Webcomic / Dean & Nala + Vinny

Illustration by Kelly Ulrich for Nala's World

In 2018, Dean Nicholson, from Dunbar, Scotland, decided to cycle his way around the world. He sold most of his stuff, loaded up his bike with supplies and started pedaling. Three months in and nine countries down, he encountered an abandoned kitten chasing him. He went back, fed her and long story short, Nala (named after the lioness from The Lion King) became his travel companion, riding in his bike front basket. An article from "The Dodo" website about them went viral, making them and their social media (1bike1world) famous. He went on his journey, bringing attention to charity organizations that help animals and even writing a book, Nala's World: One Man, His Rescue Cat, and His Bike Journey Around The World.

But this page is not about that Scottish bloke or his cat.

Canadian artist and illustrator Kelly Ulrich started posting the adventures of Dean and Nala on her Instagram page in hand-drawn comic form, debuting on April 5, 2019. The strip was originally titled "Dean & Nala". Whatever happens in real life to those two (encounters with animals and people, the occasional medical crisis, being under lockdown due to COVID-19) ends up becoming fodder for the strip. One day, Dean posted pics of a large cockroach they found, and Kelly featured him in the strip. Later named Vinny, he turned the duo into a trio. Vinny serves as conversation partner and playmate to Nala despite sometimes losing his patience with her Cloud Cuckoolander ways. The strip, of course, needed a new title: "Dean & Nala + Vinny".

The earlier strips can be read for free in Ulrich's Instagram page. Nowadays, viewing the full strip requires a paid subscription, but Ulrich still posts one daily panel from the strip, and one monthly full strip on Instagram.

Tropes present in this comic

• Abhorrent Admirer: The trio is staying at a home with other pets. One of them, Sammy Chonkers, a feline Casanova Wannabe, tells Nala that he has a stash of catnip if she is interested. Nala is definitely not interested.
• Afraid of Needles: Nala is very excited to learn that Dean has made plans for the trio to travel to Morocco. However, Dean brings up that Nala will need multiple inoculations, which Vinny lists: rabies, Hep A and B, etc. Not eager to get jabbed, Nala suggests they visit a sleepy Scottish village only two miles away instead: "It has a bowling club and it used to have a John Deere dealer."
• The Alleged Car: Dean purchases an "ancient van that needs massive work. FOR US!!" Nala and Vinny are nonplussed. Fortunately for Nala, one of the alterations made to "Nessie" is the removal of the passenger seat and installation of a cat tree so she can sleep or watch the road. But it lacks windshield wipers, which is a bit of a problem on the road.
• Alternate Identity Amnesia: On one occasion, Nala transforms into her savage alter ego Jungle Cat Nala at the sight of a bird outdoors. Despite Vinny's plea of "Nala, NO!", she kills the bird. When she transforms back into her regular cat self, she freaks out and asks who left a dead bird at her feet.
• Animal Lover: Dean. In addition to rescuing Nala as a kitten while on the road, he has helped other abandoned animals find forever homes, like Balou the dog.
• Big "NO!": On a train trip, while Dean sleeps, Nala takes the opportunity to use his laptop to impersonate him in an online Q and A version:
  Q: "Have you used your camera lately?"^note Real-life Dean had a death in family and spent some time at in Scotland, during which he did not post. The comic incorporated the death into the storyline.
  A: (typed by Nala) "Not really. Wanna buy it? €20."
  Vinny: No!
• Big "WHAT?!": On Nala's 4th birthday (or as Dean calls it in his brogue, "bearthday") Nala gets ready to celebrate, party hat and everything. She does not react well to the message that Dean posts to his followers:
  Dean: Thanks for the bearthday wishes but don't send gifts as Nala is a very spoiled cat.
  Nala (indignant): WHAT!?
• Book Smart: Despite being a high school dropout (as revealed in a Q & A strip) Vinny is very intelligent and well-read. He is often seen reading the classics and often tries to get Nala into more intellectual pursuits.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Dean, Nala and Vinny often answer questions from their readers. Nala often posts Dean's credit card number or impersonates him with hilarious results.
