Darker Twists Await in Stray Dogs #3
The dark tale continues as Stray Dogs continues in Stray Dogs #3. This series somehow found the perfect balance between Lady and the Tramp and Silence of the Lambs. It’s compelling and highly disturbing all in one.
The fact that all the main characters are adorable dogs certainly helps to increase the concern and impact of the story. Little Sophie is still determined to prove her theory right. She knows that their new owner is a killer and that it is more than likely that he murdered the original owners of every dog here. It’s a disturbing thought, so one can hardly blame the other dogs for resisting her idea.
Now would probably be a good time to mention that while this series does feature a lot of cute dogs, it’s probably not the greatest series for kids to read. See the above reference to Silence of the Lambs if you have any doubts.
Writing
Stray Dogs #3 picks up right where the last issue left off – with Sophie slowly gaining trust from the rest of her new canine pack. Written by Tony Fleecs, this is by far the most intruding and disturbing issue of the series thus far.
The mystery has fully taken hold here, as it becomes clearer to all readers that the dogs are not in a great situation. Sure, they’re arguably better off than their previous owners…for the moment. But how long can that last?
I joked about crying during All Dogs Go to Heaven in my last review. Now, that feels like a relevant comparison to bring up. These dogs are smarter than we’d give them credit for, but they aren’t Disney heroes. They have realistic limitations, raising a lot of concern about how they will handle this investigation.
Fleecs did an excellent job portraying these limitations while showing how determined our endearing dogs can be. It’d be sweet if not for the situation at hand. As it is, there’s a constant rising tension in this issue, which culminates in the finale page. It’s a dark moment that left me dreading the next issue (though it’s not enough to stop me from reading).
Art
Stray Dogs #3 is a deceptively sweet series, as far as the artwork is concerned. It defiantly leans more towards Lady and the Tramp, with precious dogs romping everywhere. Yet that style makes the plot all the more disturbing.
Trish Forstner (art), Brad Simpson (colors), Tone Rodriguez (layout), and Lauren Perry (flats) all did a fantastic job of merging these two dominant themes together. The dogs are endearing all on their own. Even their appearance is enough to get most readers rooting for them.
It makes the shocking scenes hit all the harder. The artistic team takes advantage of our imaginations, leaving many scenes unsaid. We know attacks have happened and have even seen a glimpse here and there. But it is never over the top. In a way, that actually makes it worse.
Conclusion
Stray Dogs #3 is a brilliant yet dark series that hasn’t been afraid to take risks. While seeing so many distressed dogs is undoubtedly disturbing, I will admit there is such a compelling nature to the narrative inside Stray Dogs.
There are only two issues left in this series, so one can hope that our canine friends are close to finding a way to bring justice to their owners. Though I’m almost afraid to hope too much…
This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.
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