Reviews

Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin

breakfastgrey's review

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4.0

I was not expecting this one. I thought the premise of "horror stories but with animals" could be kind of fun, but this book absolutely goes for the throat. It's such an odd premise: the dogs are so cartoonish and the stories so dark. Both Boy and His Dog and Lost freaking crushed me. Kudos to Jill Thompson's art for making such an odd book work. Definitely recommended... just not sure to who.

haylie23's review

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dark funny mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

kylepotter's review

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5.0

This is an outstanding novel, boasting creepy stories tinged with supernatural horror. Oh, and the action focuses on animals. It uses the conceit rather than exploiting it, so it doesn't get old.

stevengauthier's review

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The interplay between cats and dogs is quite endearing. Jill Thompson’s animals have distinctive features and readable emotions. The stories are well drawn, even if her line is a bit heavy and dark here.

tinynavajo's review against another edition

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5.0

Yep, totally read this after I read the second volume but I still love it! I need to buy these for myself, definitely a comic I would like to keep track of! A bunch of little snips and bits of this group of dogs (and one cat) and the urban magic they run into in their little home of Burden Hill. I think that is something that I truly like, is that it shows how much we as humans may be missing in our day-to-day lives that our pets are able to sense and see. And I think that the bravery of these animals shows that they want to protect their homes as much as we as humans want to protect our homes.

ogreart's review

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4.0

A mix of animal stories and darkish fantasy. I am not quite sure how the author did it, he pulled it off.

blairconrad's review

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5.0

Cute! Interesting! Dark! Scary!
I really enjoyed these stories about a plucky gang of neighbourhood dogs (and cat!) that have to band together to save their town (and the world?) from the Forces of Evil. It's got personality and quirkiness and interesting stories and humour appealing artwork. And who can argue with a haunted doghouse?

laurbits's review

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5.0

ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

theshadowplay's review

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4.0

A really good set of stories. In one sense, it's a bit silly with some of the dogs' interactions, but in another sense it truly is excellent horror. The artwork is good as well. I'd like to see more of this.

kronner86's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0