Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • The Full Run: 'Thriller' #3 by Robert Loren Fleming and Trevor Von Eeden

      Thea Srinivasan
      April 11, 2013
      Columns, DC Comics, The Full Run, The Long-Form
    Recent
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

      Daniel Gehen
      October 27, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Batman: The Damned #1 and The Problem With The Censorship

      Thea Srinivasan
      October 3, 2018
      Big Two, Columns, DC Comics
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Stan Lee

      nguyen ly
      November 7, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • A HARROW COUNTY Omnibus is Coming

      Thea Srinivasan
      January 22, 2020
      Dark Horse, Miscellaneous Comic Book Content, News, Press Release
    Recent
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • 4.5

      TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      October 29, 2020
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 4.0

      Review: 'Kill All Monsters! Vol. 1: Ruins of Paris' Jumps Right Into the Kaiju Robot Battles

      Thea Srinivasan
      May 15, 2013
      Reviews
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Nick Simmons: Bringing the Revenants to Life

      Thea Srinivasan
      July 23, 2009
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade: the Life and Times of Gene Day

      Thea Srinivasan
      November 20, 2015
      Classic Comics, Classic Comics Cavalcade
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Exclusive Marvel Preview: "Patsy Walker: A.K.A Hellcat" #3

      Thea Srinivasan
      February 18, 2016
      Marvel Comics, Previews
    Recent
    • 2020 Ringo Awards Winners Announced

      Daniel Gehen
      October 26, 2020
    • BAD IDEA Announces 2021 Publishing Slate

      Daniel Gehen
      September 29, 2020
    • A Full Replay of NCSFest 2020 is now Available

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2020
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Review: 'Apollo' is Great with Facts, Less Great with Mythologizing

      Thea Srinivasan
      June 25, 2018
      Books, Reviews
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: If I win Powerball, I will buy Amazing Fantasy 15
  • DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)
  • Collecting Profile: Batwoman
  • Collecting Profile: Daredevil
  • Collecting Profile: Floronic Man
  • Review of Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Indie
Dark Horse

Review: “Beasts of Burden:Animal Rites” Summoned My Surprise

Thea Srinivasan
November 27, 2018
Dark Horse, Indie
Review: "Beasts of Burden:Animal Rites" Summoned My Surprise
Final Score81%
81%Overall Score
Reader Rating: (0 Votes)
0%

(W) Even Dorkin (I) Jill Thompson

Normally, summoning demons takes some amount of magic. It’s a fantasy many of us have when we read about supernatural realms. Now imagine constantly fighting supernatural beings, it gets really boring quickly. Welcome to Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites. Please note, this story contains graphic violence and gore and is not recommended for children. This is the only warning I will provide before going forward.

The story is about a group of animals that live in a small town. One day, they notice a supernatural occurrence take place in their hometown and they decide to investigate. Things take a turn for the worse when they find a demon that has killed a friend of the group. The animals band together in an attempt to defeat the demon and together become the members of the Wise Dog Society. Their job is to solve supernatural crimes in the local area and protect the citizens from disaster.

I love the ensemble cast of all of the animals as each one served their purpose in the group. I loved Orphan’s role in the group as she could jump from one role to the other, unlike the other dogs. She was a cool cat that knew everything about the neighborhood yet knew how to protect her friends at the root of everything. Ace, a giant dog, was the leader of the gang. He speaks up enough to grab the attention of his pack. But my favorite character was Lady as she held a graceful presence amongst her group even as a witch. I was really surprised how the animals reflected humans based on their social upbringing. The creators did a great job reflecting them as humans in some aspects.

My favorite part of the story was the supernatural cases the creators came up with. Without spoiling a lot, each case had a unique premise or situation. For every case, a new type of magic was presented and it was up to the crew to stop the craziness. There’s no doubt the gang wasn’t the best at magic, but they were able to use what they learned to protect themselves. It’s sad to learn that the magic that is used has its flaws, but it’s nice to see the animals have a combative side to them. The only thing that makes me puzzled is why the animals have decided to become pets to humans if they have their own sentience. It makes no sense to me on this level.

I really love the watercolor paint art style. In my opinion, this is one of the hardest artistic mediums a person can take on.  From painting the picture and then waiting for it to dry, it takes a lot of patience to make sure every panel was clear and crisp. Considering how clear the images were, I was really surprised and intrigued from the start. It also helped that there was just enough action and gore to keep me thrilled from one panel to the next. Overall, I love the art style and can’t wait to see more from the creators.

Finally, I am in love with the plot of this story.  I rarely see stories about sentient animals casting magic. Even so, most of the animals are shapeshifters or as used as secondary characters. It’s nice to see a unique take by the creators. It would be really nice to see the society of magic come up more throughout the stories rather than the gang in Winchester. It would be great to see the world of magic and how these animals go about global investigations.

Overall, this comic has a great start. While there is a cute, adventurous twist with the use of pets, it quickly turns into a bloody adventure with murder and danger always on the front. The diverse cast of characters doesn’t overwhelm the story and allows the reader to pick a favorite. If you want more information about the comic, click here.

animalsBeasts of BurdenEvan DorkinJill ThompsonMagicsummoning demons

Share On:
Tweet
Review: “Juni Taisen: Zodiac War” Vol. #1 Murders My Perceptions
BOOM! Reveals Revamped “Buffy” by Dan Mora

About The Author

Thea Srinivasan

Related Posts

  • What Looks Good for the Week of 10/14/2020

    Daniel Gehen
    October 12, 2020
  • What Looks Good for the Week of 9/9/2020

    Daniel Gehen
    September 7, 2020

Support Us!

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Friends of the Site

  • SOLRAD
  • Your Chicken Enemy
  • Psycho Drive-In
  • Women Write About Comics
  • The Beat
  • Loser City
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders