Beasts of Burden [Hardcover]

Evan Dorkin (Author), Jill Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2010 | Series: Beasts of Burden (Book 1)

Welcome to Burden Hill-a picturesque little town adorned with white picket fences and green, green grass, home to a unique team of paranormal investigators. Beneath this shiny exterior, Burden Hill harbors dark and sinister secrets, and it's up to a heroic gang of dogs-and one cat-to protect the town from the evil forces at work. These are the Beasts of Burden Hill-Pugs, Ace, Jack, Whitey, Red and the Orphan-whose early experiences with the paranormal (including a haunted doghouse, a witches' coven, and a pack of canine zombies) have led them to become members of the Wise Dog Society, official animal agents sworn to protect their town from evil. This turns out to be no easy task, as they soon encounter demonic cannibal frogs, tortured spirits, a secret rat society, and a bizarre and deadly resurrection in the Burden Hill cemetery-events which lead to fear and heartbreak as our four-legged heroes discover that the evil within Burden Hill is growing and on the move. Can our heroes overcome these supernatural menaces? Can evil be bested by a paranormal team that doesn't have hands? And even more importantly, will Pugs ever shut the hell up?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Burden Hill looks at first glance to be the epitome of the idyllic suburb, but unbeknownst to its human populace the place is rife with all manner of supernatural menaces, both great and small. Werewolves, hauntings, black magic covens, and less easily defined things that go bump in the night wreak havoc just under the radar of man's perception, but do not go unnoticed by the unlikeliest occult protectors of all: a group of household pets comprising several dogs and a stray cat. These four-footed paranormal investigators, occasionally aided by "wise dogs" trained in the arcane arts, take on all comers with devotion and diligence. Dorkin's clever writing and Thompson's charming painted art effortlessly draw in readers--Thompson's realistic take creates a full world to get immersed in. Loaded with fun in every panel, this series has massive crossover appeal for those who enjoy horror, humor, and stories about endearing animal characters. This gorgeous hardcover edition contains the short stories that introduced the characters, along with the 2009 miniseries and supplemental behind-the-scenes material with notes by Dorkin. A stunner.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (July 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595825134
• ISBN-13: 978-1595825131
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 7.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenominal Horror Comic!, July 15, 2010

By 

Jesse Hughes (Allen Park, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beasts of Burden (Hardcover)

This book collects the four issue miniseries and three previous short stories. They are all supurbly written and beautifully illustrated (watercolors, folks- not Photoshop) supernatural/horror stories. Please don't be misled by the fact that our main characters are talking animals- there's nothing childish happening between these pages. In fact, parents, you may want to read the whole thing through before offering it to the little ones. I'd give this book a strong PG-13 rating.
The stories have just the right blend of creepy horror, adventure, a dash of comedy relief, and alot of heart.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this comic!, September 7, 2010

By 

Rosewater - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beasts of Burden (Hardcover)

The Beasts of Burden is surely one of the greatest comic titles to come out in years, a fantastic combination of elements that don't seem to fit together at first glance.

The world of the book is a sunny, idealic suburb with the dark forces of the supernatural creeping in at the fringes. There to fight back are the eponymous beasts, a group of dogs (and one cat) who find themselves reluctant heroes. Evan Dorkin's writing gives each member of the cast (even characters who only pop up for a few panels) a distinct personality and an arsenel of sharp dialog and Jill Thompson's watercolor art is gorgeous - it looks even better due to this hardcover's slightly oversized dimensions.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must" For People Who Like Things That Are Good, February 24, 2011

By 

ObiWanShinobi (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beasts of Burden (Hardcover)

This is one of those rare things that is simple, straightforward and just plain old fashioned fun. I purchased this as I was a huge fan of Evan Dorkin back in the days when he was responsible for Milk & Cheese and Dork! and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this here book.

This doesn't take a lot of explaining. Basically there's a group of suburban house pets (mostly dogs), that band together to protect their neighborhood from a host of supernatural occurrences.

You know those terrible Disney films where the animals talk and jazz? It's like that, only crossed with Tales From The Crypt/X-Files. What's so great about this book is the way that both Evan Dorkin's writing and Jill Thompson's watercolor style of illustration create this neat world of simple creatures dealing with supernatural horrors. And the "horrors" aspect of this is important. As much as this book creates this warm environment of talking dogs and cats - the stuff they deal with and see is often sad, brutal and fairly gory. But not so gory or intense that it would make this "inappropriate" for older kids.

So if you're looking for something cool to read - here you go. This is fun, easily accessible and just plain cool. Totally worth a purchase.

I must say it is pretty cool to see a guy who went from drawing punk/ska comics about tiny, angry dairy products running around brutally maiming New Yorkers, mature into someone capable of writing such a thoughtful and largely innocent work. Not that Milk & Cheese wasn't genius or anything because it sure as hell was.