• Calling Me a Logarithm: Inverted when Vinny points out that Nala's knowledge of geography is "ABYSMAL". She takes it as a compliment.
• Cats Are Lazy: Nala's reaction to Vinny saying that she just lies around in boxes all day merely proves his point:
  Nala: (curled up in a box) Not true! I can barely relax for thinking about… ZZZ"
• Cats Are Superior: According to Nala, cats are classy and dignified. Stating so is often followed by a pratfall, being caught with Comical Nap Drool, or something else to take her ego down a few notches.
• Cats Hate Water: Nala falls into a body of water and emerges drenched and mad. The times she has gotten soaked in the rain or due to getting caught in sprinkles are not to her liking either. She has a complete and utter freakout when Dean decides to go on a polar bear dip while traveling through the Netherlands, to Vinny's exasperation.
• Clashing Cousins: Vinny hates having to spend any time with his obnoxious cousin Marcello. To make matters worse, Vinny's mom is completely oblivious to her nephew's antics, so Vinny just has to grind his teeth and take it.
• Comical Nap Drool: Nala often does this.
• Cone of Shame: Nala finds herself wearing one after getting a growth removed or other medical situations. Vinny draws a face on it, creating a bit of an Uncanny Valley Makeup situation In-Universe.
• Cloud Cuckoolander: Nala has a unique perspective of the world (innocent if a bit self-absorbed) that often frustrates the highly intelligent Vinny. Justified, since she is a cat.
• Denser and Wackier: The comic, as opposed to real-life Dean and Nala's adventures. The inspiration for the cultured intellectual Vinny was a regular cockroach. Real-life Nala is charming and entertaining, but her comic self is a true Cloud Cuckoolander.
• Doom It Yourself: Nala decides that as a Scotsman, Dean must have a set of bagpipes. She makes it herself with garbage bags, string, a water spout, and the most important material:
  Nala: PVC pipes are so underestimated.
• The Dreaded Pretend Tea-Party: A downplayed example with Nala's tea party. Vinny doesn't mind the party; he just does not want to hear Derp's lengthy story, so he goes off and finds Honk to talk to him about a documentary he saw, "Helvetica: The Font".
• Early-Installment Weirdness: The first drawing Kelly Ulrich posted of Dean and Nala was not a comic, but a semi-realistic illustration as a mock cover for a children's book. As for the first actual strips, the initial sketch in blue pencil was left visible.
• Embarrassing Damp Sheets: Dean gets COVID and he is so feverish that he wakes up with his sheets soaked. Nala suspects this trope is at play instead.
  Dean: Guys, ah need to wash mah sheets—ah've been sweating like a pig from Covid.
  Nala: (holding up sheet in disgust) Isn't that what all bed-wetters say?
• Four-Legged Insect: Vinny is depicted like this.
• Freudian Trio:
  • Superego: Vinny, an intellectual, educated cockroach, who tries to control Nala's worst instincts.
  • Id: Nala, who tries to encourage Vinny to do fun things and live a little. On occasion, the sight of a bird outdoors can trigger the Split-Personality Takeover of her savage alter ego, Jungle Cat Nala.
  • Ego: Dean, a Nature Lover and Friend to All Living Things.
• From Stray to Pet: Dean and Nala's backstory. He heard a meow and found an abandoned kitten. After feeding her, he rode away but turned around shortly after, and rode off with the kitten in his front basket. Ever since, they have been together.
• Funetik Aksent: How Dean's thick Scottish brogue is shown: "Ah think Ah'll poot you on a cracker and eat you up." And after getting a paper cut: "It's doon to the BONE! AAAAA" and "OMAGOD! Is it BAD? I'm afraid to LUKE! It hurts so bad!!"
• Gesundheit: Vinny asks Nala a question:
  Vinny: What's the Flag of Finland called?
  Nala: Um...The Flag of Finland?
  Vinny: Nope. It's Siniristilippu.
  Nala: Bless you. Here's a hanky.
• Girls Love Stuffed Animals: Nala has three: Honk, a crocheted stuffed giraffe; Derp, a one-eyed octopus (with four legs, no less) and an unfortunate name; and newcomer Cheetah-linda, a dinosaur. Honk and Cheetah-linda have real life counterparts; Derp can be considered a Canon Foreigner.
