Krosp I


 * "And this is Krosp. He's Agatha's Cat"
 * "KING!"
 * "...I think that explains that."
 * Zeetha and Krosp

Krosp I, Emperor of All Cats, or usually just Krosp, is a Construct who tags along with Agatha on many of her adventures. He's a cat with human-level intelligence, and apparently a few physical modifications to go with it, since though naturally-occurring opposable "thumbs" are not unheard of in cats, they don't tend to walk on two legs for extended periods of time as Krosp does. He himself gives the story of his creation. A few excerpts straight from the horse's cat's mouth:
 * "I was declared a failure and 'scheduled to be terminated.'"
 * "I'm the Emperor of All Cats. Think about it.  Cats can go anywhere ... Imagine if you could use them as spies, messengers, saboteurs."
 * "Sometimes I think I was supposed to be killed because I was too embarrassing to live." (Agatha commiserates.)

Agatha first encounters him in the Dormitory, where he's helping himself to some food that she's left sitting around. It takes a while before she realizes that he can talk and, sort of, think. She responds to this discovery, and his tales of woe, by jokingly offering him her fealty. Not so jokingly, he accepts. This creates an enduring dynamic between the two that can reasonably be described as "ambivalent."

As an actual emperor of cats, Krosp is pretty much a dud, as he himself points out that cats are incapable of effectively serving an emperor. However, he has other skills that come in useful from time to time. For example, he that he knows how to fly an airship, which turns out to be very useful indeed when he and Agatha need to escape from Castle Wulfenbach. More generally, he speaks as the cynical voice of reason when Agatha and those around her propose preposterous schemes. Of course, he's usually ignored.

During the time that he and Agatha spend with Master Payne's Circus of Adventure, he comes to the attention of the Circus' animal trainer, Professor Moonsock. The relationship gets off on a less than cordial footing when he tries to relieve his wilderness-induced hunger by snacking on a few of the good Professor's mimmoths. After the Circus overcomes its initial reluctance to let Agatha and Krosp travel with them, he has to find some way to contribute to the show, so he starts working with Moonsock to learn to do something entertaining. The problem is that, while he can sing and dance, he's not very good at either; in fact, he's downright awful. He's also just as untrainable as any other cat.

When he first appears, he's naked as a jaybird, or, well, as a cat. (No "The Emperor has no clothes" jokes, please.) This lapse of taste is remedied when he  a mini-uniform that Balthazar has outgrown, a marvel of pomp and bad taste that he doesn't like very much at first, but seems to eventually take a liking to. (Agatha thinks it brings out his natural leadership qualities, or at least that's what she tells him, just to twist the knife a bit.)

At heart, Krosp is still a cat, not a small, furry human. He's often seen preparing to snack on mice, goldfish, or mimmoths, usually in a sneaky and clandestine fashion.

The Works
The Works includes three distinct cards depicting Krosp, Krosp 1, Krosp 2, and Krosp 3. On the first he strikes a regal pose; on the second he anxiously clings by one paw to a line of some sort; and on the third he appears to be dancing, singing, and playing a concertina, which recalls. The cards' "Details" are Hero and Construct.

Possibly relevant outside information
Krosp is a lone non-human (or semi-human: a cat with human intellect) among a party of humans (except when da Boyz are around) who excels in logical thought and takes pride in his super-human abilities while resenting the limitations of his “lower” self. The name "Krosp" is a near-anagram of “Spock”.

On the other hand, "Krosp" is an exact anagram of “spork”, sometimes referred to as a runcible, a hybrid utensil of limited utility.



Krosp has been spotted in that otherdimensional realm called "Second Life" &mdash; but then apparently cats can walk through walls, so we should probably not be surprised where he turns up.

Krosp has also appeared in recently rerun pages of What's New with Phil & Dixie, predating his role in Girl Genius.
 * As a minion for Genixa (issue 20, December 1997)
 * Applying for a job with Volrath (issue 29, September 1998)
 * A Stronghold doorman (unnamed) (issue 34, February 1999)
 * Bringing a gift to Mirri (issue 35, March 1999)