Comics Review: STRAY DOGS

STRAY DOGS by Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner (Image Comics, September 2021) Trade paperback, 144 pages. ISBN # 1534319832 / 9781534319837  

Summary on the Goodreads website. . . . . 

It's scary being the new dog.

In this suspenseful new series, readers meet Sophie, a dog who can't remember what happened. She doesn't know how she ended up in this house. She doesn't recognize any of these other dogs. She knows something terrible happened but she just... can't... recall... Wait! Where's her lady? It's all coming back to her now, and it's enough to raise Sophie's hackles. Now Sophie has to figure out where she is, what's happening and how she's going to survive this.

They say there's no such thing as a bad dog, just bad owners.

STRAY DOGS is a heartbreakingly adorable suspense thriller by My Little Pony comic artists TONY FLEECS and TRISH FORSTNER. It's Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs.

Collects STRAY DOGS #1-5

 

My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

     This was different and fresh when it was originally released, and became a sleeper hit. The summary comparison of LADY AND THE TRAMP meets THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is appropriate. 

     This is an odd blend of creepy and cute that manages to work in spite of itself. A serial killer who preys on single women and then steals their pet dogs and keeps them around his home like souvenirs or trophies is disturbing. The Don Bluth influence in the art and colors is adorable. The interaction between the assortment of dogs, who speak to each other and share their likes and concerns, is endearing. Issues quickly sold out, driving up the values in the resale market.

     I almost did not pick up on this, scanning the main cover for Issue #1 and assuming it was for younger readers. My local comic shop owner recommended it to me, so strongly that he backed it up with a guaranteed return if I didn't like it. I enjoyed it, and bought the remaining issues especially the cool variant covers with the homage to classic horror films. (All featured in the bonus content of the trade paperback). I made a nice profit on those in the resale market. 

     When my other local comic shop made the Trade Paperback of STRAY DOGS their book club selection, I broke down and bought it again so the story would be fresh in my mind for discussion. I did not enjoy it quite as much the second time around, perhaps because I knew where the story was heading but also because I disagree with a major premise of the plot. 

     The plot depends on this premise, and would collapse without it: dogs have short-term memories, therefore they don't recall that their former owners were murdered by their new master. As a long-time dog owner, I am very skeptical of that premise. Similar to when reading science-fiction or fantasy, readers need to suspend their disbelief and just go with the flow in order to enjoy this.

      I was able to do that the first time I read the story, but not so much the second time around. Writer Tony Fleecs even has a human character who is a vet explain the premise/rules in the very first issue. Unfortunately, the story is not consistent and Fleecs has his dog characters break those rules quite often. 

     Ah, screw it. Just read this and have fun. I wanted to give this 3.5 stars, but I'm okay with 4 stars since it's so different and fresh. A sequel has just been released, STRAY DOGS: DOG DAYS (two issues so far) that I'll probably stay away from unless it receives glowing reviews.