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Sep 21, 2017

The 40 Years of Comics Project - The Weekly Graphic Novel: Week 57 - Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites, June 2010

https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/14-755/Beasts-of-Burden-Animal-Rites-HC

I was very fortunate to find this in a thrift shop a while back - a beautiful hardcover collection of some of Jill Thompson's most inspired art, in my never humble opinion. I'd read a Beasts short in one of the Dark Horse collections I have (I think), and the whole premise just spoke to me.

Now, here's a warning: just because it's about a bunch of animals investigating the occult, and just because they look kind of cute, does not mean this is a comic for kids. Well, not for all kids. Those dark ones, that're not only hurt but also kind of fascinated when they cut themselves, they'll probably love the shit out of this book.

I did, anyway. The short stories have some slight connective tissue, but otherwise they're lovely little bits of suburban horror as seen through the eyes of a group of mystical dogs (and 2 cats). They put me in mind of the very early Hellboy shorts in the Wake the Devil  and The Chained Coffin collections, and they're very obviously inspired by Mignola's wonderful sense of atmosphere. This book actually lets us in on that secret life that we're all sure our pets have when we're at work, or asleep. And, honestly, they can have it. Some of the stuff in this book is super-creepy.

Worth a read, if you can track down any of the issues. Onward.

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