• The Glomp: Holly, Dean's sister, finds herself at the receiving end from one of these from Nala. Unfortunately she is not a cat person, but Nala doesn't mind.
  Holly: DEAN!! Call yer cat off! Ah'm serious!
  Nala: Shhh. Hold still.
• Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Most of the time, Nala's fur and Vinny's exoskeleton are deemed enough, but sometimes they make this trope happen.
  • Nala sometimes wears what she calls ballerina pajamas (really pajama bottoms with an attached ruffled skirt). They come in handy when she is playing pretend as Dr. Tiffany Barbie, surgeon-ballerina.
  • In cold weather, both Nala and her real life counterpart will sport a fetching sweater vest. Comic Nala does accessorize with a knit hat and scarf.
• Hidden Depths: The trio is staying in Dunbar with Dean's family. His grandmother warns Nala to stay away from her knitting yarn. Nala has no idea why she would want to play with the yarn. Vinny has to explain stereotypes of cat behavior to her, like wanting to play with yarn. So she proceeds to cast on and knit a sweater.
• Idiot Ball: Seized by Vinny when he decides to show the highly excitable Nala where they will be traveling next... on an inflatable globe. Played for Laughs when Nala's claws meet the globe.
• Improvised Clothes:
  • Since Dean has sent Nala's warmer clothes home, she has to make do in the snow with his sock as a hat, plastic baggies on her paws, and the final insult: his underpants, which she has to hold up as she walks. Vinny does point out that if she turned them around, she would have a place for her tail.
  • Dean goes for a dip in a river and loses his shorts in the process. Vinny and Nala make him a "bonny green kilt" from some leaves. Earlier Vinny tried to teach Nala how to weave the leaves together so they do not come apart. It ends in a Wardrobe Malfunction.
• Innocent Inaccurate: Usually Nala. After the trio visit an old castle, she and Vinny come across the gallows:
  Nala: (looking at the nooses) Is that a medieval swing set for Castle kids? It doesn't look like fun.
  Vinny: It's kind of like a swing set.
• Insult Backfire: After Nala proposes traveling from Scotland to Iceland by van:
  Vinny: Do I have to bring out my globe? Your knowledge of world geography is ABYSMAL.
  Nala: (genuinely touched) Why, thank you, Vinny. That's kind of you to say. I'm quite sure you're just as abysmal.
• "It" Is Dehumanizing: Vinny is answering questions from readers. One
  Q: Isn't it troublesome to travel with a cockroach? What if you step on it?
  A: IT!? I'll have you know I look after myself, you impertinent scallywag. I AM NOT TROUBLESOME..!
  Vinny: Man, that really crinkles my feelers.
• Just Here for the Free Snacks: Vinny is addicted to the fish tank. Nala and housepets Jacko the dog and Sammy Chonkers host an intervention for him. She and Jacko make it clear that they care for him and they are there for him. An apathetic Sammy is all, "I'm here for the refreshments."
• Klatchian Coffee: Exaggerated example occurs when the gang visits a coffee processing facility in Germany. After merely sleeping among sacks of coffee beans, Nala is completely buggy from the aroma alone:
  Nala (hyper): You wanna play ping-pong? How about I'll race you to the end and back...of Germany?
  Vinny: And this is just from sniffing a few bags of beans?
• Laborious Laziness: With the passing of Dean's grandmother, Nala is concerned she will have to put more work than usual in the yearly preparation of fund-raising calendars. She first dons glasses she does not need. Then she takes things further with a crutch:
  Nala: How's this, Vinny? "Please don't make me work! I am nearsighted, limping, and may even need BRACES."
• Last-Second Photo Failure: Nala needs her picture taken for a pet passport so that Customs allows her to enter a country. Since Dean's phone only has 1% battery left, Vinny can only take one picture of Nala, no outtakes. The picture depicts the normally photogenic cat as cross-eyed and having big buck teeth.
• Lethal Chef: Nala makes oatmeal cookies for Dean, claiming they will help him cycle better to Thailand. Vinny has his doubts, based on ingredients: Irn-Bru^note Scottish carbonated soft drink, marmalade, and heather sprigs with a scoop of Scotch broth:
  Nala: These cookies will remind him of his home...
