REVIEW: 'Stray Dogs' #1 by Tony Fleecs, Trish Forstner, and Brad Simpson

 Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs. It's scary being the new dog.

Sophie 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?

A five-issue Don Bluth-style suspense thriller by My Little Pony comic artists TONY FLEECS and TRISH FORSTNER, STRAY DOGS is Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs.

 

STRAY DOGS #1

Writer: Tony Fleecs

Artist: Trish Forstner, Brad Simpson

Publisher: Image Comics

Release Date: February 24, 2021

Cover Price: $3.99

Score: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

'Stray Dogs' may see itself as "Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs" but issue one was all Alfred Hitchcock. The mystery, the tension, the dread, the lingering questions suffocate each page soon after our shellshocked protagonist, the trembling Sophie arrives at a strange house full of other rescues. Something is amiss and you don't know if it's the man who took them in or if the danger is going to come from one of the other dogs. Is the friendly Rusty being genuine or not? Why can't she remember her owner? Why is she there?

The series is beautifully designed by Trish Forstner to appear as cute and cuddly as a Don Bluth/Disney animated film but the serious R-rated plotline shatters that ruse in no time. The characters are deceptively charming and colored with subdued tones by Brad Simpson but what is revealed and hangs over the story has a chilling effect that works as designed in this suspense thriller. 

'Stray Dogs' is something unique and special. It's what makes independent comics great. This reimagined kids aesthetic turned into a sinister drama made for adults is the type of kick in the pants the industry needs and helps keep comics fresh and exciting. This is a great remix of suspense and cartoon talking animals that has more in common with 'Charlotte's Web' and 'Animal Farm' than any G-rated fare. 'Stray Dogs' is a refreshing Hitchcockian tale made to unnerve you while disarming you with some fantastic art.