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Review: ‘Beasts of Burden: Hunters & Gatherers’

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10 years ago

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A charming and dark fairytale, the one-shot “Beasts of Burden: Hunters & Gatherers” takes its enchanted concept and brings it up to its fullest potential. Filled with well-developed characters, you will forget you’re actually reading about talking animals. Newcomers will surely be hooked and become future fans of the “Beasts of Burden” series.

WRITTEN BY: Evan Dorkin
ART BY: Jill Thompson
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: March 12, 2014

The Devourer has come for the peaceful animals living in the sleepy town of Burden Hill. A group of cats and dogs have something to fear against the monstrous creature lurking in the shadows. Led by Emrys, the group has to band together whether they like it or not. If they do not stop the Devourer, the monster will continue to tear apart one town after the other. But Emrys knows that even if they somehow stop the Devourer, there will be a long list of causalities from this battle. When the humans, the owners, can’t save their pets, it’s up to these paranormal investigators to rescue their own kind.

Writer Evan Dorkin could have easily taken his simple premise and completely turned it into a silly cartoon. At first, I thought this installment was going to be infantile because it has talking animals. But Dorkin takes such a dark and serious approach to the narrative, it actually blows away reader’s expectations. Through well-written dialogue, Dorkin gives each of his characters a moment to highlight their personality. Surprisingly, religion plays out through the group’s banter during the opening pages.

My favorite part of Dorkin’s narrative is the intense and suspenseful chase sequence between Rex and the Devourer. Served as bait, Rex stands out alone and in the open, waiting nervously for the Devourer to show up. Behind Rex, Dymphna hides as his look-out, telling him exactly when to start running. It starts out as a hilarious exchange between a cat and dog, which suddenly turns frightening when the comic relief goes away.

Though this is fantasy-based, artist Jill Thompson doesn’t aim for a cartoony style, but rather a more realistic approach. Thompson puts in tons of detail into the facial expressions of the animals. In the opening pages, you can tell the two dogs are arguing with each other just by their frowns and snarls. In a close-up, one of the dogs even sticks out his tongue in a mocking tone.

Thompson’s water-color technique makes the forest setting feel picturesque and creepy at the same time. The Devourer’s attack on the woods is set during daylight; so you have to see everything. As Thompson holds back from revealing the monster, the illustrations showcase the creature’s massive destruction and death count. Tress are torn from the ground and even the squirrels are pulverized to a bloody pulp.

I am really hoping “Beasts of Burden” becomes a monthly series.

4.5/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jorge Solis

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

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2 days ago

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April 18, 2024

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Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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