  Vinny: ...and why he left it.
• Malaproper: Nala's specialty.
  • She play acts that she is Princess Mononoke but pronounces the name as "Princess Mononucleosis".
  • Nala has an epiphany about Christmas not being about presents at all: "Have I been wrong about everything this whole time?? Am I Ebenezer Grinch?"
• Mooning: In a live Q & A a reader offends Nala by pointing out her bandaged foot looks funny and can he see it up close?^note Like her real life counterpart Nala had a growth removed from her toe pad and did wear a Cone of Shame for a bit The indignant feline responds by turning around and shoving her backside into the laptop's webcam ("How about THIS up close... Is that funny?!")
• Mr. Imagination:
  • Nala gets so caught up in her persona of Dr. Tiffany Barbie, surgeon-ballerina that she attempts to perform Swan Lake in front of a swan. He is not amused and attacks.
  • Vinny wants to have an imagination like Nala's so he tells her that he saw sharks in his bath water. Nala is dismissive of his attempt:
    Nala: FYI... Bath sharks migrate south in the winter. Thought you'd know that.
• Nature Lover: That's Dean. He loves camping and exploring the world on his bike. Nala enjoys doing her exploring from the bike's front basket. When she is not napping, of course.
• Never My Fault: Nala is very quick about pointing away from herself when Dean is trying to find out who caused the latest disaster.
• Obfuscating Stupidity:
  • The day after Nala knits a sweater from the yarn in Dean's grandmother's stash, the woman can't get anybody to believe what Nala did. And of course, Nala chooses that moment to just make "prrt" sounds and definitely not act like she is capable of wielding a pair of needles.
  • At the lab where Yasuki (an injured dog Dean found in Serbia) is having tests done, Nala is left alone in the office. Things... happen:
    Lab lady: You destroyed all my data, fried my computer, AND drank my coffee—but you caught a roach? Thanks, I guess.
    Nala: (gripping Vinny) *meow*

• Odd Friendship: Between Nala and Vinny. She's an imaginative cat, he is a cultured cockroach. But they really love each other. He is there for Nala when an animal Dean tried to rescue dies. And when Vinny is mourning for Queen Elizabeth, Nala wraps her tail around him like a blanket.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Dean alternates between camping out and taking shelter in more traditional lodging. To deal with places that have rules against pets, he puts Nala in a dress and headscarf and tries to pass her off as his "tiny wife". After Vinny joins them, he goes in disguise as their baby. It hardly ever works.
• Pet Dress-Up:
  • Dean tries to pass off Nala and Vinny (both in costume) as his tiny wife and their child so they can stay at places that don't allow pets.
  • Since Dean sells calendars of his adventures with Nala, sometimes she is expected to pose in bunny ears or other holiday-related accessory.
  • Dressing up is a staple of Nala and Vinny's playtime. Despite very limited storage space, they seem to have an unending supply of costumes.
  • Vinny accidentally shaves off all of Nala's fur. He tries to remedy it by buying a cat onesie for her to wear until it grows back. He makes a mistake while placing order and a cow costume arrives. She wears it anyway.
• Real Stitches for Fake Snitches: Dean buys a toy for Yasuki and Charlie, the dogs he is fostering. Worried they will destroy it, Nala steals it. Later, when Dean wonders out loud as to where is it, she warns Charlie about this trope.
  Nala (holding up her paw with claws fully out): House rule #1: Snitches get stitches.
• Rummage Sale Reject: For a cyclist who can put in serious mileage in a single day, Dean dresses oddly, opting for a tank top, baggy shorts and mismatched Crocs (one white, another black) instead of specialized bike gear. He doesn't even wear a helmet.
• Running Gag:
  • Nala's Global Ignorance and tendency toward Malapropers.
  • Vinny's obsession with travel brochures.
• The Scapegoat: Nala is about to get caught using Dean's computer to share that her birthday is coming up and she is registered at Cats, Gifts and Beyond.com. She quickly places Vinny at the keyboard and leaves, leaving Vinny to explain that he is innocent and can’t even reach half the keys.
