‘Stray Dogs #1’ (review)

Written by Tony Fleecs
Art by Tony Fleecs, Trish Forstner
Published by Image Comics

Ever wonder what your dog really remembers from those unpleasant trips to the vet? Or maybe what she remembers in general? Would she miss you if you were separated? Would she remember you if you were gone?

Issue #1 of Stray Dogs asks these questions, too, but with the dark enthusiasm you’d expect from an Image Comics thriller.

We meet anxious pup Sophie during a routine visit to the vet. That’s where “routine” goes out the window.

We flash from the vet to … somewhere Sophie doesn’t recognize.

She knows that something is wrong but can’t put her paw on it.

An unfamiliar home. A strange pack of companions, including one who feels vaguely familiar and all of whom she’s wary. A new master whose kindness sets her on edge, although she can’t say why.

Friendly German Shepherd Rusty takes Sophie on as his charge and introduces her to the other dogs with whom she now shares a home.

The other dogs are inclined to welcome Sophie even as they aren’t sure about her, but it’s clear it’s going to take everyone some time to adjust to this new addition.

Rusty shows her the best spots in the house and where she needs to steer clear. He assures her that their master will take excellent care of her and that the whole pack will be there for her when she is ready. Whatever bad thing must have happened to her before, she’s safe now.

As the first evening in her new home rolls on, Sophie keeps trying to remember how she came to be here. She knows she had a life before this one, but her connection to it is hazy. Something is very wrong; if only she could remember what. The pieces don’t fit. Her past is blank … until a single gesture brings it roaring back to her–or does it? Can she convince the others of what she recalls?

We’ll have to wait until Issue #2 to find out.

The ad copy for this series calls the story “a five-issue Don Bluth-style suspense thriller … Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs.”

After my first read, I have to say I definitely agree with the Don Bluth reference. (Anyone else traumatized by The Land Before Time in ‘88? Just me?) I definitely see Lady and the Tramp in here, but this first issue is also giving  me weird 101 Dalmatians vibes.

I can’t wait to see to what dark corners Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner take us next.