Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites

This book was hard to stomach at times, especially for one such as myself who has a sensitive constitution. There are A LOT of dead, maimed, drowned, zombie, etc. animals within these pages. But the story was just so good. It was funny, serious, poignant, foreboding, and creepy. Each character had a distinct personality. And the artwork by Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother) is amazing; it manages to be both cute and gruesome, often in the same panel.

Also, it has witch cats.

It's very rare that I buy the collected version of a comic that I've already purchased and read in single issues, especially when it's collected in the more expensive hardcover format. I made an exception for this case primarily because it will be popular with my friends and a collected format is much easier both for loaning out and for reading. Also, it's good to demonstrate a market for stories other than typical superhero cape fare.

This is basically a horror story. It has elements of fantasy and mystery but what horror stories don't? There's some humor and hey -- it's cute animals talking. But it's not for small children. One chapter in particular was too dark for even some animal-loving adults I know. (Worse than We3, even.) show more Characters die violently and not just the bad guys.

Thompson's watercolor art is amazing, as usual. She does a really good job of making the animals expressive but still canine/feline. And some of the creepier panels will not leave your memory any time soon.

Dorkin is a popular humor writer than I haven't tried before and he was a weaker link. The humor is sitcom-y and can distract from the larger themes. The irascible pug that's clearly set up as a favorite is particularly irritating. But when the scenes become serious, the dialog smooths out.

This collection is intended as a first volume. Each of the eight stories stand on their own but later ones also hint at a larger threat.

Sample pages (entire stories, in fact) are available on the publisher's website : http://www.darkhorse.com/Features/eComics/1090/Beasts-of-Burden show less

A lovely series of short stories following a group of dogs (and one cat) who solve the mysterious and supernatural events plaguing their community. The stories are clever and engaging, filled with little bits of dialogue that made me smile or chuckle ("I feel safer already", the cat drily notes at one point after the dogs have run off to collect chicken scraps), and the artwork is superb. The author's notes included praise for the artist and the author's own confidence that the artist would capture a "storybook" feeling with her art, and it is easy to see that influence: the style is filled with lush colors and beautiful scenery. I often found myself lingering over a page to trace the autumn canopies of the trees, or the brief glimpse show more of starlight through the tips of the forest.

It is definitely a bit darker than expected, but that only serves to bring the supernatural elements from goofy comedy to a more haunting, genuinely eerie feeling, which is particularly impressive, as the cast being made of animals and the art itself could so easily have gone into too cartoonish of territory.

Definitely an enjoyable read. show less

It's really too bad that there is only one volume of this series, because it has quite a bit of potential to be a great magical adventure. Dorkin and Thompson's canine companions (and one cat, aptly named Orphan) are absolutely charming in their typical doggy behaviour, which is neatly contrasted by their near-human intelligence when it comes to protecting their neighbourhood from malevolent magical forces. It might not be the smartest magical story ever, or even the best comic about dogs, but somehow it just works!

You need to read this--seriously, it's that easy of a review to read, just go out, find the book in your library or comic shop, and sit down and read it. You will thank me for it.

What, that's not enough? All right, all right--for those of you who don't follow my recommendations with blind obedience, here's a quick run-down of the book: this is a world where a band of dogs and one cat (who has been allowed to tag along by the reluctant dogs) who come on some scary stuff going on in their neighborhood. The story quickly turns into a good-versus-evil plot line with magic and murder as the dominant drivers. But it's not as easy as all that--Evan Dorkin (of Milk & Cheese fame) and Jill Thompson (famous children's illustrator) have done a show more smash-up job of creating a group of animals that the reader quickly identifies with and cares about. Jill's ability to render anthropomorphic animals through her artwork is amazing, lending a depth to the animals' expressions that I haven't seen in comics or children's art before; and Evan's stories are thrilling and heart-breaking throughout. I can't wait for the next round of stories from this team--hopefully there's plenty in the works! show less

It has been a very long time since I've been utterly blown away by a graphic novel. Dorkin and Thompson have successfully combined The Incredible Journey with Buffy the Vampire Slayer with this graphic novel. Charming, emotional, exciting and wildly creative, I HIGHLY recommend this book and hope to see more adventures of these characters soon.

Morbid and adorable, suspenseful and heartbreaking, this genre-bending comic offers more than the usual graphic fare, without holding anything back.