet; possessing a hunger for "soul-emptiness" and telekinetic abilities.
• Maureen T. Fox is a highly attractive programmer hired to the desk next to Norman (first appeared June 4, 2007.) Divorced and with one daughter, named Lily, Maureen is a bit of an elitist who refuses to date anyone who isn't good-looking and rich (a mid-2010 strip revealed that her obsession with money might have to do with her father abandoning her and her mother for another family after he won the lottery). She has a snarky and sarcastic sense of humor which usually reveals itself when interacting with Norm (Norm once mentioned how she considers coworkers to be "spackle friends" which she uses to fill the holes in her social life).
• Jeffrey T. Shark, another coworker of Norman's, he is considered the corporation's resident imbecile. His fellow coworkers base this claim on some of Jeff's quotes, such as "I'm sorry, what did you say? I was too busy trying to see if I can taste my own tongue." Jeff was formerly married but was divorced after he engaged in an extra-marital affair in an attempt to be more like Max. Jeffrey has a son shark named J.J. who has appeared in some episodes of the strip since 2009. Recent strips have shown him occasionally bickering with Max regarding politics with Jeff taking the left and Max taking the right.
• Max T. Terrier, Norman's boss. Max is an archetypal snob who flaunts various luxuries around the office, due an income that is disproportionately larger than Norm's. Nonetheless, he makes a concerted effort to remain on good terms with his staff. He is seldom seen without a drink in hand and also flirts with many women despite being married. Towards the end, Max leaves in a flash of fire, swearing to return.
• Dr. Alan T. Chipmunk, Norm's therapist, though Norman rarely feels better after meeting with him. Norm has considered Alan "even worse than Dr. Phil."
• Cassandra Cat, a character from Slylock Fox
  Slylock Fox
  Slylock Fox & Comics for Kids is a comic strip published by King Features Syndicate. The main character is Slylock Fox. Slylock first appeared 29 March 1987. He was created by Bob Weber Jr., who still writes and illustrates the comic today.. Weber is the son of Bob Weber, Sr., who writes the Moose...
  
  making a cameo and guest appearance for a week of strips in 2007. Max hired her for her looks alone. Maureen T. Fox considers Cassandra her new "Bestest Friend," as Norman told her Cassandra was a shallow person who only succeeds because of her looks.
• Brian Puma, was introduced on June 23, 2008 as the replacement for Max's boss Lenny. At first Norman was hopeful that Brian would be a "Fresh set of eyes! Someone who won't fall for (Max's) scheming and see I do all of (Max's) work!" Norman's hopes are crushed in the next frame when Brian bluntly asks, "Who's the geek?". Tall and muscular, Brian considers himself an "outdoorsman" (which greatly irritates Norm who fancies himself an "indoorsman"). Following his introduction, Brian rarely made any speaking appearances afterward and was ultimately removed from the strip when he died of an apparent heart attack on September 9, 2010.
• Kenny the Unicorn, introduced on September 15, 2008, is a dim young man given a low-responsibility job at McGuffin. Norm deduces that he is actually a horse with a spike in his head. May also be Max's secret illegitimate son.

External links

• "My Cage" re-runs on gocomics.
• Express News coverage of the strip's launch
• 'My Cage,' manga-inspired syndicated strip, breathes life into weekday comics New York Daily News (Feb. 3, 2010).