I recently had the good fortune to stumble upon a Dark Horse-published supernatural drama comic series featuring a group of protagonists…comprised of five dogs and a single cat. It’s titled Beasts of Burden.
Set in small town of Burden Hill, the human townsfolk are blissfully unaware that the only things stand between them and death at the claws of numerous otherworldly monstrosities are everyday, mortal pets.
Playing out in an episodic manner similar to television programs such as Supernatural (or – in a lighter sense – Gravity Falls) and drawn in a BEAUTIFUL art style that is somewhat reminiscent of old-fashioned story books, the situations that the dogs and cat find themselves in only get worse and worse in terms of how nightmare-inducing they are: a legion of demon frogs with ravenous hunger, witches and their feline familiars, GHOSTS, and so many other frightening entities that dwell in the dark.
Plus, as the stories go on, it becomes evident that something darker beyond anything that the animal protagonists have faced is manipulating events in Burden Hill. My main theory is that it’s basically building up to something that will bring about the apocalypse, of course.
All in all, it’s a pretty fantastic comic series that I fell in love instantly and I have certainly gained a few sleepless nights from it.
However, I should warn you that the release of the comics is somewhat irregular.
It started as a Dark Horse-exclusive webcomic, became well-received enough to received to gain a print series run that was later collected into a hard cover edition (available here: http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/14-755/Beasts-of-Burden-Animal-Rites-HC), to a crossover with Dark Horse’s Hellboy, and finally just limited to continuing via appearances in anthologies and the occasional special “annual” issue.
The series is a wild ride that really shouldn’t be missed. Trust me.
A group of dogs and a cat “busting” ghosts and all manner of horrors. What’s not to love? ^v^