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Beasts of Burden: Neighborhood Watch Review

By Josh Dean
July 27, 2012 - 17:02

I have only been exposed to a couple of short Beast of Burden pieces in the past. This was the first concentrated blast I have been exposed to after hearing lots of good things. The basic premise is that a group of animals in an undisclosed neighborhood keep an eye out for supernatural threats and fight them.

Firstly, Jill Thompson’s art is beautiful, let’s just get that out of the way.  Water colors and detailed figures give the work a distinct look that evokes the autumn even when read in mid-summer. I could look at this book all day.

Reading it is a stranger affair. I have a shameful confession; I’ve never really read any Evan Dorkin before. Milk and Cheese passed me right by. His contribution to Bizarro comics was cute but didn’t blow me away. Beasts of Burden is kind of tonally all over the place. Of the three stories featured in this one-shot, a kind of whimsical adventure in which a dog and cat chase a goblin takes a really dark turn at the mid-way point. The animals sometimes curse, which leads me to believe this isn’t an all ages book. However, there are some Archie style bad jokes and cutesy fourth wall breaking in the second story that strike an odd chord. Otherwise, the second story is a very entertaining fable with a cute frame story. The third is an actual horror story that has a super creepy final image. It is the one story I felt stayed tonally consistent throughout and, therefore, read the best.

I have no idea if Beasts of Burden even has continuity or where this would fit in it but these are pretty fun little tales. Nothing here is earth-shaking or life-changing but worth a read for sure.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12