• Security Cling: At a second visit to the vet, Nala, still traumatized from the prior visit (and getting her temperature taken without any warning) clings on to Dean for dear life, claws in full-force.
• Shout-Out:
  • The Taming of the Shrew: Nala is outdoors and catches what appears to be a mouse but turns out to be a shrew. The shrew (nicknamed Kate) is furious and quotes: "My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, or else my heart concealing it will break."
  • She play acts that she is Princess Mononoke but pronounces the name as "Princess Mononucleosis".
  • Dean finds a bird with a messed-up wing and cares for it, naming it "Amelia Airheart".
  • Nala appears to be a fan of Mariah Carey, but Vinny, not so much. Mixing up Christmas Songs, she asks Vinny why doesn't he like "All I Want For Christmas Are My Two Front Teeth". This gets her a Big "WHAT?!" from him.
• Show Within a Show: Dean catches Nala and Vinny rehearsing for 1bike1world: The Musical, with Nala as Dean (in a tricycle and Dean's customary headband) and Vinny as Nala (in a cat costume):
  Nala: Sorry Dean, I don't have a part for you unless you want to be Vinny.
• Slasher Smile: Dean's mom is not a fan of cats, calling them "sneaky and scratchy" and refuses to get her blue pen because Nala is sitting too close to it.
  Nala: Don't worry, Vinny. I know how to calm people who are afraid of cats. (grabs the pen with an evil smile) Hello, Avril…
• Smart People Play Chess: Vinny tries to teach chess to Nala to distract her from chasing mice. He is irritated to see that she aces the game.
• Somewhere, an Entomologist Is Crying: In addition to being a Four-Legged Insect, Vinny appears to have a tongue and teeth. They are only visible when necessary to convey his emotions (when guffawing or snarling).
• Split-Personality Takeover: When triggered by the presence of birds, Nala occasionally transforms into the savage Jungle Cat Nala and acts like, well, a jungle cat. She is drawn in a different style with jagged lines for her figure and thought balloon, a different font, and "Uh-Oh" Eyes.
• Split-Personality Switch Trigger: Nala switches to her alternate identity Jungle Cat Nala at the sight of birds. It does not happen as often as it used to though.
• Terrible Pick-Up Lines:
  • Sammy Chonkers tries to pick up Nala by mentioning his stash of catnip. Judging by her expression, she won't take him on his offer.
  • Another tom tries to pick up Nala:
    Cat: Is your name Google? Because you are everything I've been searching for.
    Nala: No. My name is Nala. Who would name their kid 'Google'?
• Thermometer Gag: Poor Nala is not prepared when the time comes to get her temperature taken during her visit to the veterinarian's office. Her shocked and outraged face says it all. All future visits inevitably include some drama on her part.
• Unfortunate Names:
  • Nala sees another cat. She tries to befriend him but things start badly:
    Nala: HEY YOU—WHAT'S YOUR NAME??
    Cat: Algernon.
    Nala: That's a stupid name. Wanna be friends?
  • Nala enthusiastically suggests the following names for Dean's future baby niece: Rosacea, Malaria and Felony. Vinny is horrified by all, particularly Nala's favorite, Asthma AloeVera.
• Visible Odor: Dean has to air out his van after leaving some prawns in the mini fridge and forgetting about them. The stench is portrayed as greenish clouds even though it is a black-and-white strip. Nala and Vinny have different reactions to the smell of shellfish gone bad:
  Nala: Mmm! What is that bewitching aroma?
  Vinny (in a gas mask): Don't buy a gas mask, they said. Waste of money, they said.
• What Did I Do Last Night?: The day after New Year's, Nala vaguely remembers someone yelling "Get oot of the chip dip!" (presumably Dean) during festivities. She assumes Vinny was the one in the dip, reassures him that these things happen and that his secret is safe with her. Then she walks off… with a bowl of dip stuck on her rump.
• What Measure Is a Non-Cute?: While Nala is no longer a kitten, more than once she takes advantage of the Cute Kitten card. As a roach, Vinny gets a very different reception.
  Vinny: Everywhere I go, it's "EW! A cockroach!" You're the lucky one. Everybody goes, "Awwww—a cat!"